In memory of Noor-un-nisa
Inayat Khan several medals and memorials were awarded and created.
A. The George Cross Medal (Great Britain)
The George Cross Medal as instituted
on the 24th of September, 1940 by King George of England in order to recognize
outstanding individuals. The medal replaced the Empire Gallantry Medal.
The medal is one of the highest honors a civilian may receive from the
British government. The George Cross medal was designed as the civilian
equilivant of the Victoria Cross which is the medal soldiers receive for
outstanding gallantry and bravery in battle. Noor won this award for
her service with the WAAF and FANY. The WAAF and FANY were not considered
true military branches of service. The organizations were simply dedicated
civil service organizations. This included her time spent in occupied
France during World War II. She won the award posthumously.
The George Cross Medal
Click here
to find out more about the George Cross Medal.
B. The London Memorial to FANY members
The British created a memorial in
London to honor the members of the FANY who fought and died in defense of
their country. Of course, Noor's name appears on the plaque.
The FANY Memorial in London
Close-up view of the plague
C. The Croix de Guerre Medal (France)
The French equivalent of Britain's George
Cross Medal is the Croix de Guerre. Noor received this award on January
16th, 1946--a little more than a year after her death. This was one
of the highest honors the French government could bestow upon Noor.
The Croix de Guerre Medal
Click here
to learn more about the Croix de Guerre Medal.
D. Valencay, France
The French people erected a monument at
Valencay to memorialize SOE agents working in France. Noor is among
the 91 men and 13 women remembered at the memorial.
There is a web site dedicated to this memorial where visitors may learn
more about the SOE and the memorial. The web site describes some of
the background of the memorial. The web site lists all 104 agents remembered
at the site. Click here to view
that web site.
The Memorial at Valencay, France
E. Dachau
Millions of Jews and other political prisoners were held and executed at
the Dachau Work Camp. Noor was one of those prisoners. Her stay
at the prison was short--just a day or two--but she did not live the camp
alive. It was here she was executed. The Dachau camp now serves
as a memorial to all of the prisoners held and executed there. There
is a special plaque for Noor at the site.
This link
is one web site for the Memorials of the Dachau Concentration Camp.
F. Others
There are several other memorials to Noor
and her colleagues in various places. For example, there are plaques
remembering Noor in places such as the Surenes in Paris, and at the memorial
at Runnymed, England.
G. Jean Overton Fuller and the Inayat Khan family
When World War II ended, the Inayat
Khan family and friends of Noor Inayat Khan wanted to know what happened to
the princess. Many questions surrounding Noor's disappearance existed.
Noor's death was not even confirmed. Jean Overton Fuller, a dear
friend of Noor and an author in her own right, decided to answer the questions
about the disappearance of Noor. The result of Ms. Fuller's investigation
was the book Madeleine first published in 1952. The book went
through six printings as a hardback book before being released as a paperback.
The mass appeal of the book created lots of interest, and Ms. Fuller
received several letters from readers with new information about Noor. One
of these readers was Ernst Vogt whom Ms. Fuller "hides" in later editions
of the book by using the codename 'Ernest.' As a result of these new
information, Ms. Fuller revised and updated the Madeleine book. A
completely new edition came out in 1971 with the slightly new name of Noor-un-nisa
Inayat Khan (Madeleine). Ms. Fuller followed this new edition with
a short book of poems inspired by her meetings with 'Ernest.' That book
of poems was called Conversations with a Captor and that new book
went through several printings as well. Ms. Fuller also wrote several
other books dealing with other aspects and other circuits of the SOE in France.
She wrote The Starr Affair, Double Webs (The Case of Dericourt),
and The German Penetration of SOE among other titles. In this
last book, The German Penetration of SOE, the author confesses to
hiding Vogt with the 'Ernest' codename. Taken together, the books tell
the story of SOE in France. Ms. Fuller clearly spent lots of time and
energy researching the topic. In many ways, these labors of love from
Ms. Fuller are the most important legacy of Noor. The books help tell
the story of an Indian princess who grows with a personal philosophy which
espouses peace and nonviolence only to become a spy and saboteur for the
British government.
Cover of Jean Overton Fuller's book
Noor-un-nisa Inayat Khan: Madeleine
