About Us

The Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust is a non-profit organisation that has been set up in the memory of WWII heroine, Noor Inayat Khan. We work to promote the message of peace, non-violence and religious and racial harmony, the principles Noor Inayat Khan stood for.

In 2012 HRH Princess Anne unveiled the memorial for Noor in Gordon Square, London, near the house where she lived and from where she left on her fatal mission. The memorial, by British sculptor Karen Newman, is the first for an Asian woman in Britain. It ensures that Noor’s sacrifice is not forgotten by future generations.

The Trust also works with schools, universities and museums to spread the story of the World War II heroine. It awards the annual Noor Inayat Khan prize to a post-graduate student in SOAS, and organises an annual lecture, called The Liberte Series in her name. 

Through Noor’s story, we also highlight the often-ignored fact of the contribution of Indian soldiers and Indian women to the two World Wars.

Two and a half million Indian soldiers volunteered for the Second World War, fighting in far-away fields in Africa, Europe and the Far East. It was the largest volunteer army in history and suffered the highest casualties. Indian soldiers were awarded 28 Victoria Crosses and 9 George Crosses in World War II.

Noor Inayat Khan was posthumously awarded the George Cross by England and the Croix de Guerre by France.