MI5 had believed was a code, may have been references to this device, perhaps used to test whether the transmitter due to be sent to Owens would be powerful enough to exchange messages with Germany.
When questioned by the police, the Scot who owned Parklands revealed that he was also in the battery business, and that he had joined Owens on his trip to Germany in the hope of making some useful business connections. He said he had buried the parcel given to him by Lily because he thought he was doing a good turn for his friend Owens, who was undergoing some domestic trouble with his wife. When the parcel was unearthed it was found to contain the missing transmitter, and both Lily and her companion were escorted to Kingston for further questioning at the police station.
Under interrogation facts about Lily poured forth. She was a 27-year-old dressmaker, born to a German mother in West Ham. Introduced to Owens as ‘Uncle Arthur’ by a mutual friend, they had known each other for only a few months before Owens whisked her off on holiday to Germany. During the trip she and Owens had lived together, and while they were in Hamburg they met several people who had been introduced to them as ‘doctors’. Then they had travelled to Berlin where in a beer-garden she had met a man known as ‘the Doctor’. Lily insisted that throughout the time she had known Owens she had no idea that he had engaged in any business other than that of the Expanded Metal Company.
During an interview conducted by Robertson in Wandsworth prison, Owens explained that he could get another transmitter and receiver if he wanted. He disclosed that four o’clock in the morning was the time that Germany would contact him on the 60 metre wavelength, but that if necessary he could reach them at any time of the day or night. Soon afterwards Robertson returned to Owens’ cell, accompanied by a radio expert, Colonel J. F. Yule, who asked him to make radio contact with – following the declaration of hostilities – now officially the enemy.
The decision to establish a radio link between the prison and Germany was truly momentous, for this represented the very first wireless contact of the war with the enemy. At the time MI5 had been preoccupied by the possibility of a hitherto unknown network of German spies operating inBritain, and Owens offered the opportunity to be in direct touch with the Abwehr. If Owens could be manipulated successfully, there was a chance of learning more about the enemy’s other networks, but his first attempt to send a signal failed when, as he examined the apparatus to make sure that it was properly set up, he pushed a switch at the base of the set which caused a fuse to blow. The transmitter was then removed for repair, and at six o’clock the next morning, on Saturday 9 September 1939, Owens keyed in his first message: ALL READY. HAVE REPAIRED RADIO. SEND INSTRUCTIONS . NOW AWAITING REPLY.
MI5 monitored the signal strength, which was found to be poor, and no reply was picked up, so a further attempt was made at four o’clock when Owens had claimed that Germany would be listening for him. The second effort was again monitored and was found to have been jammed by a powerful , unidentified station. Once again, no reply was received.
This failure prompted a late-night visit from MI5 officers who tried to persuade Owens that it was in his best interests to get in touch with Germany . They gained the impression that Owens had done all he could to make contact, but they were unsure whether he was still withholding some vital information. In casual conversation, while his guard was down, Owens revealed that he did not anticipate any air-raids because the Germans were expecting weather reports from him. He also let slip that if he was unable to make wireless contact, his instructions were to write to a pre-arranged address on the continent with a message that was to read ‘the salesman will arrive (day) at (time).’ The address was Dr
When questioned by the police, the Scot who owned Parklands revealed that he was also in the battery business, and that he had joined Owens on his trip to Germany in the hope of making some useful business connections. He said he had buried the parcel given to him by Lily because he thought he was doing a good turn for his friend Owens, who was undergoing some domestic trouble with his wife. When the parcel was unearthed it was found to contain the missing transmitter, and both Lily and her companion were escorted to Kingston for further questioning at the police station.
Under interrogation facts about Lily poured forth. She was a 27-year-old dressmaker, born to a German mother in West Ham. Introduced to Owens as ‘Uncle Arthur’ by a mutual friend, they had known each other for only a few months before Owens whisked her off on holiday to Germany. During the trip she and Owens had lived together, and while they were in Hamburg they met several people who had been introduced to them as ‘doctors’. Then they had travelled to Berlin where in a beer-garden she had met a man known as ‘the Doctor’. Lily insisted that throughout the time she had known Owens she had no idea that he had engaged in any business other than that of the Expanded Metal Company.
During an interview conducted by Robertson in Wandsworth prison, Owens explained that he could get another transmitter and receiver if he wanted. He disclosed that four o’clock in the morning was the time that Germany would contact him on the 60 metre wavelength, but that if necessary he could reach them at any time of the day or night. Soon afterwards Robertson returned to Owens’ cell, accompanied by a radio expert, Colonel J. F. Yule, who asked him to make radio contact with – following the declaration of hostilities – now officially the enemy.
The decision to establish a radio link between the prison and Germany was truly momentous, for this represented the very first wireless contact of the war with the enemy. At the time MI5 had been preoccupied by the possibility of a hitherto unknown network of German spies operating inBritain, and Owens offered the opportunity to be in direct touch with the Abwehr. If Owens could be manipulated successfully, there was a chance of learning more about the enemy’s other networks, but his first attempt to send a signal failed when, as he examined the apparatus to make sure that it was properly set up, he pushed a switch at the base of the set which caused a fuse to blow. The transmitter was then removed for repair, and at six o’clock the next morning, on Saturday 9 September 1939, Owens keyed in his first message: ALL READY. HAVE REPAIRED RADIO. SEND INSTRUCTIONS . NOW AWAITING REPLY.
MI5 monitored the signal strength, which was found to be poor, and no reply was picked up, so a further attempt was made at four o’clock when Owens had claimed that Germany would be listening for him. The second effort was again monitored and was found to have been jammed by a powerful , unidentified station. Once again, no reply was received.
This failure prompted a late-night visit from MI5 officers who tried to persuade Owens that it was in his best interests to get in touch with Germany . They gained the impression that Owens had done all he could to make contact, but they were unsure whether he was still withholding some vital information. In casual conversation, while his guard was down, Owens revealed that he did not anticipate any air-raids because the Germans were expecting weather reports from him. He also let slip that if he was unable to make wireless contact, his instructions were to write to a pre-arranged address on the continent with a message that was to read ‘the salesman will arrive (day) at (time).’ The address was Dr
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