1953-03-28 — Page 11

THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1953.

...... CHAPTER 3

The Submarine Ace

IT is spring, 1943, and the Allies have decided to invade Sicily as a stepping-stone to Europe. Hitter must not know. Indeed, he must be foxed into believing our objective is Sardinia or Greece. And that job falls to the Hon. Ewen E. S. Montagu, Naval Intelligence officer.

A bold plan is born, Float a dead man ashore in Spain. Dress him as an officer. Put "doctored" papers in his pockets.

So a body is selected-a man who died of pneumonia and whose name is for ever secret. He becomes "Major William Martin, Royal

Marines, He is given a

swcetheart, love letters, secret letters, bills, . . a personality.

by THE HON. EWEN

E. S. MONTAGU

H

AVING prepared the initial plans for our coup, we considered what We had achieved so far, and gave much thought to problems the that might arise as scheme developed.

Hand wo done enough 16 buik up the personality of William Murtin, "Majur

Royal Marines"?

There he was, with his identity card, his sweet- heart's pleture, his father's pompous advice, his over- draft-and his confidential letter, giving false informa- tion. from General Sir Archibald Nye to General Alexander.

A LETTER

AS suflicient? Would

-AND HOW

WE CHOSE HIM

TO FLOAT MAJOR MARTIN'

ASHORE IN SPAIN..

Let me have kis Buch, pinie, in mcON ER, IDS sansubs in D167.

He might bring some aardines with him. they are on points" keret

Yours sincerely

Louis Pharrittia

TWO CLUES IN HIS POCKET...

1-Part of the "Sardine" Letter (above) from Lord Louts Mountbatten to Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham ; 2-Stubs of tickets for the Prince of Wales show (below). NOTE.~This was the show that made Sid Field a West End star over- night. But his name was not well enough known in London to appear on the bill.

GEORGE BLACH RISING GENERATION

STRIKE A NEW NOTE

NEGGITT

AKEN STTLE MUSICAL WITH & CAST OF SO EL KUNG TER FAST BIS FUR WEST END STARSOM

Was it sum citrons Dear Admiral of the Fleet,

to a point where they would I promised VCIGS (Vice- act upon the false clues and Chief of the Imperial Gen~ spreadeagle their defences eral Staff) that Major over Sardinia and Greece?

We considered it long and earnestly; and we de cided to give the "Major" one more document to com- plete the job.

Martin would arrange with you for the onward trans- mission of a letter he has with him for General Alexander.

It is very

me have him back,

And then another bright Iden was born. He would probably take his fiancee "Pan" to the theatre on his last night In England and might well have the stubs of the tickets in his pocket,

So, early in April, we bought two tickets for the Sid Field show for April 22.

These

were put in the "Major's" pocket before he left by submarine on April ID,

Incidentally. "Pan"-"Major Martin's" sweetheart and 1 eventually used those scuts on the other halves of the tickets. The "Major" missed a stood show!

BROCHURE

One thing remained to te

Ne added. I was a worried whether his pockets would be certain to be search- ed unless the Germans and their friends found something that made everything seem im- portant.

Yet the

cruelul -document from

Sir

Archibald Nye to please, as soon as the as- General Alexander was of sault is over. He might size that would go into a poc- bring some sardines with kel. him-they are "on points"

We decided that We must provide "bulk" for the "Major" here!

to carry, so that he would have to lake a despatch case.

We took the excuse that

Let

Yours sincerely,

Louis Mountbatten- brochure being prepared

I felt the Germans would be so pleased by the Innuendo woll urgent and hinting all had not gone

at Dieppe that they would not It was a letter to Admiral very "hot" and as there are overlook the "mportance"

of remarks in it that the letter, and see that it re- of the Fleet Sir Andrew some

de- Cunningham, C.-in-C. Merli- could not be seen by others reived circulation. I also

inserled that Jast

not go by signal. I feel "Let me

have him back. sure that you will see that please, as soon as the assault is It introduced "Major it goes on safely and with-r. He might bring some sar-

dines with Alm-they QTC Martin" as a landing craft out delay.

points here?" expert-who had been asked.

terranean, signed by tord in the War Office, it could liberately

paragraph:-

Louis Mountbatten.

I thought the rather labour-

He Germans and help

pin-

for by the C.-in-C.-and it I think you will find Mar- et joke would appeal asked the C-in-C. to pass tin the man you want.

10 the

to

un urgently the letter that is quiet and shy at first, but point Sardinia as the target of the "Major" carried for he really knows his stuff. the assault. Sure enough it did. General Alexander. The He was more accurate than

letter read:---

Combined Operations

Headquarters

IA, Richmond Terrace,

Whitehall, S.W.1. April. 21, 1943.

some of us about_the_prob- able run of events at Dieppe and he has been well in on the experiments with the latest barges and equipment which took place up Scotland,

"FIGHTING AGAIN,

DEAKIN! IF THIS DOES NOT STOP I SHALL HAVE TO SEND A DOODLE !.

TO YOUR PARENTS

n

'JUNK'

of

"MAJOR MARTIN" had,

course, the usual effects and “junk” Identity discs, wrist-watch, matches, elgarettes, stamp-book, money, old bus tickets, scrops of paper, keys, and so on.

DISCIPLINE AT ATTLEE'S ACADEMY

World Copyright by arrangement with the Manchester Guardian."

а

a

for curly, publication by: Hilary Saunders on the Commandos

up

even if it

Huolvo, a email port in the the body would be pleked South-West near the Portuguese by the Spaniards, frontier.

did not float ashore.

The body, we decided, could at Huelva be carried inside the pressure- Corman hull of the submarine, which in with means that we would need an we did airtight container though not a near to pressure-proof one.

We knew that there was an active agent who was well the Spaniards. Also, not want a spot too Gibraltar in case the Spaniards: should return the body to us for burial.

The appearance there of the body of an officer with a false identity might give rise to talk which would be almost bound German to be picked up by the many

using Spaniards who went in

agents

the out of the Rock.

and

I consulted with the Hydra- graphor of the Navy as to the weather and tidal conditions to be expected off Huelva at the end of April.

AIRTIGHT

now arosc,

THE question

could the body bo kept un- the date of departure with- being 100 out decomposition great?

15

I consulted Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the pathologist, once more. lie took the view that if we could exclude

much oxygen as possible from ar airtight container, and it the body was really cold when it Again we were lucky, Al was put into the container, do though the tidal stream was composition would be so slow not lon helpful the prevalling that if it were picked up soon South-Westerly wind would be after being put in the sea the "on shore" and a body in nefeet would be only the

same Moe-West would be more as thai of a few days' immer-

TODAY Lieut. Jewell's job is to hunt submarines

He commands the anti-submarine, destroyer Scorpion, based at Ports- mouth. Far behind him are those exciting days, in submarine Seraph with his secret passenger" "Major Martin" -Now Commander Jewell is married, spends shore leave with his

wife, an ex-Wren, and baby Diana at Lee-on-Solent. But, he admits, his mind often drifts back to the Seraph and what surely was the war's most macabre operation. And the Seraph? She is now out of commission, but still on reserve.

than by sion floating in from an aireraft which had crashed some dils- tance off shore.

mentioned the American Ran- affected by the wind gers who served with them. the tide, Lord Mountbatten therefore signed another letter addressed So Huelva became the ap- to General Elsenhower asking pointed place. It would, of We agreed that the best way him to "approve" the brochure course, be in accordance with to get rid of the oxygen. would and give a "message" which the normal practice of the be by getting a container, would popularise the Ameri- Spaniards to hand over the standing it on end, filling it with body to the British Vice-Consul

can edition.

That letter concluded: "You may speak freely to Major Mar- tin on this as well other matters since he has my entire confidence."

BULKY

WITH the letter

for burial and to give to

him anything found with the body.

"dry-ice" so that the air would be excluded by the carbon- monoxide, then pulling the body carefully in from the top

But we felt reasonably con- and screwing the ld town. any

dent that the efficiency of the local German agent would en- sure that copies of the papers would reach the GermIRDS.

went the V fairly bulky proof of the brochure and coples of tho illustrations.

Our confidence in him Was not misplaced!

We now had to arrange for the body to reach Huelva.

Through the usual channels"- we ordered-for an unspecified purposo-a cylindrical case with un asbestos wool lining tween two skins of 22-gauge steel.

be-

It was 6 AL. 6 ins. long and First I got a decision from 1 tt. 10 ins. In diameter and the Assistant Chief of Naval weighed 400 lb. It looked like

So "Major Martin" had to have a despatch ease in which Staff (Home) as to the means this

to curry all these oficial dock.of taking it there. ments,

But how could we be sure

that the foaling corpse would

keep the despatch caso?

I had put up three possibili-. ties submarine, dying boat, or

a temporary diversion of

one

of the escorts to the convoys up

Here we made out only do- the coast of Spain. parlure from probability.

Of these the first was clearly the best that I was We dociled to assume that "Major Martin" --would bo authorised to discuss possibili- the Issued with one of the chains des with Admiral BarrY,

admiral commanding our sub- marines.

wear

!

RIGHT" DATE

that bank messengora down their sleeves and clip to their bags and that, for com- fort's sake, when sliting in the aircraft. (for de hoped to pori suade the Germans he had

DMIRAL BARRY readily crashed into the sea) he would

saw the possibilities. "By loop the chain through his 4

the good fortune trench coat belt so that he Seraph, commanded by Lleu- submarino would not lose the case or for tenant Jewell, was due to sail get it..

for Malle at about the right We now had to choose. the date. sppt on the Spanish coast Wo considered that Lieu- where we wished to float the tonant Jewell could get close: body ashore and wa.deckled on enough inshere_to_enture Milor.

NEKT WEEK

The three secret.

V missions of

submarine Seraph 'Major Martin' gous

to the war (Wafia. copyright)

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