Miss Gladys Ryan

Discussion in 'Top Secret' started by Patrick MICHIELS, Mar 1, 2017.

  1. Looking for intel about an English "Special Operations Executive" lady who was active in Belgium during WW2 in the Period 1943/1944. I'm doing this Research together with her son William, who's looking for the footprints of his mother during WW2. His dad was also involved in WW2 with the Coldstream Guards

    Name : Miss Gladys RYAN

    Residenting in our around Manchester (Salford)

    During her active service as a SOE she was operating nearby Brussels (Belgium)

    After being wounded in Belgium she got back to the UK somehow (no further details)


    All information will be welcome, like Photos, Newspaper or other Documents, Operation Documents were Miss Ryan was involved.

    upload_2017-3-1_14-19-28.png

    [​IMG] Many Thanks :poppy:

    I've been informed about this forum by a Member of the WWIIF (Tricky Dicky) who told me that there are over here some experts about SOE services, and more specific a member with usersname Jedburgh22
     
  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Patrick

    I have contacted Jedburgh and linked him to this thread, so he should be along sometime to let you know the situation

    TD

    edited to add:
    Is the photo of Gladys??
     
    Patrick MICHIELS likes this.
  3. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    She was not (as far as I know) an agent in Belgium, but possibly on the staff of the SOE Mission there post liberation of Brussels. There is no surviving PF for her. The alternative is that she was with another organization MI6 of MI9
     
    Patrick MICHIELS and CL1 like this.
  4. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Patrick,

    Do we know anything else about her, date, place of birth etc.
     
    Patrick MICHIELS likes this.
  5. No TD it isn't Gladys I have a photo of her in Uniform and also one of her SOE ID-card
     
  6. Jedburgh22 thanks for the reply.... her son James told me that she was on the field with the Resistance during the period 1943/1944 but that she was wounded and was going back to the UK. I've also a name of the Belgian Resistance guy with whom Gladys was working around Brussels.

    Hereby the intel that I have about the Resistance group. Belgian Resistance Member (or leader) was Mister Guy De Monceau. He was living in Brussels but has emigrate to the United States after the war. I have the document of the Belgian Foreign Office what confirmed that. I put also the 2 photos of Gladys hereby, one in SOE uniform (N°1), the other (N°2) was that one wich was on het SOE ID. The 3rd Photo is with her husband who was a Coldstream Guard
     

    Attached Files:

  7. I've posted all the intel that I have above
     
  8. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    1 - Do you have her 'SOE ID card'? - if so can you upload

    2 - What makes you believe that this photo is from her SOE ID card

    TD
     
  9. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    Patrick
    she does NOT appear in the Belgian agents list, the SOE Staff List and there is NO operational record for her or P/F which one would expect of an agent
     
  10. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    I have asked a friend in Belgium to look at their archives for evidence
     
  11. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    The fact that she seems to have been in the ATS would mitigate against an operational SOE role in the field. My advice would be to apply to the MOD for her records which would indicate who she served with and when in a definitive way
     
  12. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    One problem here is that would be unsure if 'Ryan' was her maiden OR married name??

    TD
     
  13. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    In post #1 Patrick says that he's doing this research together with Glady's son William and in post #6 he refers to another son, James. Surely their birth certificates will tell if Ryan is his mother's maiden name or her married name. They will also know if she is dead or alive. If alive she can apply for her Service records free of charge, if deceased they will surely have a copy of her death certificate which will enable them to apply for her service records.
     
    Tricky Dicky likes this.
  14. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    I had a response from my Belgian MOD contact and neither the lady concerned or her Belgian contact Guy de Monceau are listed in their agents records, M De Monceau was probably a Secret Army member and I suspect Miss Ryan's period in Belgium probably was after the Liberation of Brussels
     
  15. TD I have all the informations by her son who told me that this was the photo who was on her SOE card and we don't have the ID-card, only the photo
     

  16. TD her maiden name was RYAN Gladys, her married name must be WILLIAMS, thats also the name of her husband and her son.
     
  17. Jedburgh22 that can be true about Mister Guy de Monceau, the little intel I've found (by the Belgian Resistance Archives) indicate that direction also that he was serving into the Secret Army. That would be also the raison he immigrated to the United States after the War.
    Meanwhile the period that Gladys Ryan (her maiden name), married name was WILLIAMS was in Belgium was during 1943/1944, so before the end of the war and before the Liberation of Brussels
     

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