MASTER SPY

Hokitika Guardian, 3 April 1930, Page 2

MASTER SPY

, BADEN POWELL’S WAR ACTIVITIES. A LIFE OF ADVENTURE. Though Lord Baden Powell was not in Germany during the war, he had been there previously and he had been surprisingly successful. As far back as 1909, he was able to recount to British officers the extent of Germany’s plans for her invasion of Britain, and to tell them privately the arrangements which had been made... in Germany for that event. Nor wash that the sum of what he had to say. He .related the place where they intended to land thei rforces, and what they were going to do on reaching England. News of what he had said travelled to Germany, and a swarm of letters came in returon,- abusing him for his disclosures. A quotation from one of them reads: —

“You are a brown-paper general, and jif you think that by your foolish tftlk you can stop us from coming you are not right.” That at any rate proved the accuracy of his information. SECRET PLANS.’ Baden-Powell was a master of the art of making secret plans. Immediately he had mapjjed out a position, he incorporated it into some sketch where it' was only apparent to those who knew the key which he had employed.

At'one time he drew a fort, noting the calibre, : position and nature of the guns.' Then he concealed it in the markings of a. butterfly’s wings. On another occasion, a shaded ivy feaf conveyed the information that in the neighbourhood of a certain fort there were patches of ground which were immune from the lire delivered from, the fort, and in which the geographical configuration of the ground .allowed-men to be mustered in safety.

, Sitting down to draw a fort which was surrounded by n - triangular ditch he plotted the positions of the machineguns, the howitzers, quick-firing, disappearing guns, and the size of the other cannon, and he did not neglect the searchlight with which the position was equipped. When he had finished those viewing the work saw a stained glass window, depicting heraldic arms, and complete with motto and crest. His learning seems to he more diverse than that of the editor ,of the Encycelopaedia Brittanica. One system of defence was shown —or rather buried—in a drawing of a moth’s head “magnified six times.” The past phrase was really an intimation that the scale used was six inches to the mile.

In this fashion lie went about with his sketchbook, drawing plans of .fortifications and anything else of interest, converting them into drawings of various objects which would not arouse anv suspicions. If necessary .they were shown to officials and other people who were perhaps asked if they had seen a ccrtai nbntterfly in the district. Of course, they could not tell him that they Had seen it—and even if they could, what did it'matter?

A NARROW SHAVE

Prior to the Great War information reached Britain that the Germans had a new machine gun. Its capabilities were unknown, and two others who had sought the information had only succeeded in being arrested. BadenPowell was entrusted with the mission. He stayed with some German officer friends, went to various functions, both civil and military, with them, but when they were going to a rifle range he was politely requested not to accompany them. Instead he went alone. The position was surrounded by an unclinibable fence and guarded by two sentries. He wandered into the neighbourhood of the reserve and then lay down on the grass, well away from the entrance. From there he could listen, and the rapidity of the cracks which accompanied each hit on the iron target gave him a good inkling of its rate of fire and accuracy. Still he was not satisfied. When the sentry’s back was turned he made a rush for the fence and found a loose board which allowed for a good view of the happenings inside. Suddenly the sentry turned and saw the man at the fence. He rushed back Baden-Powell liastly replaced the

plank. And when the soldier readied him he found an intoxicated man very

profuse in his offers to share the hallbottle of brandy which was in his hand. The sentry could make nothing of him and decided that he was what he pretended to he— in a state of hopeless drunkenness. The sentry took his “catch” to the end of his heat and thrust him away. Baden-Powell who had come prepared with the bottle, and who had carefully spilled half the contents over his clothes to give the required odour, went home quite pleased with himself.

- “ THE DODGER.”

This episode took place in Turkey. A new fort had been built and he had to obtain an insight into its armament aiid construction. He went off to the site before dawn, hoping to gain the required information without having to worry about the sentries. Tilings were going well when he spied a man creeping around a neighbouring sandhill. He immediately assumed that he was a member of the guard who had set out to capture him, so he began to dodge. For a time he succeeded in evading the newcomer, hut soon he saw the dodger coming hear in the same manner. To his surprise the intruder showed anxiety to hide from him. The pair then rertignised that they were mutually afraid of one another and came together. Both were engaged upon the same work, but of course for different Governments. That night the pair met and compared notes.. Then they went to Malta, where Baden Rowell showed him the two guns which

then guarded the harbour entrance, and other obvious batteries. The spy went off to Ttalv, thinking what a simpleton he had struck. The sconel came a few years afterwards. The Italian had by this time boon placed in charge of a large arsenal in one of the colonies and tlr; Englishman desired to find out wLit aiTaimciuents had been made to mobilise the native as a reserve Dr'-e, aiid the means which were available for arming them. The arsenal was built on the side of a inp’dly-flowing river. He then called on his friend who showed him the sights of the town. Baden-Powell hit non the idea that the river would f"rnish a fin r > means of lighting the barrack and convinced the official that he should suggest the matter to his superiors. He offered to work out an estimate as to the cost of the scheme for him and was .shown through the arsenal. In it he saw galleries full of wellkept arms, with the names of the various places. As he walked., through, with pencil and paper, making calculations for the work which he had proposed. his celluloid shirt-cuffs became notepaper sufficient to note all the details which he had sought.

TAKEN FOR GERMAN SPY

He had also been taken for a German spy. One of the European countries had a new field gun. which was undergoing secret trials in one of her colonies. The only means which lie had of finding out anything about the cannon was by being a passenger on a train which stopped at the site of the tests for half an hour. While on the train a dejected farmer entered the carriage where Baden-Powell was, and the pair dropped into conversation. When the engine pulled its carriages into the station where the tests were being carried out. the Briton, as did the others, stepped out of the train to beguile the time. To his delight, a battery of the guns were just outside ■the station yard. He hurried off to see them, but a corporal of the guard saw him, rushed across, and after callhig him by all the terms of abuse in his vocabularlv, sent him back to the carriage. Not to he beaten, BadenPowell used his field-glasses, but in the middle of the investigation he found the view obscured, and lowering the glasses, found the corporal gazing at him. He had been caught.

The farmer returned and when the conversation was resumed, informed the Chief Scout that he had done his •mod deed for that day. He (the farmer) had come aboard the train with the intention of committing suicide, because things had not been going too well with his farm, but he had been so cheered that lie was going home to try again. “You have done me a good turn. 1 will do something for you,” said the farmer, who then told him that the corporal had telephoned the terminal station that a German spy was in ihe carriage, and that- ho would ho .r----rested when lie reached the point. The 'farmer said that at the next stop he

f was getting out to go back to his farm and lie advised Baden-Powell to <<> the same. He could then catch the early morning train and thus' “It this a trap?” queried Baden-Po'wll in his mind. Then he replied that i v an Englishman he had nothing to feai, and that he should go on.

There was a station between the one at which the ifarmer left him and the terminus. At this Baden-Powell said good-’ve to the train and next uiornmi: passed through the station where the commandant had been waiting for him on the previous night.