Melita Norwood was a KGB agent for 40 years, and her identity was only revealed in 1999 following the defection of another agent.
Born in 1912 in the Pokesdown suburb of Bournemouth, Melita Stedman Norwood was recruited by the KGB in 1937 and was given the codename “Hola”.
She was considered to be the most important female agent that they ever recruited, and the fact that she went undetected for so long says much for her ability to remain under cover.
Melita’s life and career are the subject of a book by David Burke, The Spy Who Came In From The Co-op.
