Author: Paterson, Sarah

Second World War

Published on 28 September 2023 by Imperial War Museum in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 104 pages, 11 illustrations
217 x 279 x 15 | 732g

When Allied troops fell into enemy hands, one secret and ingenious branch of military intelligence was tasked with their rescue. M.I.9 created and supported a network of escape and evasion lines across war-torn Europe to ensure the safe return of Allied fighters. These escape lines were essential in the Total War against Nazi Germany. Every individual was vital to the fight, and failure wasn't an option.

Published for the first time since its creation in 1942, this 'most secret' facsimile reveals the many marvellous escape aids created by M.I.9 to help Allied personnel both evade capture and escape from prisoner of war camps. From silk maps designed for concealment in garments to tiny radio receivers hidden in cigar boxes, these gadgets and inventions were the brainchild of Christopher Clayton Hutton – the eccentric M.I.9 inventor who inspired many of Q's creations in James Bond. Most Secret offers a rare look at the most highly classified and clandestine tools of British intelligence.

An accompanying introduction uncovers the history of this secret volume and traces the origin and use of escape aids from theiremergence in the First World War to their development and wider use in the Second World War.