205:, and a French colonel, Leon Faye, he tried to escape in late 1943 by climbing out the skylight of his room onto the roof of the building, but the three were soon recaptured. Kieffer threatened to shoot them, but relented on condition that they gave their word of honor not to attempt another escape. Khan and Faye declined; but Starr gave his word. Khan and Faye were sent to concentration camps in Germany and later executed.
196:, a man more dedicated to persuasion than torture. Kieffer persuaded Starr to use his artistic talents to redraw a map and some charts of SOE operations in France. In return, Starr was given a private room in the building and dined in the officer's mess which served excellent food. Another SOE prisoner at 84 Avenue Foch was
208:
After the escape attempt, Starr again became friendly with the
Germans, even going out to restaurants with some of them and on an operation to identify the bodies of British airmen who had been shot down near Paris. He helped the SD send bogus wireless messages by correcting spelling and editing
200:
who told Starr that the
Germans knew everything about SOE and that nothing he said would be news to them. Starr justified his cooperation with the SD by saying he was gathering information on SD operations that would be useful to SOE if he could escape. Along with SOE wireless operator,
265:
Starr testified at the war crimes trial of Josef
Kieffer. He said that Kieffer had not mistreated prisoners and that he did not believe that Kieffer would "take part in the deliberate murder of British prisoners." Kieffer was found guilty and hanged.
120:. Starr learned from Churchill and his own experience that CARTE was largely a fantasy of Girard's. He returned to England in November. Oddly enough, as he was boarding a small boat to slip out of France, he encountered his older brother
172:
On 18 July 1943 Starr was captured by the
Germans after being betrayed by a Frenchman he had recruited. He attempted to escape en route to a prison in Dijon and was shot twice in the thigh and foot. He was placed in the custody of the
43:. The purpose of SOE in occupied France was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance. SOE agents allied themselves with French Resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England.
50:
on 18 July 1943 and imprisoned for the remainder of the war. After World War II, Starr was accused by several other SOE agents of collaboration with the
Germans while he was a captive. John Starr's brother
108:, a resistance group which claimed that, with SOE support, it could raise an army of 300,000 men to resist the German occupation of France. Starr made his way from Valence to a villa in
67:, Lancashire, the son of an American father, Alfred Demarest Starr, a bookkeeper who became a naturalised British subject, and an English mother, Ethel Renshaw, he was a grandson of
273:
investigation, which concluded that although his behaviour was suspicious, there were no grounds for criminal prosecution. After the war, Starr opened a night-club in
269:
Stories from other SOE agents who shared his captivity at Avenue Foch resulted in doubts being raised about Starr's loyalty, and his case became the subject of an
132:
Starr was held in high regard by SOE and, along with a wireless operator, John Young, he parachuted into France again on the night of 15–16 May 1943, landing near
518:
533:
181:. In Dijon, he said the Germans tortured him by beating on his wounded thigh but he didn't reveal any significant information to them. He was transferred to
277:, with Alfred and Henry Newton, SOE agents (and brothers) whom he had met during his training and also at the Avenue Foch. The brothers had been at
71:. He studied art in Paris and in 1934 he married a French woman, Michelle Vergetas, and the couple had one child, Ethel. Starr tried to join the
523:
528:
75:
in 1938 but was rejected because his father was an
American. He was in Paris when World War II began in 1939, and in early 1940 joined the
498:
503:
548:
237:
outbreak within the camp. The opportunity arose to smuggle himself into a group of prisoners who were being transferred to the
156:. The Germans had penetrated several SOE networks and captured agents in that area. Starr was joined in Acrobat by saboteur
39:(SOE) organization during World War II. He was the organiser (leader) of the Acrobat network (or circuit) which operated in
164:. Rée soon departed for another network. He did not like Starr's "assertive manner" and believed the network was insecure.
209:
mistakes. The
Germans he worked with later described him as "weak and misguided rather than knowingly treacherous."
230:
76:
238:
281:
concentration camp. Starr later returned to live in Paris, then moved to
Switzerland where he died in 1996.
36:
233:
near Berlin. According to his account he avoided execution in 1945 due to a quarantine resulting from a
117:
141:
222:
68:
309:
274:
121:
80:
52:
543:
538:
245:. By using his ability to pass himself off as a Frenchman, he joined a group of French and
8:
104:
on the night of 27–28 August 1942. His job was to evaluate the food requirements for the
226:
218:
174:
153:
145:
202:
113:
72:
197:
186:
182:
101:
32:
512:
105:
193:
161:
84:
157:
254:
137:
64:
278:
152:. Shortly after his arrival, Starr narrowly escaped being captured in
250:
246:
217:
Starr remained at Avenue Foch until August 1944 when, after the
100:
Starr parachuted "blind" (without being met on the ground) near
234:
109:
28:
149:
40:
352:, London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Foot, pp. 210–211
242:
133:
270:
467:
178:
47:
185:
in Paris and in late
September to SD headquarters at
140:. He was designated as the organiser (leader) of the
249:
prisoners who were released into the custody of the
225:
armies approaching Paris, he was transported to the
192:The head of the Paris SD was an ex-policemen named
83:. He escaped to England when France was overrun by
510:
90:
519:British Special Operations Executive personnel
212:
534:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
46:Starr was wounded and captured by the German
167:
124:who was arriving in France as an SOE agent.
338:. New York: Penguin Press. pp. 15–20.
291:
177:(or SD), the intelligence service of the
27:, was a British artist and an agent in
524:British Army personnel of World War II
511:
257:as the war in Europe drew to a close.
529:British World War II prisoners of war
473:
333:
260:
87:. He joined the SOE in early 1941.
19:(6 August 1908 – 1996), code names
13:
428:, New York: Doubleday, pp. 122–123
14:
560:
492:
314:Discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
127:
95:
479:
458:
449:
440:
431:
418:
409:
400:
391:
382:
373:
364:
355:
342:
327:
302:
79:and later was assigned to the
1:
549:British expatriates in France
284:
239:Mauthausen concentration camp
77:King's Own Scottish Borderers
58:
310:"John Ashford Renshaw STARR"
91:Special Operations Executive
37:Special Operations Executive
7:
464:Glass, pp. 220–225, 245–248
213:A German concentration camp
10:
565:
17:John Ashford Renshaw Starr
397:Glass, pp. 87–91, 104–105
168:Capture and collaboration
485:Glass, pp. 248–252, 267
334:Glass, Charles (2018).
112:where he met SOE agent
55:was also an SOE agent.
69:William Robert Renshaw
348:Foot, M.R.D. (1966),
275:Hanley, Staffordshire
81:Field Security Police
424:Helm, Sarah (2005),
476:, pp. 257–258.
406:Glass, pp. 104–110.
298:1911 England Census
144:, operating around
455:Glass, pp. 220–225
446:Glass, pp. 149–150
227:concentration camp
63:Starr was born in
426:A Life in Secrets
415:Foot, pp. 333–334
361:Foot, pp. 210–211
336:They Fought Alone
261:Post World War II
219:Normandy Invasion
175:Sicherheitsdienst
116:and CARTE leader
556:
486:
483:
477:
471:
465:
462:
456:
453:
447:
444:
438:
435:
429:
422:
416:
413:
407:
404:
398:
395:
389:
388:Glass, pp. 87–88
386:
380:
377:
371:
370:Glass, pp. 22–25
368:
362:
359:
353:
346:
340:
339:
331:
325:
324:
322:
320:
306:
300:
295:
154:Clermont-Ferrand
564:
563:
559:
558:
557:
555:
554:
553:
509:
508:
495:
490:
489:
484:
480:
472:
468:
463:
459:
454:
450:
445:
441:
436:
432:
423:
419:
414:
410:
405:
401:
396:
392:
387:
383:
378:
374:
369:
365:
360:
356:
347:
343:
332:
328:
318:
316:
308:
307:
303:
296:
292:
287:
263:
215:
203:Noor Inyat Khan
170:
142:Acrobat network
130:
114:Peter Churchill
98:
93:
73:Royal Air Force
61:
35:'s clandestine
12:
11:
5:
562:
552:
551:
546:
541:
536:
531:
526:
521:
507:
506:
501:
494:
493:External links
491:
488:
487:
478:
466:
457:
448:
439:
430:
417:
408:
399:
390:
381:
372:
363:
354:
341:
326:
301:
289:
288:
286:
283:
262:
259:
214:
211:
198:Gilbert Norman
187:84 Avenue Foch
183:Fresnes Prison
169:
166:
129:
128:Second Mission
126:
97:
94:
92:
89:
60:
57:
33:United Kingdom
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
561:
550:
547:
545:
542:
540:
537:
535:
532:
530:
527:
525:
522:
520:
517:
516:
514:
505:
502:
500:
497:
496:
482:
475:
470:
461:
452:
443:
434:
427:
421:
412:
403:
394:
385:
376:
367:
358:
351:
350:SOE in France
345:
337:
330:
315:
311:
305:
299:
294:
290:
282:
280:
276:
272:
267:
258:
256:
253:and taken to
252:
248:
244:
240:
236:
232:
231:Sachsenhausen
228:
224:
220:
210:
206:
204:
199:
195:
190:
188:
184:
180:
176:
165:
163:
159:
155:
151:
147:
146:Saint-Étienne
143:
139:
135:
125:
123:
119:
115:
111:
107:
106:CARTE network
103:
96:First Mission
88:
86:
82:
78:
74:
70:
66:
56:
54:
49:
44:
42:
38:
34:
30:
26:
22:
18:
481:
469:
460:
451:
442:
437:Foot, p. 334
433:
425:
420:
411:
402:
393:
384:
379:Foot, p. 286
375:
366:
357:
349:
344:
335:
329:
317:. Retrieved
313:
304:
297:
293:
268:
264:
216:
207:
194:Hans Kieffer
191:
171:
162:Diana Rowden
160:and courier
131:
118:Andre Girard
99:
85:Nazi Germany
62:
53:George Starr
45:
24:
20:
16:
15:
544:1996 deaths
539:1908 births
255:Switzerland
138:French Alps
65:Heaton Moor
513:Categories
474:Glass 2018
285:References
279:Buchenwald
189:in Paris.
59:Early life
499:Biography
251:Red Cross
221:and with
158:Harry Rée
319:28 April
247:Belgian
136:in the
102:Valence
31:of the
504:S.O.E.
235:typhus
223:allied
122:George
110:Cannes
29:France
241:near
150:Dijon
41:Dijon
21:Emile
321:2017
243:Linz
148:and
134:Blye
23:and
271:MI5
229:at
25:Bob
515::
312:.
179:SS
48:SS
323:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.