During the Second World War, pioneering female war correspondents insisted that they could go anywhere as long as they had a typewriter and a toothbrush. Author Sarah Blake was inspired by them and she has recently published a novel, The Postmistress, in which the heroine broadcasts from London during the Blitz. During her research for the book she took a close look at the careers of several excellent women journalists including Martha Gelhorn, Clare Hollingworth (who witnessed German preparations for the invasion of Poland) and Sigrid Schultz. Blake has written about these fascinating women in this feature for Stella, the Sunday Telegraph colour magazine. Many thanks to Lesley Phippen for spotting it.