SINGER song-writer Louise Jordan, who specialises in telling the hidden histories of women over the past couple of centuries, takes audiences back to the dark times of occupied France and the courageous women of the Special Operations Executive in her new show, which has a four-date Artsreach tour, on 7th November at Broadwindsor Comrades Hall, Saturday 8th at Marnhull village hall, Sunday 9th at Nether Compton and Friday 14th at Piddletrenthide’s Memorial Hall.

Behind Enemy Lines tells the story of the women who worked as spies in occupied France during the Second World War. Based on Louise’s extensive research, the show brings the women of SOE to life through original song, live music and storytelling.

After the fall of France in 1940, SOE was established by Winston Churchill to ‘set Europe ablaze’. These extraordinary women were trained in sabotage, subversion and silent killing. Thirty-nine women were infiltrated into Nazi-occupied France and together their courage, daring, ingenuity and sacrifice helped defeat Nazi terror. Behind Enemy Lines brings their stories to life…

Louise has a Masters degree in Human Rights and 10 years’ experience touring the UK and Europe. She accompanies herself on guitar and keyboard, and has released seven recordings gaining national radio play on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show & Radio 4.

In 2016 she began touring her critically acclaimed one woman show No Petticoats Here, about extraordinary women of the First World War and in 2018 created The Hard Way, the story of working class suffragette Hannah Mitchell. In 2020, she launched Florence, to celebrate the many inspirational achievements of Florence Nightingale in her 200th anniversary year. In 2021, Louise launched a new project, Pop-Up Pedestal, challenging audiences to consider who is commemorated in our public spaces and why.

She has had commissions by many national and regional organisations, including Parliament, Dreadnought South West, the V&A Museum and Groninger Museum, and has worked with the National Trust and University of Oxford to share her approach to opening the history books and sharing hidden women’s histories through song.

Louise Jordan’s Behind Enemy Lines has two more dates in the New Forest, on Saturday 15th November, at the Jubilee Hall, Fawley, and St Marks Community Hall at Pennington, on Sunday 16th.