Strange Intelligence: Memoirs of Naval Secret Service

by Hector & Ferraby Bywater

Hector C. Bywater was perhaps the British secret service’s finest agent operating in Germany before the First World War, tasked with collecting intelligence on naval installations. Recruited by Mansfield Cumming, the first ‘C’ (or head of what would become MI6), Bywater was given the designation ‘H2O’ in what was a rather obvious play on his name – and the equivalent of James Bond’s ‘007’. Indeed, the charming, courageous Bywater probably came as close to the popular image of Ian Fleming’s most famous character as any British secret agent ever did. Originally written up in 1930 as a series of thrilling articles in the Daily Telegraph, his experiences were soon turned into a book, with the help of Daily Express journalist H. C. Ferraby, collating Bywater’s espionage endeavours in one rollicking tale of secret service adventure. Although the identities of the British spies carrying out the missions in Strange Intelligence are disguised, we now know that most of them were in fact Bywater himself. Ahead of a war that was to put the British Navy to its sternest test since Trafalgar, Bywater reveals how he and his fellow agents deceived the enemy to gather vital intelligence on German naval capabilities. His account is a true classic of espionage and derring-do.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1934

Reviews

[Derek Nudd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this book need to be treated with a degree of caution. Bywater was careful to avoid compromising secrets (unlike some other authors) but eager to promote the value of 'professional' agents as opposed to eager bodgers. To read his account the Admiralty knew everything worthwhile about German naval technology and intentions by about 1912, and any lack of readiness was purely down to the use they made of the information.
With that one caveat the book is an interesting and entertaining read. It gives insights into pre-WW1 tradecraft and the sheer brass neck needed to operate in an increasingly hostile environment. In some ways it is even more interesting when Bywater covers topics where he has no personal engagement. He adds useful commentary on the trial of Brandon and Trench after they were caught snooping on Borkum in 1910 (they were less amateurish than he gives them credit for). He adds material on the interrogation of U-boat skipper Freiherr Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim (weird name, devious so-and-so) and describes the painstaking work of the cryptographers.
So yes, a quickish read that exceeded my expectations.