British Secret Service During the Great War Part 7

On the other hand, when Secret Service agents are working abroad they must perforce rely upon codes of sorts, for means of intercommunication between themselves, their friends and supporters. These codes are invented by them entirely at their discretion. If they are wise 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 consequences to himself might be serious indeed. Simplicity is invariably the safest and most effective rule to follow. In order to give the reader a good idea of how the work was accomplished a couple of these codes are roughly outlined, with examples of their working in each case.

One was used for sea work. It was a grammatical code, which, although simple enough in its patent aspect, was not easy to memorise with that strict accuracy which is so essential to future use. Shortly, this code ran somewhat on the following lines, although English names are therein subst.i.tuted in order to give better ill.u.s.tration. Needless to add, these messages were worded in the language of the country in which they were despatched, and signed with an a.s.sumed name which would be in common use in that country.

EXAMPLE 1.

I. Communications signed with _Christian Name_ refer to _War s.h.i.+ps_.

Communications signed with _Surname_ refer to _Merchant s.h.i.+ps_.

II. _Please send a copy of_ "_The Times_" _to_ ... means "a base is being formed at ..."

III. I received a letter from ... _on_ ...

means {German auxiliary cruiser(s) in port at ...

{German battles.h.i.+p(s) hanging about near ...

IV. I received a message from ... _on_ ...

means {German large merchant s.h.i.+p in port at ...

{German cruiser hanging about near ...

V. I am hoping to hear from ... _on_ ...

means {German small merchant s.h.i.+p in port at ...

{German torpedo-boat(s) hanging about near ...

VI. I am expecting a message from ... _on_ ...

means {German collier(s) in port at ...

{German submarine(s) hanging about near ...

VII. The _first blank_ in the sentence is to be filled in with the _name of the place_ at which the base is being formed, or at which the s.h.i.+ps have been seen.

VIII. The _second blank_ in the sentence, after the word "on" is to be filled in with a _day of the week_ indicating the number of s.h.i.+ps seen (_see_ over, IX).

IX. 1 is Monday 2 is Tuesday 3 is Wednesday 4 is Thursday 5 is Friday 6 is Sat.u.r.day 7 is Sunday 8 is Monday-week 9 is Tuesday-week, and so on.

15 is Monday-fortnight, and so on.

X. If, _instead of the singular person_ "I am (had)," the _plural_ "We are (had)" is written, it means that the s.h.i.+ps in question, if merchantmen, have left port and are _going South_.

XI. If neither the first person singular nor plural is written and the communication begins, for instance, "Letter from ... _on_ ..."

it means that the s.h.i.+ps in question, if merchantmen, have left port and are _gone North_.

XII. Any mention of _illness_ means that the s.h.i.+ps are _disabled_.

XIII. _I am expecting a letter from_ ... _on_ ... means that several German wars.h.i.+ps (or merchantmen) of different cla.s.ses (or sizes) have been seen.

XIV. _Specimen message_:

We are hoping to hear from Newcastle on Sunday.

_signed_) CHARLES.

_Decoded_, means 7 German wars.h.i.+ps have been observed outside Newcastle, proceeding South.

The week after my arrival, this code had been completed and put into use. I was one evening sitting in the best and most popular restaurant in a certain town. The place was crowded with customers and business was brisk. The walls were decorated with magnificent frescoes by a celebrated German artist. Hundreds of electric lamps added warmth and attractiveness, whilst dreamy valse music from Wald Teufel, given by a German orchestra, seemed to help the digestion. Between bites and sips of German lager I was absorbed in the perusal of an evening news-sheet wherein every belligerent army was reported to be making marvellous forward movements, which, if half true, would have carried them respectively quite through Europe and back again in the course of a few weeks. Whenever my eye s.h.i.+fted from the newspaper to my plate an opportunity offered to note casually my surroundings, as 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 s.n.a.t.c.hes 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 only were of interest to me. Presently he paused, then, sinking his voice almost to a whisper, informed his enchantress that just before his s.h.i.+p entered port, that very afternoon, a German cruiser had been sighted going full steam north and close in sh.o.r.e. He proceeded by giving at length his personal opinions and suppositions as to her destination and objective. Now I happened to be aware of several objectives which would be very attractive to such an enemy vessel. For some weeks I had been over-anxious regarding the safety of a line of steamers, the uninterrupted running of which was a matter of some importance to England. And although I entertained considerable doubts regarding the truth of the latter part of the young lieutenant's statement, yet I felt that I should send the information along to headquarters for what it was worth. So I despatched the following telegram:

"Received letter from B ... on Monday about you from a chic lady although do not believe what she says.--CHRISTIAN."

Which on being decoded would run:

"One enemy battles.h.i.+p is stated to be hanging around B ... going North. Information obtained through female source and doubtful."

It had been previously arranged that all local wires should be sent to a certain individual at his private residence, who conveyed them to another who had his fingers on the reins of management.

If the news contained was sufficiently important it would be transmitted home, which would mean a duplicate communication and ensure a double chance of safe arrival.

The first recipient at local headquarters was a man of gentle disposition, a domesticated and homely parent, whose many years of connubial bliss had never been marred by a single cloud of unhappiness.

He was one of those lovable 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 heart of her spouse, might imagine that every woman showing an amiable or friendly spirit towards him was trying to wean his affections from herself; and who might accordingly be always on the watch for all possible emergencies.

Never having seen, nor met, the good lady, I had no accurate data on these points, but the fact is recorded that when the telegraph official, who happened to be a personal friend of the addressee, received the aforesaid message, he warned the telegraph delivery boy to give it only to the addressee.

Unfortunately the addressee did not happen to be at home when the message arrived, and his faithful wife answered the door. Having been advised to a certain extent regarding these matters, and recognising the boy who brought the message, she naturally pressed him upon the nature of his errand and soon persuaded the reluctant youth to hand over the missive, which she at once opened and read. Not knowing its hidden meaning she jumped to wrong conclusions.

From the sc.r.a.ps of news which reached me afterwards relating to the domestic tragedy which followed, I pieced together that the believed-to-be wronged wife immediately donned her outdoor apparel in order to seek out her Judas in lamb's-skin. Before she ran him to earth, she had imagined the worst, and had worked herself up into a veritable furore of unnecessary excitement.

What really happened when they met, what was said, or done, were details which I never knew. But the unfortunate message-receiver implored me to invent another code at my earliest convenience; one, for choice, which was not quite so open to dual construction.

Most local codes, when and where possible, were worked out on domestic lines. By way of example, familiar and commonplace names were selected which could be found in an ordinary directory. To each 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 objects; to wit--Bertha, a battles.h.i.+p; Dora, a torpedo boat destroyer; Sarah, a submarine; Tiny, a torpedo boat; Mary, a merchantman; Connie, a collier; Trina, a trawler; Louisa, an airs.h.i.+p; and so on.

Surnames were useful to designate numerals; to wit--Oldman, one; Turner, two; Truman, three; Smith, four; Jones, five; Robinson, six; and so on.

Knowing that every telegram was stamped with the name of the place it was handed in at, the points of the compa.s.s, north, south, east, and west were conveyed by including the name of some place which could be found on any ordinary map within a reasonable radius of the place of dispatch.

Time spoke for itself.

Thus, a telegram handed in at Lowestoft worded as follows: