Description: 7x5 inch letter, signed by George Reginald Star George Reginald Starr (6 April 1904 – 2 September 1980), code name Hilaire, was a British mining engineer and an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) organisation in World War II. He was the organiser (leader) of the Wheelwright network in southwestern France from November 1942 until the liberation of France from Nazi German occupation in September 1944. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers. SOE agents in France allied themselves with French Resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England. Starr's accomplishments include building up a large network of resistance groups, carrying out a number of sabotage operations in the months leading up to the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, rescuing from imprisonment about 50 important resistance leaders and allied airmen shot down over France, and participation as a leader in the liberation of southwestern France from German occupation. By mid-1944 Starr had more than 20 SOE agents working for him, second in numbers only to the earlier (and defunct) Prosper or Physician network. In the estimation of M.R.D. Foot, the official historian of the SOE, Starr was one of the half-dozen best agents of the SOE in France. He was one of only three SOE agents to be promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel, along with Richard Heslop and Francis Cammaerts. One of the French agents of the SOE, Philippe de Gunzbourg, compared Starr as a leader to Lawrence of Arabia. Starr's wartime record was not, however, without controversy. He had a confrontation with Charles de Gaulle after the liberation of France, and one of his agents, Anne-Marie Walters, accused him of permitting the torture of captured collaborators. Starr's brother, John Renshaw Starr, was also an SOE agent. Starr's second wife, Pilar Canudas Ristol, who he met in Spain, worked in Spain for SOE during World War II. Starr was described by his wireless operator, Yvonne Cormeau, as short in stature, five feet six inches in height, very nervous, a heavy cigarette smoker, and a man who took duty and responsibility seriously and would never ask a person to do anything he would not do himself. Cormeau was his closest associate, "confidante and, a few alleged, his lover." WE ARE UACC REGISTERED DEALERS NUMBER RD209 NOTE! We have noticed a few sellers putting the letters "UACC" in their item titles but failing to provide either a dealer or member number. You should view this practise or anything similarly vague with the utmost caution, any reputable dealer will provide this information on their listings directly without having to be asked. We are UACC Registered Dealer RD209 We do NOT sell pre-printed signed items. Everything we sell is hand signed and authentic Visit our store!Buyautographs Shipping Flat items are packaged in board backed envelopes with 'Please Do Not Bend' printed to the front. Items larger than 8x12 inches are usually sent in a sturdy tube. We are very happy to combine postage for multiple purchases. About Us We are UACC Registered Dealer RD209. We continue to hold a large number of 'Private Signings' with Stars of TV & Film, Concorde Pilots, WWII Veterans, Celebrities and so on, in order to guarantee authenticity. _gsrx_vers_1634 (GS 9.6 (1634))
Price: 195 GBP
Location: Ashford, Kent
End Time: 2024-12-05T02:08:32.000Z
Shipping Cost: 18.75 GBP
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Return postage will be paid by: Buyer
Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted
After receiving the item, your buyer should cancel the purchase within: 30 days
Return policy details: Returns accepted within 14 days of purchase.
Country Of Manufacture: United Kingdom
