AN ANNUAL TREAT
By Paul Williams
It’s 1941 and military intelligence chiefs tasked with helping prisoners of war to escape are searching desperately for new ideas.
Within the camps themselves, the POWs are continually looking for ways to relieve the monotony, and as a result board games have become very popular, with the inclusion of these items in Red Cross parcels being actively encouraged by German commanders as an effective way of keeping the peace. However, boredom and the incarcerated male rarely make good bedfellows and thoughts inevitably turned to escape. These plots were difficult enough, but without a map they were considered nigh on impossible.
A bright spark within military intelligence recognised that board games were being given “safe passage” and resolved to take advantage of the fact, coming up
Ever been to an exhibition and not been able to see a thing? Crowds thronging paintings with elbows out, showy know-it-alls and impatient tut-tutters can spoil the appreciation of even the finest work.
But now there really is no better time to see art, say gallery owners, with an escape plan of his own.
A meeting was arranged with bosses from Leeds-based printers John Waddington Ltd, licenced to manufacture the popular board game Monopoly in the UK. The spooks suggested the idea of producing a hand-made limited edition of the game to be sent into POW camps via Red Cross parcels. The aim of this special edition would be to help potential escapees.
Due to its sensitive nature, the whole manufacturing process had to take place under the tightest security, with specifically chosen craftsmen working in a secure location slowly and carefully modifying the contents of the game. The cardboard lid, for example, was split into two sections, and a paper map was hidden between the layers. This paper effort proved too flimsy in wet conditions, however, and a silk version was later produced.
Additional icons were also added to the usual pieces, including a compass and a small metal file,
given reopened spaces will have fewer people in them owing to social-distancing measures.
Neil Wenman, a partner at
Hauser & Wirth, which will allow only 15 people at a time to view its conceptual art, told
The Telegraph: “It’s a special time to come. The experience will be even more intimate, and they can really sit and look at the art . . . with much more sense of being one on one with the artwork.”
We’re sold!
Diary pages are back this issue after a necessary hiatus in summer, packed with the very best events (both real life and online). Turn to page 84. while the Monopoly banknotes proved useful in concealing real Italian, German and French currency.
Waddington’s already had established links with the International Red Cross, which meant the specially adapted games could be delivered to specific camps. Detailed maps were drawn up relating to each area, and allied soldiers and airmen were briefed about their existence, with instructions to look out for the limited-edition games should they be taken prisoner.
Whether anybody managed to escape using one of the games we might never really know, but it was an ingenious ruse nevertheless, and no doubt gave the POWs something to talk about in the wee small hours.
As well as our usual magazines, we at This England have been working on our first hard-cover annual and we’re very proud of the result. We think it makes a great gift for your anglophile friends. See page 92 for details of how to order one.