Dr Kate Vigurs (FRHistS) is a historian, author, and dynamic public speaker whose work brings the hidden stories of the Second World War to life. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Visiting Academic at the University of Warwick, and tutor for Oxford University’s department of continuing education Kate specializes in the extraordinary roles played by women in wartime intelligence and resistance.
She earned her PhD in History from the University of Leeds, and her acclaimed debut book, Mission France: The True Story of the Women of SOE (2021) earned widespread praise. Her second major work, Mission Europe, expands this research across the continent, uncovering the vital and often overlooked contributions of female secret agents, supported by funding from the Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity and published by Yale UP.
A sought-after speaker, Kate has captivated audiences at numerous history festivals, museums, universities, the British Embassy in Paris and various government and university departments in the Netherlands. She is equally at home addressing academic audiences, military institutions, and public festivals.
Kate is also a familiar face and voice in media, appearing on documentaries such as ‘D-Day the unheard Tapes’ (BBC 1), ‘A House through time’ (BBC 2), Netflix’s ‘WWII in Colour’ (Netflix) and ‘The lost women spies of WW2’ (Sky History). Alongside her broadcast work, she leads specialist historical tours and teaches globally as a Road Scholar instructor.
Through her research, writing, and storytelling, Kate continues to illuminate the remarkable, often untold histories of women at war and the wider war in general.