It was only towards the end of her life that Sylvia Spooner revealed to her husband Joseph that she had been in France before the evacuation from Dunkirk carrying out ‘secret’ work, although the exact nature of this work, and for whom, was not revealed.

She was injured in France and was flown out to England where, after treatment, she joined the Women’s Royal Auxiliary Airforce (WAAF) as a wireless operator.

She was stationed at RAF Chicksands with the Y Service intercepting German radio signals. The intercepted messages would then have been taken by motorcycle courier to Bletchley Park for decryption.
After the war, Leading Aircraft’s Woman (LACW) Spooner was awarded the French Croix de Guerre, dated 1939-40, which was presented by General de Gaulle.

Left to right, her medals are: the Defence Medal, War Medal and Croix de Guerre.
LACW Spooner kept the secrets of her wartime service until her death in 2006.