THOUSANDS of men and women risked their lives behind enemy lines during the Second World War. Not that much is known about these undercover agents who worked for Churchill's Special Operations Executive during the 1940s but what is known will no doubt be explained when Dr Mark Baldwin comes to Worcester's Huntingdon Hall.

Dr Baldwin's new show, Behind Enemy Lines, will reveal secrets about how the agents lived in occupied countries and attempted to "set Europe ablaze".

"It's really a tribute to and an explanation of this organisation called the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The organisation only lasted a few years but was basically set up by Churchill in order to liaise with resistance movements behind enemy lines not just in Europe but all over the world."

SOE trained more than 9,000 agents who operated not only in 19 European countries, the Far East and Africa. The organisation had some spectacular successes as well as failures but earned tremendous loyalty from its agents, many of whom lost their lives while on operations and at the hands of the enemy. "Agents were trained in all sorts," said Dr Baldwin.

"From using wireless to unarmed fighting. They would frequently parachute in and were constantly risking their lives. Then there was the equipment the SOE devised. It was quite incredible and could easily go under the guise of James Bond gadgets."

Dr Baldwin said it is difficult - despite a number of personal accounts left by agents - to paint an overall picture of what the SOE was doing.

He said: "A lot of the original documented material has been destroyed and not a lot was written down in the first place."

Tickets to see Behind Enemy Lines at Huntingdon Hall on Saturday, February 16, are £10.

To book call the Worcester Live box office on 01905 611427.