A Rare Second World War SOE Cypher Officer's Cryptology Silk, the rectangular cream silk panel printed in black with a list of codes in French, each containing four letters, 48.5cm by 41cm. Footnote:- Used by SOE Cypher Officer Joyce (Joy) Mary Pimblott, who handled communications with the French Resistance and British secret agents dropped into France. Joy was born in Lancashire, but moved with her family to Brussels when she was 3 years old. Her preferred language was always French, but her father sent her to boarding school in England to improve her English. At the outbreak of the Second World War the family fled Belgium and returned to England. Joy lied about her age (she was only 17) and joined the FANYs. After her initial training and upon the discovery that she spoke fluent French, she was transferred to a secret unit - SOE where she embarked on her secret wartime career.