I Am Not Afraid of Looking into the Rifles : Women of the Resistance in World War One

`A thrilling narrative that creates an extraordinary picture of female resistance' The Lady`Fascinating' Kavita Puri, BBC History Magazine`A fierce, intense picture of this aspect of the war . . . it will stay with me' Elizabeth Buchan, author of Two Women in Rome On the evening of 31 March 1916, a 23-year-old woman was led from her prison cell in occupied Brussels. She wore a long blue coat and walked `like a soldier'. The chaplain asked if she would like a blindfold before her execution. `I am not afraid of looking into the rifles,' she replied. `I have been expecting this for a long time.' � This is not a traditional history of the First World War. It is the untold story of the women of the resistance in Belgium and occupied France during that conflict. � � Rick Stroud describes how the actions of eight exceptionally brave women affected the course of the war. Before the Germans invaded, they were ordinary people: some, like Gabrielle Petit, were working-class; some, like Edith Cavell, were from the bourgeoisie; and some. like the Princess de Cro�, were from the upper echelons of society. The youngest was only twenty-one. The women took enormous risks and produced extraordinary results: they established underground networks, transmitted coded information, carried out sabotage attacks and helped to repatriate Allied soldiers. What they did was dangerous and exhausting and the penalties were severe: three faced the firing squad. �Recounting their heroism and their inevitable tragedies,�I Am Not Afraid of Looking into the Rifles�is an enthralling story, beautifully told. In revealing the inspiring work of these remarkable women, Rick Stroud will introduce you to an entirely new version of the `war to end all wars'.