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.

Storytelling is an art form, a descriptive account of an event, or a succession of events. In this case, all 118 stories within its pages are true and for the most part, describe a calamitous event in each individual's life during the 2nd World War. They all add emotion and physical details to plain facts. We all have the story's to convey and when you think about them, the really good ones will actually move us, and in this case, all of them will make us think to some degree because they come from an era we often cannot relate to. Some will shock you; others will bring you to tears, some may even make you smile or laugh. All of them will definitely make you ponder about your life, and what it could have been like if Britain and her allies had not won the Second World War.