France has issued a special postage stamp to honour British Indian spy Noor Inayat Khan, recognising her heroic contributions during World War II. The stamp is part of the “Figures of the Resistance” series, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. Noor Inayat Khan, born in 1914 in Moscow to an Indian Sufi master and an American mother, became the first female radio operator sent into Nazi-occupied France as part of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). She was eventually captured by the Nazis, deported to Dachau, and executed in 1944. The stamp features an etching of her in British Women’s Auxiliary Air Force uniform and is valued at €1.39. Noor is the only Indian-origin woman honoured in this French Resistance series, highlighting her extraordinary bravery and the diverse contributors to the fight against fascism. She had previously been posthumously awarded the George Cross by Britain and the Croix de Guerre by France, and this new stamp ensures her legacy reaches wider audiences, inspiring generations worldwide.
