Helen Fry Biography

Helen Fry

Helen Fry was raised in North Devon and went on to graduate from the University of Exeter with a degree and Ph.D. She has written over 25 books on the Second World War with particular reference to the 10,000 Germans and Austrians who fought for Britain, and intelligence, espionage and prisoners of war. Her highly acclaimed book The Walls Have Ears: The Greatest Intelligence Operation of WWII was in the top 8 Daily Mail’s Books of the Year in War, and has been optioned for film. It has been the subject of numerous documentaries and continues to receive media attention. 

Amongst Helen’s other book are Inside Nuremberg Prison; From Dachau to D-Day; Denazification; Freuds War, and The King’s Most Loyal Enemy Aliens: Germans who Fought for Britain in the Second World War which is now out in paperback as Churchill’s German Army. Helen has worked closely with war veterans with whom she has built up a special relationship for over a decade and a half. In addition to her wide knowledge of WWII, her fields of research include British Intelligence, espionage, Kim Philby, and the Cold War. Helen is interviewed regularly for national TV and radio.  As part of the BBC’s coverage of the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, she and historian James Holland appeared in live interviews in the studio in Normandy. She has also appeared on The One Show, BBC World News, and in documentaries that include David Jason’s Secret Service (Channel 5), Spying on Hitler’s Army(Channel 4 & PBS), The Hunt for Hitler’s Missing Millions (Channel 5) and Churchill’s Germany Army (National Geographic). Helen is an ambassador for the Museum of Military Intelligence , President of the Friends of the National Archives and an Honorary member of The Association of Jewish Refugees. She lives and works in London. 



How I Found the Agency

I first met Andrew Lownie at the Biographers Club over a decade ago. We have met at many functions over the years and Andrew has always followed my career with enthusiasm and taken a keen supportive interest in my books. I have always admired his phenomenal reputation as an agent, but being loyal to my own agent for a number of years I did not feel it fair to jump ship. When my agent took voluntary redundancy in 2014, Andrew agreed to take me on. I was rather impressed when he responded to one of my book proposals within a couple of hours of receiving it. I am the kind of person who works best with efficient people and Andrew, with his high standards and quick response, is an author’s dream agent.   

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