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

by Rick Stroud

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 some, like Gabrielle Petit, were working-class; some, like Edith Cavell, were from the bourgeoisie; and some. like the Princess de Croÿ, were from the upper echelons of society. The youngest was only twenty-one. The women took enormous risks and produced extraordinary 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 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’.  

Genres: Nonfiction

318 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 29, 2024

Reviews

[Catherine Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores the war work and lives of some of the courageous women who formed part of the French and Belgium resistance during the First World War. A fitting tribute, may they never be forgotten.

[Varun Bhakay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating account of disparate agents and operatives in the Benelux region during World War I that often connects narratives with all the compositional flair of Class V English textbook.

Stroud's preference for the popular history format should have no bearing on how the book reads, but given the format of endnotes, one can't help but be disappointed. The style also forces one to make accommodations for the simplistic view of the war Stroud tries to put forward.

What rescues the book is that when he finds his mojo, Stroud gets down to telling stories really really well.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real good read

[Mike Kanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most books on intelligence focus on the daring exploits, which I call the James Bond/Seal Team 6 illusion. Fortunately, Stroud doesn't fall into that trap. He describes the much more dangerous aspect, which is the collection of information under the enemy's nose.

The networks were mostly women who could play on the German perception of women's role in a defeated nation. In one case, a successful operative not only was active in a German hospital but was also awarded an Iron Cross.

As a writer of historical fiction of the period, I don't think I could have made up some of the stories Stroud tells about their activities. It is a fascinating insight into the history of intelligence operations in warfare.