In a 2025, Ian Piper, Karen McBride and Alan Tait of the University of Portmouth, wrote a paper entitled Jobs for the boys: A prosopographical study of chartered accountants who served with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) 1940–1946. This paper looked at the backgrounds of 15 S.O.E. agents (11 ICAEW and 4 ICAS). Many were also featured in ICAEW Insights articles, written by Ian Piper and those articles are linked to below.

We list the men highlighted in the paper and/or featured in the articles. Piper has identified 52 Chartered  Accountants who were part of the S.O.E. and we hope to add their names when we can.

* Featured on the Decorations awarded to Members for Military Services page

** Scottish Chartered Accountants. ICAEW if not stated.

In addition to the men of the Special Operations Executive, we are aware of several other ICAEW members who were involved in other branches of the Intelligence services, although many stories will be never come to light due to the secrecy involved, this is particularly true of anyone served with M.I.5 or M.I.6.

Percy Stanley Sykes R.D. was Director of Finance at M.I.6. He is featured on the awards pages for both WW1 and WW2 and was an early employer of female articled clerks.

Flying officer Brian Barry Mill D.F.C. was a pilot with 138 Squadron RAF Special Duties Section. 138 Squadron's role was to drop and supply SOE and SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) agents  into occupied territory using Westland Lysander, Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys and Handley-Page Halifax aircraft.

Wing Commander Cuthbert Vincent Mears C.B.E. (Mentioned in despatches twice) rose to Deputy Director of Intelligence at the RAF.

Lieutenant Commander Alan Le Messuier Scott  R.D. was in the Department of the Chief of Naval Intelligence.

Captain John Furman  M.C. was with M.I.9 (the department responsible for aiding in the escape or evasion from capture of British Service personal) in their Rome escape organisation after his own escape from an Italian POW camp, he was later a Lieutenant Colonel in Israeli Military Intelligence. Flight Officer John Gillies D.F.C. was responsible for sending messages back to M.I.9 in London from Stalag Luft III, where he was held from 1940.

We can also speculate that Henry William Allen Waring C.M.G, who was a Ministry of Supply representative in Sweden may also have been an M.I.6 operative, coincidently (or not) Waring's award appears just after that of John Venner in The London Gazette.