We Were Astonished He Was a Traitor: How a Teacher and His Crossword Puzzles Almost Doomed D-Day Before it Started
Fifty-four year old Leonard Dawe has worked for the Daily Telegraph of London as a crossword puzzle compiler for nearly twenty years. In that time, by June of 1944, he had created over 5000 crossword puzzles. Earlier, as a young man he served with distinction in the British Army during the First World War and also represented Great Britain as a footballer during the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm Sweden. Up until that point, no one dared question Leonard Dawe’s patriotism or loyalty to Great Britain. He also worked as a Science teacher at the prestigious Strand School, a grammar school for boys, in south London a position that he has held since 1926. But by early June of 1944, unassuming crossword puzzle compiler and school teacher Leonard Dawe, is a person of interest to Mi5, the British Intelligence Agency tasked with protecting the homefront from enemy espionage and fifth column activities. Dawe in 1913 Only days before the ...