Novelist and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz chooses Colin Gubbins as a history hero
In profile
Major-General Sir Colin Gubbins was the first, great architect of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in the Second World War. After being awarded the Military Cross for his actions at the battle of the Somme in 1916, he participated in British military operations in both Russia and Ireland. He later championed irregular warfare tactics, and took part in a commando-style operation in Norway in 1940 before taking the helm at the SOE.
When did you first hear about Colin Gubbins?
When I was writing Foyle’s War I became very interested in the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Gubbins was the SOE’s operations and training director, and is said to have inspired the character of ‘M’ in Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels.
What kind of man was he?
Gubbins was a steely eyed soldier from a soldiering family, whose watchwords were ‘duty, loyalty and discipline’ – a breed they don’t make anymore. His first commission was on the western front during the First World War, serving at the battles of Ypres and the Somme. He was then sent to Archangel [in northern Russia] to fight against the Bolsheviks, and then the north of Ireland during the Irish War of Independence. Later on, he was in Norway during the Nazi invasion of 1940. He was everywhere, and knew war like almost no one you can imagine.
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What made him a hero?
By the outbreak of the Second World War, Gubbins realised that warfare had changed, and that you couldn’t really wage war by gentlemanly methods anymore. He had seen how the Nazis had behaved when they occupied the Sudetenland in October 1938, and knew they would do the same if they invaded Britain. Crucially, he understood that you had to fight in any way you could – legal or illegal – hence the need for the SOE’s terrorist-style sabotage operations behind enemy lines.
I also admire his leadership qualities – he personified a courage and resilience that is almost forgotten now, as he is himself.
What was his finest hour?
Gubbins’ greatest achievement was helping to set up the SOE and turning it into an effective underground fighting force that could wage terror against the Germans in Nazi-occupied Europe. Notably, in November 1942, the SOE was responsible for destroying a heavy water plant in Telemark, Norway, which smashed the Nazi plans for a nuclear bomb.
The training at the SOE’s various UK training centres was extraordinary. Gubbins would get his agents drunk and introduce them to women whose job was to worm information out of them; if a woman was successful, the agent would be fired the next day.
Is there anything that you don’t admire about him?
I don’t admire the way that he was treated after the Second World War, when he was effectively dismissed and only got a small pension. He was honoured with a knighthood in 1946, but I still feel he deserved more.
What would you ask him if you could meet him?
I’d ask him if he thought the SOE achieved enough, given the number of its agents who were betrayed and killed. Was it worth it in the end? However, I think I know what he would say.
Anthony Horowitz is a novelist and screenwriter whose works include three James Bond novels and the ITV television drama Foyle’s War. His latest book, Close to Death, will be published on 11 April
This article was first published in the April 2024 issue of BBC History Magazine