MI9’s ‘Q-gadgets’ have made it into the public imagination through the adventures of James Bond. But who was behind their invention? Helen Fry reveals that two men, Christopher Clayton Hutton and Charles Fraser-Smith, turned ordinary household items, such as cards, records and pencils, into ingenious covers for escape aids.
How did they get involved with MI9? Find out in this extract from MI9: A History of the Secret Service for Escape and Evasion in World War Two.
‘Fry has undertaken prodigious research…The book is a fitting tribute to the hundreds of men and women who risked their lives in assisting Allied escapees, and a welcome salute to those who broke out of their PoW camps that they might be returned to the battlefront.’
—Giles Milton, The Sunday Times
‘Helen Fry’s engrossing tale M19…details the exploits of the secret organisation that rescued allied troops from behind Nazi lines.’
—Martin Chilton, The Independent
Are you up for a coding challenge? Try your hand at deciphering this MI9-inspired coded letter for a chance to win Helen Fry’s books on intelligence history including her latest bestseller, MI9: A History of the Secret Service for Escape and Evasion in World War Two.
Read here for more details on the competition.
You might also enjoy:
