Maud West

Maud West (born Edith Maria Barber; 15 September 1880 – 13 March 1964) was an English detective.

Early life and family West was born at 28 Staunton Street, Deptford, on 15 September 1880, the illegitimate daughter of Mary Ann Barber, a domestic servant.

West wrote about her adventures in Pearson’s Weekly and regional and tabloid newspapers; although much sensationalised and of dubious accuracy, her stories included entertaining tales of how she'd unwittingly been hired by German intelligence during WWI and travelled to South Africa to bring a 'dope fiend' back to England. West prided herself on her use of disguise In 1926, West claimed that she had been invited to a seance to shoot a revolver at a spirit in order to test whether the apparition was real or not; she stated, “This experience will be the most remarkable in the whole of my career, and there can be few women who have packed more excitement and adventure into their lives.”

In 1932, West was involved in the high-profile divorce case of Lord Inverclyde whose solicitors instructed West's detective agency to conduct surveillance of his second wife, June Tripp. West also features in Sister Sleuths: Female Detectives in Britain by Nell Darby.

A photograph of West is held by Manchester Archives