MAPS IN POSITION

Hokitika Guardian, 12 June 1930, Page 3

MAPS IN POSITION

SECRET SER.V'iOe METHODS

At a prison camp. at Phil|ippappjis

in Bulgaria,. in. iCiß—the last. your of the .Great War—a , number ef tv aval Air Service o.neers received .postcards

from people they did not'know .referring to things they had never .done. As an example, one of these postcards

rah; “Dear Rowland—How. .are you enjoying your stay <iu. Rulgaril ? We

-often think about .you, particularly last: -.week 'wheni.we > nil; -feent 'uipnthe, river; as far as Ruuiivmet]e< -How different from, lrtst year! Do,mild.is. rap;d----.y improving his tennis, but will,-never appiQUch you at your. best. Well .cheer, up, ' old. boy. Aunt ..Marian sends , her love; all the girls- want -to: be. reniemhered to on. Your ever, Lily-.” The recip ; ent:of this oard, Mr R.. W

Frazier, who. tells- the. story;in. the %pr.il number of ; the National..Re;y-ieWy. Vue,w< {u3 '-one hearing-.;dheanameei.-pi#!-,

tioned, neither wasi heip•/England -in

-'he' previous year.. Dfe mentiohed the receipt of. the postcard to a fellow-pri-soner, believing-.it to be an aimless ’-•nd of practical joke. To Mv Frazier’s surprise his friend admitted having received a similar meaningless communication from some

person unknown. Overhearing their conversation, a third officer produced another “flapper’’ postcard. The stupidity of the messages aroused that thev were not as innocent as thev

•ippca-ed, and discreet inquiry brought several more to light.

At a meeting held by the owpers of. 'Tip cards it ; was assumed that, they,represented some,... foj;m of secret epm-

•np pi cat ion fropi .outside,:., and Ah pejy’dij w.ere carcf u11.y.,, compared.,., and .made a subject, ( oj. a.-long. and careful ct+ejupt to discover some. ..cypher, »«- sage. This failed, as, also, did ,every Rternpt to develop jnvpsible. writing on -thejn b\v-the. various means the, prisoners possessed., ... .. ... a ~ , ■*’ Finnllv> it was snwested: that:ath*>«. should be soaked’, in’ 'water.o‘as +i.o v might come apart. It was by ■his means that the secret was revealed. The top surface peeled off and beneath it was found a perfect]v drawn section of a man of the surroundin'* ■ l, "strict. giving invaluable details for anyone endeavouring to escape.

The excited prisoners, after soaking

V other cards, found that those they iad received were evidently only portion of a more elaborate plan. Sue* -ceding: mails brought more of the apparently innocent cards until the map was complete, in every detail. Up to his point the prisoners had no idea of

be source of the cards. The next '"'t/'h. however, cleared up tins point ■moving that an almost hopeless

-fiance of communicating with a fellow officer, taken bv one of them, had succeeded, and that both navy ancT sec ret service were collaborating in preparing the way for an escape. When the map was complete there followed not only passports, but full letails of points on the coast where boats would be awaiting them on a

"ertain series of specified moonless nights. The prisoners were amazed at + he completeness of the plan and the thoroughness with which every part of it had been worked out for their benefit.

It was determined that on each night specified a party would endeavour to reach the rendezvous. They felt that the least that they could do was

to respond to the .sple'iidid work from > tside.' Two “ parties went, and' Were recaptured, abd' before the third.'c'oiild 'cave the l Bulgarian resistance:'collapsed and the prisoners wei'e released. It was found afterwards that all ’ the “flapper” postcards had been written by the: same'-naval'offifeer.'