Royal Marine Spies of World War One Era by Lieut Col D F Bittner USMCR & Capt J M Coleby RM

Royal Marine Spies of World War One Era by Lieut Col D F Bittner USMCR & Capt J M Coleby RM

In the period before and during the First World War, spying was a much more gentlemanly pursuit than it is today. This is the theme which runs through two very different stories of early espionage.

A chance look at an entry on Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Trench's record of service which read "Sentenced to four years detention in a fortress in Germany for espionage" led Lt Col Donald Bittner, a noted United States Marine Corps historian to follow this simple statement up.

The book and film 'Whisky Galore' made Compton MacKenzie a household name, but few knew that he had been commissioed into the Royal Marines in 1915, and subsequently set up a spy network in the Aegean area of the Mediterranean. This account is by Captain John Coleby, Royal Marines, and he describes it as a light hearted look at an unusual character.

Both are stories with some old fashioned romance and a certain air of 'amateurishness, officer-like and gentlemanly-like conduct' about them.

Royal Marines Historical Society Special Publication No. 15.