AN author from Malmesbury has delved into the untold stories of female British spies during the Second World War in his first published work.

David Longridge has been working on his first book, In Youth, In Fear, In War, for the past three years, ensuring every historical detail is correct.

The psychological thriller is set in France and Germany early in the Second World War, and looks at the understated role that women played in the conflict.

“The female element is fascinating,” he explained.

“It was really the British, rather than Germans or Italians, who put woman in the front line, not in the trenches, but in the sense of taking direct risk face-to-face with the enemy either in sabotage or in spying.

“There weren’t a lot of them, maybe 300 woman who were parachuted into France.

“The reason they were so successful however was not only did they have enormous guts, intelligence and stamina, but the enemy didn’t ever think that a woman would be put in charge of a resistance network.

“It was against the Germanic thinking that a woman would be tossed into the front line, so woman could move around France with messages much more easily than a man could – they weren’t suspected.”

Something of a history obsessive, David threw himself into his research for the book, drawing on his experiences working on the continent for much of his life.

He said however that it was his interest in individuals, rather than historic events, that drove his writing.

“If you have a look at particular individuals, they can have big influence, even if young,” David explained.

“The Second World War was about young people being given lot of responsibility suddenly, being put in charge of Spitfires or tanks that costs hundreds of thousands to make.

“We never had those responsibilities at our age.”

The book is being officially launched on February 28, but has already been released online at amazon.co.uk

Early reviews online have praised David’s depth of knowledge.

One reviewer wrote: “The author has clearly done much painstaking research and we learn a great deal about how the secret services operated during the war, and the type of people who did this invaluable work.”

While another wrote: “Longridge’s knowledge of his subject is encyclopaedic, be it locations, organisations and hierarchies that the thread holds together with huge conviction.”

David said he was “thrilled” to read the reviews.

“It was worth the extra mile you go to make sure you don’t go to print unless you’re sure it’s the best you can do,” he said.

“Reading the reviews was brilliant.”

In Youth, In Fear, In War was self-published by David and can be bought on Amazon at amazon.co.uk