Fight Another Day by J M Langley

Author:J M Langley
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783469536
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2013-08-16T16:00:00+00:00

I made a point of meeting Colonel Norman Crockatt, later Brigadier, commanding MI 9 a few days later. As a young officer, serving with the Royal Scots Fusiliers, he had been twice wounded in the First World War, during the retreat from Mons. Recalled to the army in 1939 to form MI 9, he had attracted the immediate loyalty and devotion of all who served under him. His cheerful greeting, words of congratulation on getting back home, and his enquiry as to how I had got on with the old buzzard in London, warmed my heart. ‘However,’ he continued, ‘we will leave him for the moment as I expect you want to know what this is all about.’ I nodded and the background he gave me made everything much clearer.

MI 9, which was formed in September 1939, had by May 1940 achieved considerable success in making fighting personnel ‘escape minded’ and in encouraging the relatively few POWs in Germany to try to escape. The fall of France, Belgium and Holland not only brought about a considerable increase in the number of prisoners but also presented an entirely new problem, that of ‘escapers and evaders’ in these three occupied countries.

Norman Crockatt had immediately appreciated the likely trend of future events and was considering what action to take when the first evaders crossed into Spain in June 1940. Here they were arrested and interned in a camp at Miranda del Ebro, some 120 miles north-east of Madrid.

At this stage Uncle Claude took a hand in the game, not from any real interest in the fate of the evaders, but to ensure that any clandestine work on their behalf was controlled by MI 6. He did not want yet another independent organization like SOE, which he had disliked since its inception, since it was not responsible to MI 6 and he considered its personnel to be rank amateurs in ‘cloak and dagger’ work. He conducted a personal vendetta against them which it must be admitted occasionally had its amusing side.

I was in his room when news of the destruction of the great French passenger liner, the Normandie, by fire when interned in New York harbour, was announced. He immediately picked up the telephone and as soon as he was through to a senior officer in SOE said cheerfully ‘Good morning old boy, Dansey here. My heartiest congratulations on your latest battle honour. Keep up the good work!’

On another occasion I was accompanying him on one of his rare visits to the Baker Street offices when it was noticed he raised his hat every time he passed a junior officer in the corridor. Finally our conducting officer could no longer resist the temptation of enquiring the reason for this extraordinary gesture. ‘Why, Colonel Dansey,’ he asked ‘do you raise your hat to every junior officer?’ Quick as a flash Uncle Claude replied, ‘My dear sir, anyone in your organization who remains a lieutenant for more than 24 hours deserves a congratulatory salutation from me!’

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