Setting the Med Ablaze

It was Christmas 1942 when eleven young women boarded the troopship Strathaird and braved the attentions of U-Boats in the deep Atlantic. Borrowing a cricketing phrase, they called themselves the First Eleven. But they were not the first to arrive at the Special Operations Executive’s secret North African base near Algiers. Code-named Massingham, it was formed by SOE to spearhead subversion and sabotage in what Winston Churchill called ‘the soft underbelly’ of Europe.
Massingham was hidden away at the Club des Pins, a former luxury resort nestling among pines next to a Mediterranean beach. By the time SOE had got to work, there was little luxury left.
Setting the Med Ablaze tells the true stories of the men and women of Churchill’s secret base. Its life was short. Less than two years after its formation, its job was done. But Massingham played a key role in the Allied offensive in the Mediterranean islands, Italy and France.
If you enjoy historical nonfiction, this book is for you.

Author Biography

Peter Dixon is a researcher, lecturer and author who writes nonfiction, with a focus on personal stories in war and peace.
After more than thirty years as a Royal Air Force pilot, he led the conflict resolution charity Concordis International for over a decade. He completed a doctorate at the University of Cambridge in 2015 on outside intervention in civil wars.
His recent writing has included Divided by History, which examines the roots of modern conflict in the past. His first book on the Special Operations Executive, Guardians of Churchill’s Secret Army, tells the stories of the men who joined SOE to keep Churchill’s secret saboteurs safe.