Description
Object description
Ts transcripts (62pp) by the journalist Geoffrey Lucy of interviews with Starr (carried out c. 1978) used as the basis for an article about Starr's wartime service with Special Operations Executive (SOE) F Section, which was published in Readers Digest (June 1978) and which, despite being somewhat disjointed and chronologically rather confusing, contain some useful details on Starr's SOE training, his arrival in France (November 1942), setting up and leading the WHEELWRIGHT circuit (operating under the code name 'Hilaire') from his base in the village of Castelnau-sur-l'Auvignon and, later assisted by his wireless operator 'Annette' (Yvonne Cormeau), arranging drops of supplies and subsequently building up a substantial cache of weapons and explosives, organising sabotage operations and assisting in the passage of Allied airmen to Spain. The transcripts, which also include Starr's vivid account of his heated encounter in Toulouse with General Charles De Gaulle (September 1945), are accompanied by a further transcript (6pp) of an interview with Starr's Spanish wife, Pilar, in which she mentions her own wartime involvement with SOE while living in Spain (primarily passing on parcels and messages brought from France), a copy of Lucy's article on Starr (19pp) and his ts notes (4pp) on sources used, several post war French journals relating to WHEELRIGHT and Starr, a copy of an ms letter (1p) dated May 1978 from Maurice Buckmaster to the Editor of the Readers Digest commenting favourably on Lucy's article and giving his assessment of Starr's skills as an agent as being 'of the highest class', together with a significant collection of identity cards and other official papers used by Starr as 'Hilaire' and a number of photographs.
Content description
Ts transcripts (62pp) by the journalist Geoffrey Lucy of interviews with Starr (carried out c. 1978) used as the basis for an article about Starr's wartime service with Special Operations Executive (SOE) F Section, which was published in Readers Digest (June 1978) and which, despite being somewhat disjointed and chronologically rather confusing, contain some useful details on Starr's SOE training, his arrival in France (November 1942), setting up and leading the WHEELWRIGHT circuit (operating under the code name 'Hilaire') from his base in the village of Castelnau-sur-l'Auvignon and, later assisted by his wireless operator 'Annette' (Yvonne Cormeau), arranging drops of supplies and subsequently building up a substantial cache of weapons and explosives, organising sabotage operations and assisting in the passage of Allied airmen to Spain. The transcripts, which also include Starr's vivid account of his heated encounter in Toulouse with General Charles De Gaulle (September 1945), are accompanied by a further transcript (6pp) of an interview with Starr's Spanish wife, Pilar, in which she mentions her own wartime involvement with SOE while living in Spain (primarily passing on parcels and messages brought from France), a copy of Lucy's article on Starr (19pp) and his ts notes (4pp) on sources used, several post war French journals relating to WHEELRIGHT and Starr, a copy of an ms letter (1p) dated May 1978 from Maurice Buckmaster to the Editor of the Readers Digest commenting favourably on Lucy's article and giving his assessment of Starr's skills as an agent as being 'of the highest class', together with a significant collection of identity cards and other official papers used by Starr as 'Hilaire' and a number of photographs.
History note
Cataloguer AAM
History note
Catalogue date 2003-01-04