David Strangeways
Encyclopedia
David Inderwick Strangeways DSO
, OBE
(26 February 1912 – 1 August 1998) was a Colonel
in the British Army
who helped organize several military deceptions in World War II
, after leaving the army he took holy orders.
, the third son of Dr. T.S.P. Strangeways, who founded Strangeways Research Laboratory. He attended Cambridgeshire High School for Boys
and later Trinity College, Cambridge
reading History.
in 1933 and served in the 1st Battalion
based at Aldershot
then Malta
. After the outbreak of World War II he was sent to France
where he participated in a rearguard action whilst the British forces tried to reach Dunkirk. Strangeways managed to successfully evacuate part of his battalion on a Thames
barge.
really started. Sent from the War Office
in London
to Cairo
he reported to General Sir Harold Alexander
with the plans of deception designed to fool the Axis powers
as to the time and place of the Allied invasion of North Africa
. The deception relied upon convincing the Axis powers that the massed landing craft were destined not for North Africa but to relieve beleaguered Malta. To bring about this deception Dennis Wheatley
based at the London Controlling Section
supplied a copy of his latest novel to Strangeways, inside the novel was a letter from Wheatley to an acquaintance in Cairo. The book with letter inside were left at a Cairo hotel for enemy agents to find.
Strangeways then joined Brigadier
Dudley Clarke
's A-Force, his job was to use deception to gain a strategic and tactical advantage over the enemy in the Near
and Middle East
. He achieved this by using radio nets
to give out false information to fool the enemy. Decoy tanks and other vehicles were used in order to divert Axis forces away from the areas of Allied
attack. Using a combination of bluff, boldness and speed Strangeways was able to seize the German headquarters at Tunis
before the routed enemy could destroy their secret documents.
In 1943 after Montgomery
took command of 21st Army Group he requested that Strangeways take charge of R-Force. This was principally a deception force and consisted of armoured vehicles, field engineers and a wireless unit. Strangeways developed Operation Quicksilver
a significant part of Operation Fortitude South
, the intent was to fool the Germans that the Allied invasion would take place at the Pas-de-Calais.
and the Rhine. This role was a combination of intelligence work, administration of German detainees and border control. Following on from two staff appointments in England, Strangeways briefly joined the Green Howards. In 1949 a posting to the British Military Mission in Greece
saw him advising the Greek government.
In 1952 Strangeways took command of the 1st Battalion the East Yorkshire Regiment
, the regiment was on a three year tour of Malaya
and was engaged in fighting the Communist insurgents
during the Malayan Emergency
.
, in 1958 his first appointment was curate
of Lee-on-the-Solent
. From 1961 to 1965 he was vicar at Symondsbury
, Dorset
followed by eight years at Bradford on Avon
. He served as Chaplain
to the British Embassy at Stockholm
and in 1977 went on to become Chancellor and Senior Canon
of St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Malta.
Canon Strangeways retired in 1981 and returned to England where he continued as a priest in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and Norwich
.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(26 February 1912 – 1 August 1998) was a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
who helped organize several military deceptions in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, after leaving the army he took holy orders.
Early life
Strangeways was born in CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, the third son of Dr. T.S.P. Strangeways, who founded Strangeways Research Laboratory. He attended Cambridgeshire High School for Boys
Cambridgeshire High School for Boys
The Cambridgeshire High School for Boys was founded as the Cambridge and County School for Boys in Cambridge, England, in 1900.-History:...
and later Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
reading History.
Military career
Strangeways was commissioned into the Duke of Wellington's RegimentDuke of Wellington's Regiment
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division.In 1702 Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he did in and around the city of Gloucester. As was the custom in those days...
in 1933 and served in the 1st Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
based at Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
then Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. After the outbreak of World War II he was sent to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where he participated in a rearguard action whilst the British forces tried to reach Dunkirk. Strangeways managed to successfully evacuate part of his battalion on a Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
barge.
Deception
In 1942 Strangeways' career in Military deceptionMilitary deception
Military deception is an attempt to amplify, or create an artificial fog of war or to mislead the enemy using psychological operations, information warfare and other methods. As a form of strategic use of information , it overlaps with psychological warfare...
really started. Sent from the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
he reported to General Sir Harold Alexander
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
with the plans of deception designed to fool the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
as to the time and place of the Allied invasion of North Africa
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
. The deception relied upon convincing the Axis powers that the massed landing craft were destined not for North Africa but to relieve beleaguered Malta. To bring about this deception Dennis Wheatley
Dennis Wheatley
Dennis Yates Wheatley was an English author. His prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors from the 1930s through the 1960s.-Early life:...
based at the London Controlling Section
London Controlling Section
The London Controlling Section was established in June 1942 within the Joint Planning Staff at the offices of the War Cabinet, which was presided over by Winston Churchill as Prime Minister. The purpose of the LCS was to devise and coordinate strategic military deception and cover plans. The plans...
supplied a copy of his latest novel to Strangeways, inside the novel was a letter from Wheatley to an acquaintance in Cairo. The book with letter inside were left at a Cairo hotel for enemy agents to find.
Strangeways then joined Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Dudley Clarke
Dudley Clarke
Dudley Wrangel Clarke, CBE, CB was a Brigadier in the British Army who was behind several deception operations during the Second World War and who founded the British Army's Commando force. He was born at Ladysmith, Natal, and educated at Charterhouse School...
's A-Force, his job was to use deception to gain a strategic and tactical advantage over the enemy in the Near
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
and Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. He achieved this by using radio nets
Combat-net radio
In telecommunication, a combat-net radio is a radio operating in a network that provides a half-duplex circuit and uses either a single radio frequency or a discrete set of radio frequencies when in a frequency hopping mode....
to give out false information to fool the enemy. Decoy tanks and other vehicles were used in order to divert Axis forces away from the areas of Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
attack. Using a combination of bluff, boldness and speed Strangeways was able to seize the German headquarters at Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
before the routed enemy could destroy their secret documents.
In 1943 after Montgomery
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
took command of 21st Army Group he requested that Strangeways take charge of R-Force. This was principally a deception force and consisted of armoured vehicles, field engineers and a wireless unit. Strangeways developed Operation Quicksilver
Operation Quicksilver (WWII)
In World War II, Operation Quicksilver was a sub-plan of Operation Fortitude, the 1944 deception plan designed to induce the Germans to hold troops away from Normandy in belief that the Normandy landing was only a feint and that the major invasion would come in the Pas-de-Calais...
a significant part of Operation Fortitude South
Operation Fortitude
Operation Fortitude was the codename for a World War II military deception employed by the Allied nations as part of an overall deception strategy during the build up to the 1944 Normandy Landings...
, the intent was to fool the Germans that the Allied invasion would take place at the Pas-de-Calais.
Post-war military career
After the Allies victory over Nazi Germany Strangeways was given the role of political adviser to the Allied Commissioners for WestphaliaWestphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
and the Rhine. This role was a combination of intelligence work, administration of German detainees and border control. Following on from two staff appointments in England, Strangeways briefly joined the Green Howards. In 1949 a posting to the British Military Mission in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
saw him advising the Greek government.
In 1952 Strangeways took command of the 1st Battalion the East Yorkshire Regiment
East Yorkshire Regiment
The East Yorkshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated with the West Yorkshire Regiment , becoming The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of...
, the regiment was on a three year tour of Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
and was engaged in fighting the Communist insurgents
Communist terrorism
Communist terrorism are actions carried out by groups which adhere to a Marxist-Leninist or Maoist ideology which have been described as terrorism. State actions carried out by the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, North Korea and the actions of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia have all been...
during the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
.
Theological career
Strangeways attended Wells Theological CollegeWells Theological College
Wells Theological College began operation in 1840 within the Cathedral Close of Wells Cathedral. In 1971 it merged with Salisbury Theological College, the students moved to Salisbury, and the new institution became known as the Salisbury & Wells Theological College, now Sarum College.The official...
, in 1958 his first appointment was curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of Lee-on-the-Solent
Lee-on-the-Solent
Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a small seaside town in Hampshire, England about five miles west of Portsmouth. The town is located on the coast of the Solent and forms part of the borough of Gosport...
. From 1961 to 1965 he was vicar at Symondsbury
Symondsbury
Symondsbury is a village in south west Dorset, England, west of Bridport and west of Dorchester. The village is located just to the north of the A35 trunk road, which runs between Southampton and Honiton. The village has a pub , a pottery and a primary school...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
followed by eight years at Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
. He served as Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to the British Embassy at Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and in 1977 went on to become Chancellor and Senior Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Malta.
Canon Strangeways retired in 1981 and returned to England where he continued as a priest in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and Norwich
Anglican Diocese of Norwich
The Diocese of Norwich forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.It traces its roots in an unbroken line to the diocese of Dunwich founded in 630. In common with many Anglo-Saxon bishoprics it moved, in this case to Elmham in 673...
.