British Secret Service During the Great War

n-Shadowed-Attempted Thefts of Papers-A Contretemps-Leakage of News from England-Watching a Suspect-False Message Discloses an Open Code-Geo

dquarters. That is a carefully-guarded secret which no one in or out of the Service would dream of referring to. Suffice it therefore t

in their generation they never keep the same code too long in use, but change it, at frequent intervals, for another entirely different in every respect. Such codes cannot be too carefully prepared; whilst every user knows that if his deception is discovered the consequen

ential to future use. Shortly, this code ran somewhat on the following lines, although English names are therein substituted in order to give better illustration. Needless

mpl

ned with Christian Na

ed with Surname ref

The Times" to ... means "a

ed a letter f

xiliary cruiser(

ship(s) hangin

d a message f

rge merchant shi

ser hanging

ng to hear f

all merchant shi

-boat(s) hangin

ting a message

collier(s) i

ine(s) hanging

d in with the name of the place at which the base i

ord "on" is to be filled in with a day of the week

X

s M

Tue

Wed

Thu

s F

Sat

s S

Monda

day-week,

y-fortnight

ral "We are (had)" is written, it means that the ships in q

mmunication begins, for instance, "Letter from ... on ..." it means that

illness means that t

ans that several German warships (or merchantmen

ecimen

o hear from New

ed) C

ips have been observed outsid

well as my immediate neighbours. Two seats only were vacant. They were located next my own and in due course were occupied by a young naval lieutenant accompanied by an outwardly appearing charming demi-mondaine. The champagne of sunny France soon loosened their tongues. But the more their voices became raised the more absorbed I became in my reading. Presently snatches of conversation drifted my way. The lady was complimenting her gallant upon his patriotism and prowess. He, as the Americans say, was blowing hot air. A listener's difficulty was to sift the substance from the imaginary boasting. Subject matters dealt with were mostly of a frivolous nature, but ever and anon the lieutenant would return to his sea trips and the results from their patrolling. Inter alia he related the number of drifting mines taken up, vessels sighted and submarine visitation, which matters o

about you from a chic lady although do

ing decoded

ng around B ... going North. Information ob

ent to a certain individual at his private residence, who convey

ld be transmitted home, which would mean a duplicate co

ble personages who is generally captured by a lady who may have enjoyed numerous innocent flirtations before marriage, and consequently might perhaps be of a suspicious and jealous disposition, who, knowing the goodness of he

recorded that when the telegraph official, who happened to be a personal friend of the addressee, r

tain extent regarding these matters, and recognising the boy who brought the message, she naturally pressed him upon the nature of his errand and soon p

he believed-to-be wronged wife immediately donned her outdoor apparel in order to seek out her Judas in lamb's-skin. Before s

knew. But the unfortunate message-receiver implored me to invent another code at my e

was attached a definite meaning, and the message would be worded so that anyone seeing it would think it related to an ordinary everyday event. Christian names might be coded to mean definite obj

wit-Oldman, one; Turner, two; Truman, three; Sm

nts of the compass, north, south, east, and west were conveyed by including the name of some pl

oke for

nded in at Lowestof

ah Jones to Felixstowe 4

coded w

westoft at 4 o'clock this

that a ship or ships had been sunk. "Put to bed" meant sunk, annihilation, or defeat, according to the context; mention of "delirium or head sickness" conveyed suspicions, or suspicious circumstances; "doctor called in" that the enemy (

fficient to convey to the reader an idea

y telegraph and telephone operators are sometimes amenable to flattery and judiciously administered attentions. It is also within the bounds of possibility that an occasional one might be met with who might not object to test a communication with a semblance of reason;

e during the continuance of this war a certain message was handed in at a certain telegr

her

rouble to inquire into, altered the wording to "Father dece

y came bac

ally dead or

cost one Government a considerable sum o

ere seated two mourners, one a tiny man, the other about 350 lbs. in weight, whose head was nearly as big as the puny man's whole body. On leaving the church for the graveside each took the other's hat by mistake and they got separated in the crowd. At the close of

aken the collection of messages and who has recently been hereinbefore referred to, maybe received another shock to his domestic bliss; and that only a week after the one before related. It is m

s are as

received t

- personally. If you could start at once it would be very good of you; but please

opportunity to render service to the illustrious personage soliciting my a

d, observing, watching and noting the many strange and familiar faces. Their work meant an added consumption of current on the wires. The vacant stare, the side glance, or the wooden far-away expression of countenance, conveyed much to these men. T

ed. Their faces were familiar. One of them had secured a berth in my compartment, and addressing me in excellen

is fellow-traveller, which, however, that astute gentleman politely but firmly declined. It was an e

e had closed. The German waited a while, and then, very stealthily, shut it again. I waited about a like period and reopened it. So the game proceeded, until about four o'clock in the morni

wardly rejoiced exceedingly. No sooner had he departed than I s

n a ferry which had to be crossed both of them watched my every movement, and I began to congratula

ontained only an old newspaper, and it was placed in an inside bank-note pocket of my waistcoat. Its outline could have been detected by anyone

erous race-courses, nor participated in football, boat-race night, and other big crowds in England, without learning something of the ropes. Every time a hand entered the inside of my coat it encountered small steel obstacles which lacerated and hurt. True I lo

d my driver to a public building which had a bolt hole at its back, by the use of which my pursuers were baffled successfull

afely this morning

mporary receiving agent, history does not relate, but I tremble to thin

o printed matter was allowed to leave England. Yet news, most important news, co

opy of all cypher and code messages sent over the cables from every Embassy or Consulate, whether the countries are at pe

uspected persons who still claimed the privilege of freedom. One of these was a small London tradesman whose premises were situated in a remote and quiet back street. He appeared to have rather more corresponding friends than his position or his business justified. His correspondence, in and out, was intercepted, copie

f this tradesman's correspondents. The police knew that the sender of the message, "John," had been

sed a flutter in th

ed to the War Office, to the Admiralty, and to oth

rders had been issued by them which commanded a squadron of warships to leave the port at which the message had

the sender and the receiver of the telegram were for

ough open business letters addressed to residents in neutral countries, particularly Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Holland, which were decoded by adding certain geometrical figure

d in Pearson's Magazine, October, 1918, with illustrations which more clearly demonstrated their

ts, that the censor's suspicions were aroused. Subsequent searches revealed that no such person as the addressee of the parcel in question was known to exist. His name certainly did not appear in any Army List. The aforesaid garment was most careful

ted and closely watched. In due course she captivated one of the junior secretaries of a neutral Embassy. His integrity was absolutely beyond

the young and inexperienced attaché. One day she produced to him a rough illustration of an alleged chess problem which she had cut from a local newspaper; in all probability she herself had indirectly caused its publication. She worried her admire

he existence of a chess club of some renown in the capital of the country

the club mentioned with an urgent request to unravel the probl

as its own private letter-bag, which is inviolate, and is passed over all frontiers uncensored and

oblem illustration, in the Embassy letter-bag. Which indeed he did. But the very astute members of the French Secret Service were wide

frequently visited them in the various hospitals, sung to them, entertained them, and took them lavish presents of fruit and flowers. On one of these most pr

credit of the French, and unknown to the Germans, copies of most of these surveys had been obtained and filed away for possible future use or reference. Probably it was rem

xactly corresponded with the other. But the French War Office was certainly surprised to see before it, set out on the sketch of the chess-board, an accurate portrayal of all their reserve forces behind their front lines, posted in the exact positions whic