Outwitting the Enemy
Andrew was recruited into the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in 1939 for his linguistic talents and other qualities suitable for working in the Service. By early July 1940, he had already been sent on four missions including the sabotaging of a train carrying tank engines inside Germany, assisting in the evacuation of BEF soldiers from Dunkirk on one of the ‘small ships’ and surviving a number of life-threatening incidents when bringing King Haakon and the Norwegian cabinet from northern Norway to exile in London. In November 1940, he is persuaded to help at Camp 020 with the interrogation of German spies captured in England; a few weeks later, he completed his naval officer training in Scotland and southern England. With the Atlantic convoys being attacked by U-boats operating out of the German-occupied ports of Lorient and St Nazaire with heavy losses, he is sent at the end of March 1941 to spy on the building of the submarine pens for a possible raid by the RAF later in the year. He narrowly avoids being captured by the Wehrmacht and returns to London with vital information. He undergoes parachute training in May 1941 before being dropped in NE France where he is escorted by a French Resistance group to Koblenz. His mission is to deal with a member of the SIS that had become a senior officer in the German intelligence service (the Abwehr). By some good fortune, he manages to escape by Lysander back to England. The story is a most compelling, absorbing and attractive read with strong classical elements. It has a clean plot for the time period covered which develops and unfolds through a captivating storyline; the relatable cast of characters will keep the reader enraptured up to the very last page.
Mike Walsham
After graduating in Chemistry & Physics from London University, Mike Walsham worked in pharmaceutical research for a few years before joining a well-known international computer company in sales and marketing. He worked in the computer industry mostly in the UK, but also for over eleven years in several African countries, such as: Ethiopia, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa. During his time in Zambia between 1973-75, Mike and others drove from Lusaka and through Tanzania to successfully climb Kilimanjaro. He obtained a Private Pilot’s Licence in 1974 at the Lusaka Flying Club and went on to be an instructor. He has a strong interest in music, particularly Jazz, as well as stamp collecting and Hornby Dublo trains. He has a keen interest in classic cars having owned his first Triumph TR4A in 1965 and selling his last one in 2020. As a result of working abroad, he enjoys travel, especially to places of historical interest in Europe and Africa. He is thoroughly committed to his family—four children, nine grandchildren—and to his local C of E church. From 2007, for about seven years, he wrote articles for his local Parish News on subjects such as: the Ark of the Covenant, the Knights Templar, the Cathars, the Battle of Agincourt, the Scramble for Africa, the C of E Cathedral in Johannesburg. A keen sportsman who still plays squash and walks, with a strong interest in most sports, particularly at international level. He was a crew member on a 42ft yacht in 2002 sailing from Menorca to Split, Croatia. In 2004, again a crew member taking a 44ft yacht from Southampton to Split. His close relative’s involvement in WWII stimulated him to write historical novels based to some extent on the relative’s experiences in the Intelligence Services and the Royal Navy.
