..They were tracking Communist and Soviet spies who threatened to destabilise the democracies of Western Europe & elsewhere and spread the communist idea...
Read more about the Brigadier in the comments
In the shadows of history's most tumultuous era, a group of remarkable women embarked on a daring journey into the heart of espionage. These fearless agents of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, were the unsung heroes of World War II and the architects of the clandestine world that would shape the Cold War era. Their stories shrouded in secrecy for decades, illuminate the extraordinary courage, cunning, and resolve displayed by these women as they confronted a formidable foe on multiple fronts.
As our world descended into chaos during World War II, the need for intelligence and covert operations became paramount. The women who stepped forward, often from ordinary backgrounds, teachers, secretaries, and nurses, possessed an extraordinary blend of skills, from linguistic talents to cryptography expertise. In the crucible of wartime, they proved that gender was no barrier to bravery or ingenuity. They all had feisty and unusual personalities.
The linked article by Helen Fry delves into the lives and missions of these female agents, exploring their training, their perilous assignments, and the invaluable intelligence they gathered.
But their contributions did not end with the armistice. As the Iron Curtain descended across Europe and the Cold War ensued reaching well beyond Europe, the skills and experiences of these extraordinary women became even more critical. MI6 and other intelligence agencies, including the CIA, Australian Military Intelligence, and more harnessed their expertise in an ideological battle that reached all the way to Australia. The legacy of these pioneering women lived on, shaping the intelligence landscape for decades to come.
Read through this historical journey as Helen shines a long-overdue spotlight on the female agents of MI6 during World War II, uncovering their stories of sacrifice, audacity, and resilience. Their tales of espionage and valor continue to inspire, reminding us that heroism knows no gender and that even in the darkest of times, the light of courage can shine brilliantly. As Alf Boxall put it in relation to one particular nurse, 'She was courageous...'
Northern Standard (Darwin, NT : 1921 - 1955), Friday 14 July 1950, page 10
ReplyDeleteOVERSEAS VISITORS
The Northern Territory is certainly attracting overseas visitors. Latest hitch-hikers to arrive were Miss Ina MacKay of Worcestershire and Miss Irene Astle of Hampshire. The two English lassies were accompanied by Miss Jane Buxton of Sydney. The party met on the launch Northern Star
during the hazardous trip which was reported recently in North Queensland papers. They decided to hitch their waggon to a Sunbeam and travel together. Fellow passengers on the Northern Star included Sir Thomas and Lady Blamey and Lady Robinson of Melbourne. Incidentally they have
travelled in the traditional Aussie way - and were guilty of jumping the rattler on one occasion. The ladies who are at present in Darwin are capable stenographers and they are seeking employment:
http://trove.nl a.gov.au/newspaper/article/49479496
Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 - 1954), Thursday 18 May 1950, page 2
ReplyDeleteMr. C. R. Paterson, of Cairns with a party of guests, arrived in Townsville on Tuesday in the Northern Star, returning from the Cairns to Tasmania pleasure cruise. He expects to leave for Cairns this afternoon. The vessel is a 112-foot converted Fairmile. Unbelievably good weather was enjoyed the whole way on the present leisurely cruise. Leaving Cairns on December 4 last the vessel made its way down the coast, calling at Dunk Island,
the Whitsunday group, and various ports. After spending one month In Melbourne a visit was made to Tasmania, and the first port of call on the return was Eden (N.S.W.). Several members of the original party were unable to afford sufficient time to complete the trip, and left the Northern Star at Brisbane. Included among the guests are Sir Thomas and Lady Blamey, Lady Robinson, Miss D. Wynter and Miss Baker, both of Cairns, Miss Buckston, of Sydney, and two English visitors, Miss Mackay and
Miss Astel, who joined the ship at Brisbane on the way up the coast.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63464176
Hmm, worth checking historical weather conditions for those dates and locations. I understand that converted Fairmiles were a bit of a worry offshore.
ReplyDeleteInteresting names there GC
ReplyDeleteThat is really a great article by Helen Fry, I did not know the part that women played and what they went through. Heroes all.
ReplyDeleteDaily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), Wednesday 10 May 1950, page 2
ReplyDeletePLEASURE CRUISER BUFFETED
SPICK and span in spite of terrific buffeting by heavy easterly weather between Melbourne and Brisbane, the pleasure launch Northern Star arrived at Mackay on Monday, five days out from Brisbane. She was delayed six weeks at Brisbane for repairs and a new coat of paint after storm
damage. Among the guests on board Northern Star are General Sir Thomas Blamey and Lady Blamey who joined the party at Brisbane. The vessel, owned by Mr. C. R. Paterson, of Cairns, is on a cruise of the Great Barrier Reef and islands.' She will leave Mackay at 3 p.m. to-day. Northern Star had an uneventful trip up from Melbourne until she struck a heavy easterly swell
between Newcastle and Brisbane. Big seas swept aboard for several days, battering the rails and stoving in the lifeboat. The heavy seas made it impossible to put in for shelter at any of the coastal ports, and she had to run north, fighting it out, all the way.
SHORT ON SLEEP
One of the guests, Mr. L. H. Stirling, Melbourne Insurance assessor, who was at the wheel, had only four hours' sleep out of 60 hours, during the storm. Conditions were very unpleasant for the rest of Mr. Paterson's guests, but no-one was injured by the heavy buffeting. First relief from the storm was when the vessel reached Moreton Bay. Six weeks were spent at Brisbane refitting, repairing storm damage, and repainting.
Although the yacht is on a pleasure cruise, and some of the guests bear titles, it doesn't mean "all play and no work" aboard the Northern Star. Mr. Stirling has taken his trick at the wheel, and Lady Blamey and Lady Robinson have been seen on deck stringing beans and shelling peas to help the yacht's chef.
"Highlight" of the cruise was the sight of Lady Robinson, dressed In dungarees, doing some painting. She equipped herself with brush and pot, and finished off the deck, which had been left incomplete in the hurry to leave Brisbane after refitting.
THE GUESTS
Guests on board include Lady D. Robinson, of Melbourne; Miss Beverley Winter, of Devonport; Miss Joan Buxton of Sydney; and Miss Ina Mackay and Miss Irene Astele (both of England). Misses Mackay and Astele, former members of the English women's war services, found themselves
with "itchy feet" after the war, and are on a tour of Australia. They have been out here about 12 months.
Northern Star's itinerary is an extensive cruise of the islands. Sir Thomas Blamey, who knows the northern coast of Queensland well, is a keen fisherman, and will "start In" on the mackerel soon after leaving Mackay. Some fishing has already been done. A good catch of sweetlip was made
on Sunday night off High Peak Island. Northern Star has made an extensive tour of the South, including Tasmania, Hobart, Launceston, Devonport,
Melbourne and Sydney. The party will visit all the well-known islands along the Barrier Reef, and will go through the Whitsunday Passage.
The yacht is scheduled to arrive at Cairns on May 22, her skipper, Mr. Roy Adams, has a crew of six - bosun, two deck hands, steward, chef and engineer. Her overall length is 112ft. She is equipped with two 300 h.p. Hercules diesel engines, and has a cruising speed of 10 knots.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/172317403
I have added a photo to the main post above. It shows Mr C Paterson, the owner of the Northern Star with a Roy Kendall. Those may find the name Kendall unfamiliar so let here's a brief account of Mr. Kendalls record:
ReplyDeleteRoy Kendall (9 June 1899 – 9 March 1972) was an English-born Australian politician and intelligence officer for the British Secret Intelligence Service.
Born in London, he was educated at Bristol Cathedral School before becoming a merchant seaman. After serving in the Royal Naval Reserve from 1914 to 1918, he was recruited by Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) in December 1941 for the purpose of "penetrating the Japanese Mandated Islands or other areas in the Pacific". He was "vouched for" by the Australian director of naval intelligence, and in 1942 was appointed head of Secret Intelligence Australia, a branch of MI6 in Australia, reporting directly to Winston Churchill.
After the war, he became a newsagent in Brisbane, Australia. In 1949, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Liberal senator. He remained in the Senate until retiring in 1964. Kendall died in 1972.
The Director of Naval Intelligence referred to was Commander Long, you can read more about the Commander, often known by the one letter V, here:
https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2018/12/somerton-man-v-part-2-who-is-v.html
In 1942, another 'communications' unit came into being when 1 Wireless Unit was formed at Townsville. It moved to Port Moresby, and eventually sent detachments to forward areas. In addition, 2 and 3 Wireless Units served in the Northern Territory and three more ended up in the Philippines under American control. The nondescript titling was actually a cover for these intelligence units that intercepted and decoded Japanese messages.
ReplyDeleteFrom late 1942, specialist Signals Units and Wireless Transmitting Stations were formed to handle higher level wireless and cable communications between Australia and forward bases. Sergeant Jack Herrald, a Wireless Maintenance Mechanic (WMM) in 10 Signals Unit at Port Moresby, found his work more challenging than expected:
... in addition to working on transmitters and receivers and sophisticated aerial systems, we were required to service and maintain what were known as the X machines, a German invention used for coding messages before transmission, and these kept us busy. None of us had ever heard of them before, let alone seen one. We were also required to look after various machines used for speeding up dramatically the transmission of Morse code by the use of a perforated tape. The electricity emergency power supply was another responsibility.
Nice find Pete. X Machines sound like a bit like Enigma machines and the tape driven morse machines were, effectively for 'burst' transmissions. There would have to have been machines at the receiving end to slow down the high speed transmissions would you think?
ReplyDeleteThe Sanders troll hates being left out, attention seeking once again. He really ought to read the detail regarding dates in the press article links. My take is that he is deliberately misleading people, again.
ReplyDeleteThis post a dual purpose, firstly to point to an excellent article by Helen Fry, a well respected historian on matters pertaining to conflicts and intelligence services. I recommend both Helen and her work to all serious students of the role of intelligence services through the Cold War and since.
ReplyDeleteThe next purpose was to show how interconnected the various organisations that operated in Australia really were and still are in fact. You will have read about the British MI^ man Roy Kendall, his connection to Commander Long, his friendship with close confidants of Blamey and other well known figures. Hopefully that reading led you to the fact that ROy Kendall whilst operating in his MI6 role, reported to only one person Winston Churchill. His activities were not subject to interference by either Australian or American authorities. He operated outside of their realms. This was the environment within which the Somerton Man was to meet his demise. My position has been made clear numerous times, the SOmerton Man was involved in espionage and he was carrying codes when found. The torn slip and then later the Code page which continues to unravel with more code found within the last week.
AN UPDATE:
I can tell you that a name has been found within the code on the torn slip, it was encrypted but the cipher was found which in turn means that I have managed to find and crack the TAMAM SHUD code. The information has been passed on to SAPOL as per their earlier request and arrangements.
Finally, the information in the comments on the Northern Star came from a close relative of Mr. Paterson, the owner of the Northern Star as featured in this post, that person is a keen follower of this blog and a personal friend.
"I can tell you that a name has been found within the code on the torn slip"
ReplyDeleteLaws of probability are if you shuffle enough data
you can make anything seem to fit and it is irrelevant
What language was the name found in please.
ReplyDeleteAll I can tell you for now is that it wasn't in English.
ReplyDeleteIs the name going to be released publicly?
DeleteThanks for your comment, the short answer is yes but not sure just when. I can add that the language/name is NOT European.
Delete