During World War Two the Secret Operations Executive ran missions between Cornwall and Brittany from a base in the Helford estuary. The route described—via the Isles of Scilly—and the strategy for getting British agents and Allied escapees to and from France is true to what really happened.
Trebah’s tropical gardens and the cove itself are now open to the public, the gardens having been restored after the war. Durgan village is owned by the National Trust. The visitor center, housed in the old fish cellar, contains stories and photographs of village characters such as Leo Badger and George Retallack, who lived and worked there during the dark days of the early 1940s.
Farther along the estuary is the boathouse, rebuilt after it was blown up to make way for the US Army vehicles preparing to invade France. Prior to the D-Day landings, more than four hundred American troops, along with eighty tanks and jeeps, embarked from Trebah for the assault landing on Omaha Beach in June 1944. The cove is still known by local people as “Yankee Beach.”
Acknowledgments
I’m grateful to the National Trust volunteers at Glendurgan in Cornwall for taking the time to explain some of the history of the area that became the setting for the novel. I’m also indebted to the late Major Tony Hibbert and his wife, Eira, who spent a quarter of a century restoring the subtropical garden at neighboring Trebah—a truly inspirational place that took root in my imagination.
Thank you to Jodi Warshaw, Erin Calligan Mooney, and everyone at Lake Union for the brilliant job they do, and to Christina Henry de Tessan for her very perceptive editorial input.
My friend Janet Thomas has been a great source of encouragement and support. She has always been there when I’ve needed to talk things through. I’m also grateful to Canon Stuart Bell and his wife, Pru, for their advice on some of the Christian themes in the novel. Mary Jones gave me guidance on aspects of life in Ireland, and Cathy Piquemal advised on French translations of the phrases used by SOE agents during World War II.
Last but by no means least, thanks to my family for their unfailing enthusiasm—and, in particular, to my husband, Steve, for all the early morning cups of coffee, for being my sounding board during the writing process, and for the fun we’ve had exploring Cornwall together.