Peter Churchill
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Peter Morland Churchill,
Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...
(1909 – 1972) was a British
Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
(SOE) officer in France during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. His wartime operations, which resulted in his capture and imprisonment in German concentration camps and his subsequent marriage to fellow SOE officer
Odette Sansom Odette Marie Léonie Céline Hallowes, (née Brailly; 28 April 1912 – 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Sansom, code named Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in ...
, received considerable attention after the war, including a 1950 film. On 29th December 2024 he was inducted into the Spengler Cup Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in Davos, Switzerland, in recognition of his exceptional ice hockey playing in the 1930s and will be represented in the ice hockey museum there.


Early life

He was born in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
on 14 January 1909, the son of William Algernon Churchill (1865–1947), a British Consul who served in Mozambique, Amsterdam,
Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...
in Brazil, Stockholm, Milan, Palermo, and Algiers. His father was also an art connoisseur, and author of what is still the standard reference work on early European paper and papermaking, ''Watermarks in Paper'', and Violet (née Myers). He was a brother of Walter Churchill DSO DFC, a
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
pilot during the war, and Oliver Churchill DSO MC, also an SOE officer.


Education and career

He was educated at Malvern School from 1923–27, then spent 18 months at Chillon Castle, then went on to
Geneva University The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology unti ...
. From 1929–32, he read
Modern Languages A modern language is any human language that is currently in use as a native language. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication (such as French and German) and dead clas ...
at
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...
. In addition to his native English, he was bilingual in French and fluent in Spanish and Italian.SOE Personal File HS 9/314 at The National Archives
/ref> He also excelled in sports – he had the reputation of being one of the finest ice-hockey blues the university had produced. Churchill was Captain of the Cambridge University Ice Hockey Club in 1932 and won 15 international caps. He was proficient at exhibition diving, a first-class skier, and played golf off a six handicap. He moved into the British diplomatic service and served as British Vice-Consul in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
from 1934–5, and Pro-Consul in
Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...
, Algeria from 1935–6. From September 1939 to August 1940, he was Under Secretary to Sir Norman Birkett in the Home Office Advisory Committee, and later became President of the Committee.


Wartime activities

At the outbreak of the Second World War, he was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps and also underwent
commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...
training. In April 1941, joined the
Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
as one of its early recruits and assigned to the French Section in June 1941. He was infiltrated into France four times, twice by submarine and twice by aircraft, and spent 225 days behind enemy lines.'' The Spirit in the Cage'', Peter Churchill, Hodder and Stoughton, 1954


First mission

In Operation WILLOW, his mission was to inspect three SOE networks in the south of France, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, assess their needs, and give them instructions. He was also given two million francs (equivalent to approximately £480,000 / €500,000 in 2019) to distribute between the three networks, with 400,000 francs for Francis Basin «Laurent» of the URCHIN network in
Antibes Antibes (, , ; ) is a seaside city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice; its cape, the Cap d'Antibes, along with Cap Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Ca ...
, 300,000 francs for Georges Duboudin «Charles» of the SPRUCE network in
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, and 300,000 francs for Ted Coppin «Olivier» of the DONKEYMAN network in
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
. The other million francs was destined for Colonel Deprez in Marseille to facilitate the release of 10 French patriots from Fort St Nicholas prison in Marseille.'' Of Their Own Choice'', Peter Churchill On 1 January 1942, submarine P36 took him 2 miles offshore Miramar (Théoule-sur-Mer) from where he rowed to the shore by canoe at night. The next morning he walked 25 km to Antibes where he met his first contact, Dr Élie Lévy «Louis», who introduced him to Baron d'Astier de la Vigerie «Bernard», head of Lyon resistance group known as ‘The Last Column’. Using false identity papers of an Argentinian journalist, he then travelled by train with «Bernard» to Lyon to meet Virginia Hall «Germaine», an American agent, who put him in contact with Duboudin. He then went by train to Marseille where Hall introduced him to Ted Coppin and Colonel Deprez. Having completed his mission, Churchill returned to the UK. Travelling as a couple to reduce suspicion, Hall accompanied him on a train to
Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...
, and with a guide he crossed the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
overnight on foot and walked about 80 km to Bañolas near Figueras. He was then driven to
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
, crossing the Spanish border hidden in the car’s boot, and on 14 February 1943 was flown back to London for debriefing.


Second mission

Operation DELAY II was a brief mission to deliver four SOE agents by submarine to the French Riviera.'' Duel of Wits'', Peter Churchill In April 1942, Churchill travelled from
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
in HM Submarine P 42 "Unbroken" with three radio operators, Isidore Newman «Julien» for the URCHIN network and Edward Zeff «Matthieu» for the SPRUCE network, Marcel Clech «Bastien» for the AUTOGIRO network, and
Victor Gerson Haim Victor Gerson DSO, LdH (1st of August 1896, Southport, Royaume-Uni - 14 of April 1983, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France), code name Rene, was a Special Operations Executive agent during the Second World War. He organised the Vic escape line in Fra ...
«René», an SOE agent on a special mission to organise the VIC Escape Line On the night of 21 April, Churchill led Newman and Zeff by canoe to the shore at
Antibes Antibes (, , ; ) is a seaside city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice; its cape, the Cap d'Antibes, along with Cap Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Ca ...
with their radios and took them to the house of Dr Élie Lévy, who asked him to take «Bernard» back with him to the UK. Churchill returned to the submarine with «Bernard», after which Clech and Gerson were dropped off by canoe at the Pointe d’Agay and Churchill returned to the UK.


Proposed next mission

On his return Col Buckmaster gave Churchill his next mission which was to blow up a powerful radio transmitter at Sainte-Assise near
Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...
which the Nazis were using to direct their U-boat campaign, and was so powerful that the U-boats could pick up its messages without having to surface. He was to be accompanied by 'The Twins' (SOE agents Alfred and Henry Newton) but, just as they were about to undertake the mission, a failed attempt by a French agent resulted in significantly increased security and Churchill’s mission was called off.


Third mission

His third mission was to organise and coordinate the SOE F Section "Spindle" Network in
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
which directed the delivery of supplies to support the CARTE Organisation run by André Girard. On 27 August 1942, he was parachuted near
Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
and went to Cannes where he learned that Francis Basin had just been arrested. Churchill planned to rescue him when he was being transferred by train to Lyon but this attempt was called off, apparently at Basin’s request.''SOE in France: An Account of the Work of the British Special Operations Executive in France 1940-1944'', M.R.D. Foot. Among his couriers was
Odette Sansom Odette Marie Léonie Céline Hallowes, (née Brailly; 28 April 1912 – 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Sansom, code named Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in ...
«Lise», with whom he was to develop a close relationship and subsequently marry after the war. Adolphe Rabinovitch «Arnaud» was his wireless operator. Churchill arranged an arms drop for General de Lattre de Tassigny, Commander of one of the sole French Divisions still in existence, based in Montpellier, and another for the Maquis des Glières, who operated near
Lake Annecy Lake Annecy (, ) is a perialpine lake in Haute-Savoie in France. It is named after the city of Annecy, which marks the start of the Thiou, Lake Annecy's outflow river.Jean-Daniel Stanley and Thomas F. Jorstad, ''Direct Sediment Dispersal from Moun ...
in
Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...
. Several attempts were made to fly him back to the UK to report on his activities. The first attempt was for a Hudson bomber to land at Vinon near
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...
to collect Churchill, Giraud and five French generals, however the terrain had not been surveyed properly by the French resistance and the runway proved inadequate, so Churchill aborted the landing. Returning to Cannes, Churchill was informed that two police inspectors had called at his accommodation searching for him, and he had to change lodgings immediately. On 8 November 1942 Hitler ordered the occupation of
Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...
and as a result of increased security activities in Cannes, Giraud moved his CARTE operations to Arles. In November 1942, a CARTE courier,
André Marsac André Marsac was a member of the French resistance organisation known as the CARTE network or circuit, based in Cannes, organised by André Girard (1901–1968), André Girard. Marsac acted as a courier. In November 1942 Marsac was travelling on ...
, was arrested in Paris by Abwehr
intelligence officer An intelligence officer is a member of the intelligence field employed by an organization to collect, compile or analyze information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organization. The word of ''officer'' is a working title, not a r ...
Hugo Bleicher and his interrogation in Fresnes prison led to the arrest of another CARTE member, Roger Bardet. Bardet was interrogated in Fresnes, became a double agent, and released. From information provided by Marsac and Bardet, Bleicher came to know all about the SPINDLE network, including the names of Churchill and Sansom, and believed Marsac’s false claim that Churchill was related to
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
.''Flames in the Fields'', Rita Kramer A second attempt from
Arles Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...
in late December 1942 was unsuccessful due to the heavy presence of German soldiers. In January 1943, Girard was dismissed as head of the CARTE Organisation, and Henri Frager «Paul» and
André Marsac André Marsac was a member of the French resistance organisation known as the CARTE network or circuit, based in Cannes, organised by André Girard (1901–1968), André Girard. Marsac acted as a courier. In November 1942 Marsac was travelling on ...
«End» were made Joint Commanders. The third attempt was on a small abandoned airfield near Tournus between
Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...
and
Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefectu ...
in January 1943 to collect Churchill and take Frager to London to clear up the confusion over the CARTE question and have a definite ruling on the matter from HQ. The Germans had obstructed the planned landing strip to prevent a landing and these obstacles had to be cleared quickly. The Hudson bomber collected 10 men, but it turned out that some of De Gaulle’s agents had planned this landing at the same time, and Churchill and Frager were not collected. Churchill and Sansom returned to Cannes for the last time, and he arranged a further attempt for a
Lysander Lysander (; ; 454 BC – 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, forcing Athens to capitulate and bringing the Peloponnesian War to an end. He then played ...
to land near
Périgueux Périgueux (, ; or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is also the seat of ...
. This entailed a journey of over 800 kilometres through German occupied France, changing trains at
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
and
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
. The landing had to be aborted when it was realised that the Germans were lying in wait, and Churchill, Frager, Sansom and the others escaped on foot, narrowly missing capture. Churchill and Sampson left Périgueux by train for Toulouse where they were provided accommodation in a safe house and informed that all passengers on an earlier train from Périgueux had been met by the Gestapo and questioned, and that his flat in Cannes has been raided and people arrested. He decided it was too dangerous to remain in Cannes and relocated the SPINDLE network to
Saint-Jorioz Saint-Jorioz (; ), located on the western banks of lake Annecy, is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in south-eastern France. Population Wo ...
on
Lake Annecy Lake Annecy (, ) is a perialpine lake in Haute-Savoie in France. It is named after the city of Annecy, which marks the start of the Thiou, Lake Annecy's outflow river.Jean-Daniel Stanley and Thomas F. Jorstad, ''Direct Sediment Dispersal from Moun ...
in
Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...
, and changed his cover name. A further attempt was made to land a
Lysander Lysander (; ; 454 BC – 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, forcing Athens to capitulate and bringing the Peloponnesian War to an end. He then played ...
at Tournus north of
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, but the aircraft did not arrive. On 22/23 March 1943, a Lysander piloted by Hugh Verity landed at Estrées-Saint-Denis near
Compiègne Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' (). Administration Compiègne is t ...
exfiltrated Churchill and Frager, while bringing Francis Cammaerts «Roger» to take over the SPINDLE network in his absence.


Fourth infiltration

On 14/15 April 1943, he returned by parachute onto the mountains above
Saint-Jorioz Saint-Jorioz (; ), located on the western banks of lake Annecy, is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in south-eastern France. Population Wo ...
where he was met by Sansom, and they stayed in th
Hotel de la Poste in Saint-Jorioz


Arrest and imprisonment

Later that morning Bleicher arrested Churchill and Sansom in their hotel. He claimed he was related to
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
and that they were a married couple to make themselves seem more valuable prisoners and less likely to be executed as spies. They were sent to Fresnes Prison and then different concentration camps where each was sentenced to death, but both escaped execution, unlike the majority of captured SOE agents. Odette endured terrible torture but revealed nothing to her captors. Churchill was initially taken under Italian custody to the barracks in Annecy, where he was badly beaten after an unsuccessful escape attempt during which he assaulted an Italian guard. He was then transferred to German custody and moved to Fresnes Prison near Paris where he was questioned by Bleicher, who believed Marsac’s false claim that Churchill was a nephew of the British Prime Minister and discussed a prisoner swap with
Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician, Nuremberg trials, convicted war criminal and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer ( ...
. On 13 February 1944, he was transferred to
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
for questioning, and on 2 May sent to Sonderlager “A” Sachsenhausen, where he was held in solitary confinement for 10½ months. On 1 April 1945, he was moved by train to Flossenbürg, 50 miles south-east of
Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...
, where he was held for 3–4 days before being taken by truck on a 30-hour trip to Dachau where, rather than being taken to the notorious
concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
, he was lodged in a former
brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
along with 30 other officers. As an officer he was given better treatment than most of the 22,000 inmates of Flossenbürg, who were forcibly evacuated on the 200 km death march to
Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...
, during which one third died. The next day, as the Americans were approaching Dachau, he and 30 other officers were taken by bus to
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
, where he was held in th
Straflager
They were joined by over 100 other Prominenten (notable prisoners), including former heads of state and high-ranking military personnel. On 24 April, Churchill was taken from Dachau over the
Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass ( , shortly ; ) is a mountain pass over the Alps which forms the Austria-Italy border, border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Alps, major passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has the lowes ...
to Villabassa ( Niederdorf in the
Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
), together with many other prominent concentration camp inmates from different countries, where the SS left the prisoners behind as American forces were approaching. On 27 April, he was taken 15 miles to the south to Pragser Wildsee, where on 4 May he was liberated by the
Fifth United States Army Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth Avenue * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a cont ...
. He was taken to
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
for debriefing by officers from the Crimes Investigations Departments and testified against his former captors, and on 12 May was flown back to England in the private plane of Air-Marshall Garrow.


Post-war

Peter Churchill and Odette Sansom married in 1947. In the 1950 film '' Odette'', which recounted their wartime exploits,
Anna Neagle Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in British cinema for 2 ...
played the title role and Churchill was played by
Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage and screen actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved leading man star status in the film '' Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by '' The Third M ...
. He wrote three books about his exploits in SOE, and a further fictitious book about the French resistance movement in Haute Savoie. Some years after the war Peter and Odette Churchill met up with Hugo Bleicher, after inviting him to the UK.Sonia Purnell, ''A Woman of No Importance'', Viking, 2019 Peter and Odette divorced in 1956, and the following year he married Australian Irene Hoyle, a former model, in Nice.Biography of Peter Churchill by Nigel Perrin
/ref>The Argus, 6 June 1956
/ref> He continued to live in France after the war, settling in Le Rouret near Cannes, where he worked in real estate, and lived there until his death on 1 May 1972.


Legacy

Peter's brother, Walter, relocated his engineering business, JJ Churchill, from
Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
to
Market Bosworth Market Bosworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. At the 2001 Census, it had a population of 1,906, increasing to 2,097 at the 2011 census. It is most famously near to the site of the decisive final battle of the ...
during the war. After the Market Bosworth Historical Society became aware of the wartime gallantry of not just Walter, but also of his brothers Peter and Oliver, it decided to fund a Memorial
Cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...
. The granite Cairn is located in front of the JJ Churchill factory, and was unveiled in autumn 2015. Three of the four sides commemorate each of the Churchill brothers, while the fourth side commemorates the factory’s relocation from Coventry to Market Bosworth and Walter landing his Hurricane in the field opposite while overseeing the factory’s move.


Books by Peter Churchill

* '' Of Their Own Choice'', Hodder and Stoughton, 1952 * '' Duel of Wits'', Hodder and Stoughton, 1953 * '' The Spirit in the Cage'', Hodder and Stoughton, 1954 * '' By Moonlight'', Hale, 1958 * ''All About the French Riviera'', Vista books, 1960


Further reading

*''SOE in France: An Account of the Work of the British Special Operations Executive in France 1940-1944'', M.R.D. Foot, HMSO, 1966. *''Colonel Henri's story : The war memoirs of Hugo Bleicher former German secret agent.'' Hugo Ernst Bleicher, Ian Colvin, and Erich Borchers. William Kimber, London, 1954. OCLC Number: 220971979 * ''They Fought Alone: The True Story of SOE's Agents in Wartime France, '' Maurice Buckmaster * ''We Landed by Moonlight: Secret RAF Landings in France, 1940-1944,'' Hugh Verity, Crécy, 1998 * ''F Section SOE: The Story of the Buckmaster Network,'' Marcel Ruby, Pen and Sword, 1988 *''Beaulieu, The Finishing School for Secret Agents'', Cyril Cunningham, Pen and Sword, 2005 * ''SOE In France 1941-1945: An Official Account of the Special Operations Executive’s French Circuits'', Major Robert Bourne-Patterson, 30 Sep 2016 *''Flames in the Fields'', Rita Kramer, Penguin books, 1966 *''Odette'', Jerrard Tickell, Hodder, 1949. *''Odette: World War Two's Darling Spy''. Penny Starnes, The History Press London, 2010. * ''Code Name: Lise''; ''The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy'', Larry Loftis, Gallery Books, 2019. Non-fiction book about Odette Sansom, Peter Churchill, and Hugo Bleicher. *''A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II,'' Sonia Purnell, New York: Viking, 2019 *''Peter Churchill: The forgotten novels of a British secret agent'', Andrea Cominini, 2022 *''The Churchill Deception: The True Story of Peter Churchill in World War II'', Peter Jacobs, 2024 *''The Twins: The SOE's Brothers of Vengeance'', Peter Jacobs, 2024


References


External links


Biography of Peter Churchill
at Nigel Perrin's site
Five images of Peter Churchill and Odette at Getty ImagesPortrait of Peter Churchill by Mark Gerson at National Portrait Gallery, London

Newsreel of 1932 Oxford v Cambridge Varsity ice hockey match.
Churchill is in pale shirt number 1
Odette Sansom weds Peter Churchill (1947)

Newsreel of 1950 premier of ‘Odette’ - Peter and Odette Churchill meeting the King and Queen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Churchill, Peter 1909 births 1972 deaths People educated at Malvern College French Resistance members Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) People from Amsterdam Sachsenhausen concentration camp survivors Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge British Special Operations Executive personnel World War II prisoners of war held by Germany British Army personnel of World War II Intelligence Corps officers