Pamela Mortimore

Listen to the interview

Summary

Wartime Reflections and a Life of Quiet Courage

Pamela Mortimore shared a remarkable account of her life spanning two world wars and her secret wartime role in MI5. Born in the interwar years, Pamela’s early life was shaped by the sudden death of her father and her mother’s quiet resilience. At 16, she travelled alone to Germany in 1937 to study and improve her language skills, staying with a Nazi Party treasurer’s family. Her first-hand observations of Nazi Germany—kindness from some, disturbing propaganda, and silent fear in others—left lasting impressions.

When war came, Pamela’s fluent German made her invaluable. She joined MI5, initially reading intercepted mail between Germany and neutral countries. Her work soon brought her into Air Intelligence, identifying valuable bombing targets like the Ruhr Valley dams. She declined an invitation to work in Churchill’s team, choosing instead to remain in her operational role where she felt she could contribute more directly. Pamela recounted her pride in helping to influence strategic operations while stationed at the Littlewoods Building in Liverpool, despite the city’s relentless bombing.

Later, she supported efforts to decode hidden messages in PoW letters and witnessed the immense bravery of Merchant Navy crews. Pamela’s reflections are modest and laced with dry humour, but her accounts reveal the quiet heroism of those who “just got on with it.” She married during the war, and lived on Merseyside before settling in Mordiford.

Though she never returned to Germany, her memories remained vivid. Pamela’s story is a rare blend of sharp intelligence, moral clarity, and grounded humanity—shaped by the tragedy of fascism and the resolve of those who resisted it in countless unseen ways.