PhD student and former soldier Ashleigh Percival-Borley is exploring the untold stories of World War II's Special Operations Executive. She has recently been announced as a BBC New Generation Thinker for 2025. We caught up with Ashleigh to find out more about this, her research and how being a military veteran informs her work.
It's a fantastic initiative giving early career researchers the support and platform of an international broadcaster. We get media training, networking opportunities, and the chance to communicate our research to an international audience.
It's Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded, and the selection process was daunting. I have my dad to thank for this really – he spotted the call for applicants and sent me the information.
I had to write pitches about my research, suggest radio programmes, and also pitch something completely unrelated to my work. It is very different from the day-to-day life in academia!
Shortlisted applicants attended a workshop at AHRC headquarters in London with BBC producers. We listened to podcasts and radio shows, delivered pitches (with ruthless feedback!), and had debates. It was quite stressful but, being ex-Army I’m used to dealing with stressful situations!
A few days later, I received an email offering me one of only six places on the scheme – I was elated.
Each New Generation Thinker is attached to a particular BBC Radio 4 programme – mine is the ‘Free Thinking' programme.
Now I'm essentially a 'researcher in residence' with them and an expert they can call upon for discussions.
I have already been part of a programme entitled ‘Peace’. It coincided with the anniversary of VE day in May and explored what peace has meant since 1945. I really enjoyed it - being able to share my research and insights with a wide audience is a joy.
I have also had some great media training at the British Academy.
I‘m exploring how wartime espionage and the Special Operations Executive (SOE) has been remembered, represented and mythologised.
As part of this I'm analysing recordings (or oral histories) of SOE operatives discussing their wartime service, held in the Imperial War Museum sound archives. Specifically, how these veterans talk about and construct wartime memories.
There is an enduring cultural fascination around the work of the SOE operatives. But, these weren't James Bond-style spies - they were operatives with highly complex and varied roles.
They were ordinary people having extraordinary things happen due to war. To me, their ordinariness makes them even more brave, and this is what I want to explore and champion.
I am looking at a wide range of SOE roles – everything from secretaries and cryptologists to field agents. I want to fully understand the identity and experience of those working in the SOE.
I grew up in a forces family and have always been fascinated with military history.
About 10 years ago, while still in the Army, I caught the 1950s film ‘Odette’ – a true story about Odette Sansom, a French SOE agent living in the UK who was captured in occupied France in 1944.
I researched her connection to SOE and was hooked.
Just before I left the Army in 2021, I did a master's degree on women in F Section (or the ‘French Section’) which was the department in the SOE responsible for operations in France. I loved it, and this marked the start of a whole new direction since leaving the forces.
Academia is the only place post-military service where I feel my experience truly adds value.
As a 13-year veteran who served in combat, I understand what it feels like to be in war - to be relied upon, shot at, and scared.
When I am listening to the oral histories for SOE operatives, I can hear bravery and fear in them where others might not. I understand the moral difficulty of seeing someone hurt in wartime.
This gives me a unique lens to bridge the gap between spoken word and transcript.
We're at the edge of living memory of WWII, and I want to explore and tell these stories for the next generation.
I would love to be a public historian – sharing the amazing stories of our military history with the world.
My work in academia and the BBC New Generation Thinkers scheme is opening amazing new doors. I've signed with a literary agent, given talks at NATO, and appeared on BBC Radio 4 - things that once seemed unattainable to a young combat medic on her first tour of Afghanistan!
Through my work I want to not only illuminate more of our military history but also engage with policy and help to diversify our armed forces.
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