It sounds more like a Mrs Pollifax mystery novel. Katharine Fannin, a surveyor’s wife from Kenya made an informal spying trip trhough Italian-held Ethiopia and was hosted by the highest government officials in Addis Ababa. Later she received commendations from the British Army for her help in providing details of roads and installations that helped make the run to Addis one of the fastest military takeovers in history. 

At Old Africa we keep running into stories that warrant more than a short article in our magazine. So in 2010 Old Africa will start publishing books on “lives lived in Africa.” Watch this blog spot for more information. The unknown life of Katharine Fannin is one we are editing at the moment.

Here’s an unretouched photo of one of the Italians who hosted Katharine Fannin in Ethiopia.