AN AUTHOR from Harden has released a new biography about one of the Second World War's "unsung heroines".

Malcolm Greenwood has written A Life Well-Lived, which is about Fan Craig, who served in the Special Operations Executive. (SOE)

Mr Greenwood, who lives in Long Lane, said: "She would have been well known locally as proprietor of Sara's Fashion shops around the county, and especially the department store known as Hewlitt's in Harrogate in the 1980s.

"However, many people don't know about her role during the war."

Mrs Craig, who is now 99-years-old and lives in Cottingley, was born in London, though later lived in Shipley, Allerton and Bingley.

During the Blitz, she volunteered to join a unit called the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and was then seconded to the SOE. This specialised in conducting espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe, and also supported local resistance movements.

Mrs Craig was initially based in England, but subsequently served in Algeria, Egypt, Greece and Italy. She worked as a base administrator, received important messages from SOE agents in the field and was later an assistant to a major general.

His book, published by Bank House Books, is now available on Amazon, priced £10.