[4] Elaine was born to a Belgian mother, Caroline Duponselle, and an Australian father, Larry Madden, who was employed by the Imperial War Graves Commission.

His work ended with the war graves commission in March 1932, although records don't say if he left or was dismissed.

Later, after continuing in a spiral of drinking and gambling the Duponselle family paid for Larry to go to Britain where he joined the army and Elaine lost touch with him.

After only a few weeks there Elaine took a pair of scissors to her uniform, cutting the tunic knee length and stockings at the ankles.

I thought my last moment had come.” Knocker and Smudger gave the women their great coats and tin helmets to disguise them as soldiers.

[5][8] After arriving in Britain Elaine found work as a clerk for the British Relay Wireless Company while lodging at a flat near Fleet Street in London.

Her nights were spent with the Women's Voluntary Service (WVS) assisting Air Raid Precautions (ARP) personnel searching bombed out buildings for survivors during the London Blitz.

This work led her to study for her Red Cross certificates in Home Nursing and First Aid as she wanted to be of more practical assistance to casualties.

The British did want her and after meeting with "some people in south London" she was recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE).

[5][6] After being vetted she was sent to Lillywhites department store in Piccadilly to collect her First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) uniform.

She is sophisticated for her age and... her consciousness of her powers to attract is not likely to interfere with her application to the task in hand.After undergoing further training Elaine parachuted back into Belgium in August 1944, one of only two women parachutists sent to the country.

Elaine acted as the "eyes, ears and legs" as courier for the experienced agent André Wendelen [fr].

Madden had close shaves in her work, including being given a lift by a German officer while carrying a radio receiver.

At one stage she and Wendelen were left guarding a British tank while the officer relieved some of his men.

It was at this moment that Elaine learned that the important 'Monsieur Bernard', whom she had been accompanying while arranging passage to Britain, was non other than Prince Charles of Belgium.

[5][6] Elaine joined an SOE group led by René Verstrepen, to work as a coder with wireless operator Michael Blaze.

With SAARF she was sent to the Nazi Concentration Camps to find surviving SOE agents, Belgian political prisoners and resistance workers.