Sussex Daily News
25th October 1914

SPIES AT SHOREHAM CAMP

Spies have been discovered at the Shoreham Camp. One of them had obtained employment on some work there and somehow managed to arouse the attention of a soldier, who, as a result of subsequent investigation, was stated to have discovered on him a sketch of the camp and of the surrounding country. This secured promotion for the watchful soldier. Stripes also fell to the lot of a soldier who brought down a couple of pigeons flying over the camp.

I don't know who the Shoreham spy was. But Britain had actually managed to capture a German spy at this stage of the war - Carl Hans Lody.

But Lody's spying was confined to shipping ports in Scotland, Wales and Liverpool. He was arrested, in October 1914, in London. Lody was executed at the Tower of London, by a squad from 3 Bn Grenadier Guards, on the 6th November 1914.

I never found any follow up story in later months, so the Shoreham spy remains anonymous. Personally I feel sorry for those two pigeons - probably a couple of ours in training, or perhaps belonging to Herbert Jenkins, pigeon fancier of Portslade. Presumably they didn't bother about seagulls, or every day would have been open season

Sue

I doubt there was any confusion. British pigeons were easily recognised in WW1: a monocle in the right eye, roundels on their wings, and the dead giveaway - crows feet.

Weren't pigeons forbidden to fly over England during the War ?


I think I read this somewhere...

Cheers,

Michael