David Strangeways

David Inderwick Strangeways DSO, OBE (26 February 1912 – 1 August 1998) was a Colonel in the British Army who helped organize several military deceptions in World War II, after leaving the army he took holy orders.^[1]

Early life

Strangeways was born in Cambridge, the third son of Dr. T.S.P. Strangeways, who founded Strangeways Research Laboratory. He attended Cambridgeshire High School for Boys and later Trinity College, Cambridge reading History.^[1]

Military career

Strangeways was commissioned into the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1933 and served in the 1st Battalion based at Aldershot then Malta. After the outbreak of World War II he was sent to France where he participated in a rearguard action whilst the British forces tried to reach Dunkirk. Strangeways managed to successfully evacuate part of his battalion on a Thames barge.^[1]

Deception

In 1942 Strangeways' career in Military deception really started. Sent from the War Office in London to Cairo he reported to General Sir Harold Alexander with the plans of deception designed to fool the Axis powers as to the time and place of the Allied invasion of North Africa. The deception relied upon convincing the Axis powers that the massed landing craft were destined not for North Africa but to relieve beleaguered Malta. To bring about this deception Dennis Wheatley based at the London Controlling Section supplied a copy of his latest novel to Strangeways, inside the novel was a letter from Wheatley to an acquaintance in Cairo. The book with letter inside were left at a Cairo hotel for enemy agents to find.^[1]

Strangeways then joined Brigadier Dudley Clarke's A-Force, his job was to use deception to gain a strategic and tactical advantage over the enemy in the Near and Middle East. He achieved this by using radio nets to give out false information to fool the enemy. Decoy tanks and other vehicles were used in order to divert Axis forces away from the areas of Allied attack. Using a combination of bluff, boldness and speed Strangeways was able to seize the German headquarters at Tunis before the routed enemy could destroy their secret documents.^[2]

In 1943 after Montgomery took command of 21st Army Group he requested that Strangeways take charge of R-Force. This was principally a deception force and consisted of armoured vehicles, field engineers and a wireless unit. Strangeways developed Operation Quicksilver a significant part of Operation Fortitude South, the intent was to fool the Germans that the Allied invasion would take place at the Pas-de-Calais.^[2]

Post-war military career

After the Allies victory over Nazi Germany Strangeways was given the role of political adviser to the Allied Commissioners for Westphalia and the Rhine. This role was a combination of intelligence work, administration of German detainees and border control. Following on from two staff appointments in England, Strangeways briefly joined the Green Howards. In 1949 a posting to the British Military Mission in Greece saw him advising the Greek government.

In 1952 Strangeways took command of the 1st Battalion the East Yorkshire Regiment, the regiment was on a three year tour of Malaya and was engaged in fighting the Communist insurgents during the Malayan Emergency.^[1]

Theological career

Strangeways attended Wells Theological College, in 1958 his first appointment was curate of Lee-on-the-Solent. From 1961 to 1965 he was vicar at Symondsbury, Dorset followed by eight years at Bradford on Avon. He served as Chaplain to the British Embassy at Stockholm and in 1977 went on to become Chancellor and Senior Canon of St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Malta.

Canon Strangeways retired in 1981 and returned to England where he continued as a priest in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and Norwich.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Obituary: Canon David Strangeways The Independent
2. ^ ^{a b} Churchill's Wizards:The British Genius For Deception Nicholas Rankin

Persondata
Name	Strangeways, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	26 February 1912
Place of birth
Date of death	1 August 1998
Place of death