大象传媒

About a week before the war started the powers that be decided that the enemy would attempt to defeat the blackout by setting up radio beacons to guide their bombers, an unlikely event as the Luftwaffe's bombers were for battlefield use in support of the ground forces and before the fall of France had insufficient range to reach England. (In any case they had a system that enabled their aircraft to navigate with accuracy and but for the efforts of Dr R.V. Jones would have torn the heart out of Britain. When his countermeasures were defeated at Coventry the results were only too plain). Therefore the GPO Engineering department, by which I was employed, was combed for people to listen with radio receivers for spy transmissions. As I was between appointments I was nobody's baby and so was sent off without being asked whether I minded on a course on radio interception. I can't remember what we were taught but as no one knew what we were to listen for or what equipment we should use it could not have been much. All I remember was being instructed how to wear a service gas mask. This came in handy when I enlisted later on.

"Training" completed I was stationed at Hendon telephone exchange in northwest London with a variety of radio receivers scraped up from the GPO's reserves, sweeping the ether for What? All I heard was the interference produced by the generator charging the batteries of the exchange. One other unfortunate and myself manned this post 24 hours a day, seven days a week, turn and turn about. Why we did not object I do not know, we had some idea that we had to do as we were instructed with a war on. No spies were ever found anywhere in the country as none was needed.

After four months continuous duty I enlisted in the army and escaped; the post was closed soon after. Many years after the war I found that MI5 was involved in this so for a brief period I was a counteragent, and after reading "Spy Catcher" by Peter Wright I am not surprised that I was caught up in such a makeshift setup.

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