A short entry states that a German Spy was caught by the Homeguard in Farringdon, Berkshire (Now Oxen) During the World War II, the Farringdon Folly came into its patriotic own, giving a vantage point for the military and being the spot where a German spy was detected surveying the Vale. Can anyone add to the details - A name, date, what happened to him?
If the man was a spy of any significance,he would have been brought under control of John Masterman's XX Committee sometimes referred to as the Double Cross Committee. If a spy could not be turned as a double agent, he or she would be put through the legal system and jailed but more than often executed. The counter intelligence of the affair was only made public in the early 1970s when Masterman published his account "The Double Cross Committee in the US to circumvent the British Secrets Acts. The circumstances of arrest and fate of these spys have been comprehensively detailed in a number of publications since John Masterman unveiled this counter intelligence account.
What's your source Bala? There were several alleged cases of the HG capturing 'spies' and 'saboteurs' - in many cases, it turned out to be hearsay/rumours or just someone mistakenly apprehended.
ARPCDHG Recently a Luger was handed in which it is said was confiscated by one of the HG that captured him. I would like to put the details and a photo together to record the event. But no luck yet
Possibly check Police records at the time page 133 Thames Valley Police as they are now http://www.open.ac.uk/arts/research...g-pr/web-content/guide-to-police-archives.pdf
It's often crossed my mind, that if all German agents really were turned or otherwise dealt with, why did it take so long to find the Russian ones after the war?
Are you sure that this is the right Faringdon - in Oxfordshire? If so I'd be interested in the location and more details.
The penetration of German agents into Britain was usually heralded by radio communication traffic which unknown to German intelligence had been compromised by Ultra. These communications would include instructions which would reveal the extent of a network and the task and scope of the agents.The other aspect was the vigilance of the general public which led to newly arrived agents being arrested,such as one, who at 9 am went to a pub and asked for a pint of beer and another who was told by a railway ticket clerk that a rail fare was 10 and 6 and proceeded to pay for the ticket with ten shillings and six shillings.These people fell at the first hurdle and obviously were not able to assimilate into the ways of British custom and practice. The prewar,wartime,postwar Cambridge Five,headed by Kim Philby,the leading Russian double agent were a different matter.They had access to highly secret intelligence material authorised through their appointments.The failure of any checks and balances allowed them to pass on intelligence to the Russians Another,such as Fuchs comes to mInd, a naturalised British nuclear physicist who had security clearance for the Manhattan Project.He was able to pass on British nuclear secrets to the Russians which it is thought, accelerated the development of a Russian atomic bomb. In these cases it was never a situation of penetration,these agents of a foreign power were insiders and passed on their secrets until they slipped up and were detected by counter intelligence.
Yep, Faringdon House Oxfordshire. It was the home of Col Temple-Richards and he had the depot moved there from Hayling Island so that engineering works would be carried out on his own land and benefit his estate. This caused much resentment from thew Marines under his command as did his practice of allowing his children to inspect them and issue punishments. I don't have a link but through the IWM webpage you can hear one of the Engineers describe his experiences including The Depot RME Farringdon, Oxon.
