www.voicesofwar.co.uk
Diana Abbot was born to parents Mildred and Adrian, and her father was in the British Indian Army. She
trained in secretarial work and worked for some six years before the war, showing a particular interest
in engineering work, having worked as a private secretary for Wyndam Hewitt Ltd in Sheffield. She was
referred by the Department of Labour in 1942 for a secretarial position, which she commenced in
December 1942. She had initially applied for a position in London where her mother lived and found
that the financial constraints of the position at Station XII were not possible to live under, and so she
requested a transfer to London. This wasn’t granted so she resigned in February 1942. It was a
sad end to her interest in the SOE and intelligence work and she was noted as an intelligent girl with an
interest in engineering. However letters exchanged at the time show that there was a shortage of
workers for Station XII and they didn't want to encourage others to seek a move to the capital as well,
using her move as a precedent.
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