Melita Norwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Melita Norwood |
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| "Letty" | |
Norwood in later life
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| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Active | 1937–1972 |
| Codename(s) | Hola |
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| Birth name | Melita Stedman Sirnis |
| Born | 25 March 1912 Bournemouth, Dorset, England |
| Died | 2 June 2005 (aged 93) Wolverhampton, England |
| Spouse |
Hilary Nussbaum
(m. 1935; died 1986) |
| Children | 1 |
| Occupation | Personal assistant, spy |
Melita Norwood (born Melita Sirnis on March 25, 1912, and passed away on June 2, 2005) was a British woman who worked as a secretary. She also secretly shared important information with the Soviet Union. She is known for being a long-serving spy for the KGB, which was the main intelligence agency of the Soviet Union.
Melita's parents were a British mother and a Latvian father. For 40 years, she worked at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association. During this time, she provided the Soviet Union with secret details about how atomic weapons were being developed. These were very powerful new technologies.
Even though the information she shared was very valuable, Melita Norwood never took money for her actions. She believed that by sharing these secrets, she was helping to prevent a major war between powerful countries. These included the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. Historians have called her one of the most important and longest-serving Soviet agents in Britain. Her story even inspired a movie called Red Joan in 2018.
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Who Was Melita Norwood?
Melita Stedman Sirnis was born in Bournemouth, England, on March 25, 1912. Her father, Peter Alexander Sirnis, was from Latvia. He was involved with political groups and published a newspaper. He also translated works by important Russian thinkers. Melita's mother, Gertrude Stedman Sirnis, was British and joined a political party called the Co-operative Party.
Melita's father passed away in 1918 when she was only six years old. She won a scholarship in 1923 to attend Itchen Secondary School in Southampton. She became the school captain in 1928. Later, she studied at the University College of Southampton but left in 1931. After university, she lived in Heidelberg, Germany, for a year. There, she became involved in activities against fascism.
Her Career and Connections
In 1932, Melita Sirnis started working as a secretary. Her job was at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association. In 1935, she married Hilary Nussbaum. He was a chemistry teacher and also a strong supporter of Communism. He later changed his last name to Norwood.
Melita Norwood left the Independent Labour Party in the mid-1930s. She then joined the Communist Party of Great Britain. She actively supported the party's newspaper, The Daily Worker. The British government did not know about her party involvement for a long time. In 1935, she was suggested to the NKVD. This was an early version of the KGB. She became a full agent for them in 1937.
Secret Work: Sharing Information
Melita Norwood's secret work began in the mid-1930s. She was part of a group in London that shared information. Some members of this group were arrested in 1938. However, Melita was not caught at that time. Due to changes in the Soviet intelligence services, her case was later handled by the GRU. This was the Soviet Union's military intelligence service. Her handlers gave her different code names, and her last one was "Agent Hola."
The Atomic Secrets
Melita worked as a secretary for G. L. Bailey. He was a department head at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association. Mr. Bailey was also on a committee for a secret British project. This project was called Tube Alloys. It was about developing atomic weapons.
Her position allowed Melita to pass important documents to her Soviet contacts. These documents were about the British atomic weapons project. In 1958, she received an award from the Soviet Union. It was called the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.
British security services identified Melita Norwood as a potential risk in 1965. This meant they thought she might share important information. However, they decided not to question her. They wanted to keep their investigation methods secret. She retired from her job in 1972. Her husband passed away in 1986. Melita said in 1999 that he did not approve of her secret activities. Her neighbors and even her daughter were very surprised when her role as a spy was revealed in 1999.
How Her Secrets Were Revealed
Melita Norwood's secret activities became public in 1999. This happened because of a book called The Mitrokhin Archive: The K.G.B. in Europe and the West. The book was written by former KGB archivist Vasili Mitrokhin and historian Christopher Andrew. Mitrokhin had left the Soviet Union in 1992. He brought many handwritten notes with him. These notes contained details about Soviet intelligence operations.
British intelligence learned about Melita's importance after Mitrokhin shared his archive. They decided not to take her to court. This was to protect other ongoing investigations. Some people have questioned if all the information from the Mitrokhin archive is completely accurate. However, Melita Norwood was never charged with any crime.
Why Did She Do It?
Melita Norwood stated that she did not gain any money from her secret work. She said she generally did not agree with secretly working against one's own country. However, she hoped her actions would help the Soviet Union keep up with other powerful nations. These included Britain, America, and Germany.
In a statement she made when her activities were revealed, she explained her reasons:
I did what I did, not to make money, but to help prevent the defeat of a new system which had, at great cost, given ordinary people food and fares which they could afford, a good education and a health service.
This shows she believed she was helping to support a system that provided good things for ordinary people.
Melita Norwood in Popular Culture
The 2018 film Red Joan was inspired by Melita Norwood's life. The movie stars Judi Dench and Sophie Cookson. It tells a story that is loosely based on her experiences. The film premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
Later Life and Passing
Melita Norwood passed away on June 2, 2005. She was 93 years old. She died at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, England. Her body was cremated.
See also
- Mitrokhin Archive
- Information Research Department
