Christopher Hutton
Encyclopedia
Christopher William Clayton Hutton (1893 – 1965), called 'Clutty' and also known as Christopher Clayton-Hutton, was an intelligence officer who worked for MI9
, a subsection of British Military Intelligence
. In the Second World War, he was hired by the War Office to create escape and evasion gear for British servicemen and to design the methods by which escape kits could be sent to prisoner of war camps.
It is estimated that up to 35,000 British and other Allied
troops who managed to escape and make their way back to Allied territory did so with Hutton's maps and other equipment.
and was described as a forceful character who worked ceaselessly to overcome both technical and bureaucratic obstacles when inspired by an idea.
. When equipment was issued in advance as a contingency plan it was referred to as Pre-Capture and hidden in the uniform. Post-capture aids were designed for use by captured POWs. In 1942, Hutton, as Clayton-Hutton, published a top secret booklet called Per Ardua Libertas. This contained examples of each escape and evasion map produced up to that time, and was used by American Intelligence officers researching the topic.
Once he had the cartographic source, he needed a medium onto which he could print the map. This medium needed to be quiet to unfold, would not disintegrate when wet, maintained its integrity when folded at the crease line and could be concealed in very small places.
He first attempted to print on a silk square adding pectin
to the ink so that it would not run or wash out when put in water. He went on to print escape maps on silk, man-made fibre and tissue paper. The tissue-paper map was made from mulberry
leaves and had the texture of onion skin but with extreme durability. It could be balled, put in water and soaked, and then flattened without crease, fading or disintegration. It could be folded up in such a way that it would occupy a very small space, such as inside a chess piece or a record. Most maps were printed double-sided to increase their usefulness.
Maps, along with other escape equipment, were carried by aircrew. By the end of the war, over 400,000 escape maps had been printed.
clothing.
Hutton was also responsible for the delivery of escape kits to POWs. The Geneva Convention allowed prisoners to receive parcels from families and relief organisations. These were dispatched through a number of fictitious charitable organisations, created to send parcels of games, warm clothing and other small comforts to the prisoners. One of the major problems of captivity was boredom, and games and entertainments were permitted, as the guards recognised that if the prisoners were allowed some diversions, they would be less troublesome. Games manufacturer Waddingtons
helped by supplying editions of its Monopoly board game, and other games. Snakes and ladders
, table tennis, chess
sets and playing cards were used to smuggle in escape kits with hidden maps and other equipment.
Red Cross parcel
s were not used because of concerns the Germans would stop these reaching the prisoners if they discovered items hidden in them. The escape kits are credited with helping 316 escape attempts from Colditz Castle
, which saw 32 men make it back home.
MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
, a subsection of British Military Intelligence
Directorate of Military Intelligence
The Directorate of Military Intelligence was a department of the British War Office.Over its lifetime the Directorate underwent a number of organisational changes, absorbing and shedding sections over time.- History :...
. In the Second World War, he was hired by the War Office to create escape and evasion gear for British servicemen and to design the methods by which escape kits could be sent to prisoner of war camps.
It is estimated that up to 35,000 British and other Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
troops who managed to escape and make their way back to Allied territory did so with Hutton's maps and other equipment.
First World War
Hutton served as a pilot in the First World Warand was described as a forceful character who worked ceaselessly to overcome both technical and bureaucratic obstacles when inspired by an idea.
Escape and evasion equipment
Hutton was interested in magicians and escapologists and was responsible for the design of escape and evasion equipment for British troops, as well as items for use by the French ResistanceFrench Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
. When equipment was issued in advance as a contingency plan it was referred to as Pre-Capture and hidden in the uniform. Post-capture aids were designed for use by captured POWs. In 1942, Hutton, as Clayton-Hutton, published a top secret booklet called Per Ardua Libertas. This contained examples of each escape and evasion map produced up to that time, and was used by American Intelligence officers researching the topic.
Cloth maps
The invention of the cloth map is credited to Hutton, who considered maps to be ‘the escaper’s most important accessory’. The idea was that a serviceman captured or shot down behind enemy lines should have a map to help him find his way to safety if he evaded capture or subsequently escaped from detention. He met the mapmakers John Bartholomew and Son Ltd. in 1940, and Bartholomew supplied maps of Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland and the Balkans, waiving all copyrights to the map data in support of the war effort.Once he had the cartographic source, he needed a medium onto which he could print the map. This medium needed to be quiet to unfold, would not disintegrate when wet, maintained its integrity when folded at the crease line and could be concealed in very small places.
He first attempted to print on a silk square adding pectin
Pectin
Pectin is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants. It was first isolated and described in 1825 by Henri Braconnot...
to the ink so that it would not run or wash out when put in water. He went on to print escape maps on silk, man-made fibre and tissue paper. The tissue-paper map was made from mulberry
Mulberry
Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....
leaves and had the texture of onion skin but with extreme durability. It could be balled, put in water and soaked, and then flattened without crease, fading or disintegration. It could be folded up in such a way that it would occupy a very small space, such as inside a chess piece or a record. Most maps were printed double-sided to increase their usefulness.
Maps, along with other escape equipment, were carried by aircrew. By the end of the war, over 400,000 escape maps had been printed.
Compasses
Hutton approached the instrument makers Blunt Brothers, who came up with a number of tiny compasses so small, they could be secreted in the back of a button. Aircrew uniforms contained one unscrewable button with a compass inside. These buttons had reversed screw threads so that when prison guards tried to unscrew the buttons they tightened them instead. When these were discovered, other versions were invented, including a magnetised razor blade on which the G of ‘Gillette’ always pointed north when the blade was hung on a thread. From that point on, all razor blades were magnetised.Uniforms and clothing
Blankets were sent with clothes patterns drawn in invisible ink. These would become clear when soaked in water, enabling escapees to stitch them together to make civilian clothing, once they had escaped. Uniforms were intended to be converted easily to look like civilianCivilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
clothing.
Flying boots
Hutton designed flying boots with hollow heels to hide maps and escape equipment. Flying boots were designed to be converted easily to look like civilian shoes. They consisted of wool-lined shoes onto which were stitched zip-up leggings. A knife was provided in one leg to cut away the leggings and the top sections could be put together to form a waistcoat.Escape kits
Hutton designed escape kits in a small cigarette tin designed to carry small supply of condensed food and foreign currency. The tin also contained razor blades, water-purifying tablets and a rubber water bottle. By 1941, all British aircrew carried these.Delivery of escape equipment
Waddingtons
Waddingtons was a publisher of card and board games in the United Kingdom. The company was founded by John Waddington of Leeds, England and Wilson Barratt, under the name Waddingtons Limited...
helped by supplying editions of its Monopoly board game, and other games. Snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders
Snakes and Ladders is an ancient Indian board game regarded today as a worldwide classic. It is played between two or more players on a game board having numbered, gridded squares. A number of "ladders" and "snakes" are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares...
, table tennis, chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
sets and playing cards were used to smuggle in escape kits with hidden maps and other equipment.
Red Cross parcel
Red Cross parcel
Red Cross parcel usually refers to packages containing mostly food, tobacco and personal hygiene items sent by the International Association of the Red Cross to prisoners of war during the First and Second World Wars, as well as at other times. It can also refer to medical parcels and so-called...
s were not used because of concerns the Germans would stop these reaching the prisoners if they discovered items hidden in them. The escape kits are credited with helping 316 escape attempts from Colditz Castle
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
, which saw 32 men make it back home.