Mabel Beatrice Elliott was born in 1885.[1] Educated in London and then the Netherlands and Belgium, she became proficient in a French, Dutch and German.[1]
In 2011, the Royal Society of Chemistry discovered details of her activities during the First World War.[2] During the War, she worked in the newly formed department of Postal Censorship in the War Office;[1] there she became suspicious that a seemingly standard business letter contained a hidden message written in invisible ink. This message was soon discovered to contain a message written by a German Spy, Anton Kuepferle.[1]
An appeal for more information about Miss Elliott uncovered a surviving family member, her great-niece Rosalind Noble.[3]
Mabel Elliott died on 9 January 1944.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Mitchell, C Ainsworth (February 1944). "Obituary: Mabel Beatrice Elliott". p. 33.
- ↑ Coughlan, Sean. "'Unknown heroine' who caught invisible ink spy". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15621443. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ↑ Coughlan, Sean. "WWI mystery spycatcher family discovered". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15679088. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
The original article can be found at Mabel Elliott and the edit history here.