Charlotte Gray's daughter launches operation to save SAS club

Yvette Pitt is one of a dozen former intelligence agents and elite soldiers attempting to force out the people who run the secretive Special Forces Club.

The Mail on Sunday revealed last week how the exclusive Knightsbridge club - open only to members of military units like the SAS and officers from MI5 and MI6 - was facing bitter unrest over spiralling debts, falling membership and fears for its survival.

Now a Who's Who of Britain's intelligence elite have arranged a special meeting next week calling for a vote of no confidence in its management committee, treasurer and auditors.

The group includes Mrs Pitt, whose late mother Yvonne Cormeau's heroics with the French Resistance inspired the Cate Blanchett film about women radio operators parachuted into Occupied Europe in the Second World War.

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Much-decorated Mme Cormeau, codenamed 'Annette', was dropped into France in August 1943 and arranged 140 arms and supply drops to resistance fighters in the south-west of the country before and after D-Day.

Also involved are Scotland Yard terrorism expert Martin Gillvray, Mark Baillie, an Islamic terrorism expert, and Lindsay Jenkins, a former senior official at the MoD.

Other signatories include Anthony Suttill, who has links to the wartime code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park, Steve Weiss, a Special Operations Executive agent who led wartime resistance operations in Provence, and Judith Hiller, formerly of the British Diplomatic Spouses' Association.

The latest moves come after allegations of fraud and mismanagement over losses of more than £90,000 over the past two years which threaten the club's continued existence.

None of the group behind the emergency meeting would discuss the club's problems.

But one long-standing member who backs the protesters said: "Members are on notice that they will be expelled from the club if they 'go outside' or continue to agitate for more efficient management.

"I don't think you'll find anyone who is willing to talk about this, as that is not the culture of Special Forces.

"Expulsions have happened before and they really don't need any grounds at all under the club rules."

The agenda for the meeting includes discussion of 'extraordinary losses and unexplained disappearance of funds' and 'unauthorised expenditure'.

The club's latest accounts show a further £46,477 loss and the club's investments are now worth just £25,000 - less than it paid for them.

The members are also questioning why the club management spent more than £41,000 on accounting and legal fees, and nearly £12,000 on 'meeting expenses'.

The emergency vote was announced by SFC chairman Major 'Ram' Seeger, in a letter to members which said: "Once again we've ended the year with a deficit and this is much regretted ...

"There was a delay in the signing off of our accounts by the auditors because of allegations by some of our members. However, an independent audit and a second visit by the auditors showed nothing untoward."