"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Thinking on Thursday

I don't know honestly if you will like this or not.  But I thought -
This is a neat piece of trivia.
 
and that I would share it with you.

(You'll never look at the game the same way again!) Starting in 1941, an increasing number of British Airmen found themselves as the involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the Crown was casting about for ways and means to facilitate their escape...

Now obviously, one of the most helpful aids to that end is a useful and accurate map, one showing not only where stuff was, but also showing the locations of 'safe houses' where a POW on-the-lam could go for food and shelter.

Paper maps had some real drawbacks -- they make a lot of noise when you open
 and fold them, they wear out rapidly, and if they get wet, they turn into mush.
Someone in MI-5 (similar to America 's OSS ) got the idea of printing escape
 maps on silk It's durable, can be scrunched-up into tiny wads, and unfolded as many times as needed, and makes no noise whatsoever.

At that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that had perfected the technology of printing on silk, and that was John Waddington, Ltd. When approached by the government, the firm was only too happy to do its bit for the war effort.

By pure coincidence, Waddington was also the U.K. Licensee for the popular
 American board game, Monopoly. As it happened, 'games and pastimes' was a category of item qualified for insertion into 'CARE packages', dispatched by the International Red Cross to prisoners of war.

Under the strictest of secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible old workshop on the grounds of Waddington's, a group of sworn-to-secrecy employees began mass-producing escape maps, keyed to each region of Germany or Italy where Allied POW camps were located ). When processed, these maps could be folded into such tiny dots that they would actually fit inside a Monopoly playing piece.

As long as they were at it, the clever workmen at Waddington's also managed to
 add:
1. A playing token, containing a small magnetic compass
2. A two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together
3. Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German, Italian, and French
 currency, hidden within the piles of Monopoly money!

British and American air crews were advised, before taking off on their first
 mission, how to identify a 'rigged' Monopoly set -- by means of a tiny red dot, one cleverly rigged to look like an ordinary printing glitch, located in the corner of the Free Parking square.

Of the estimated 35,000 Allied POWS who successfully escaped, an estimated
 one-third were aided in their flight by the rigged Monopoly sets.. Everyone who did so was sworn to secrecy indefinitely, since the British Government might want to use this highly successful ruse in still another, future war.

The story wasn't declassified until 2007, when the surviving craftsmen from Waddington's, as
 well as the firm itself, were finally honored in a public ceremony.
It's always nice when you can play that 'Get Out of Jail' Free' card!


THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:






Photobucket
  And yes, by the way,  this does look just like me. 
x_31c37fa

47 comments:

Shelly said...

Now that is wonderful and ingenious!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I'd never heard that piece of info on the Monopoly game. It's wonderful that so many ware aided by that. I'm amazed! Hope your Thursday is a great one!

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

I'd never heard that before ... fascinating information.

I love that thought for the day, too.

Arkansas Patti said...

Can you imagine what one of those sets would be worth today as collector's items? I may look more closely in yard sales.
How true about our thoughts.

Jill said...

That is so interesting! People are brilliant, aren't they? Thanks so much for sharing this, Sandie.

Jocelyn said...

LOVE the thought of the day. That is so my story! Mind if I share that one day on my blog?

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I recognized you right away...throwing kisses! And your thought for the day is on my desktop now! Perfect!

Betty said...

That's a great piece of trivia. Pretty smart.

Beth said...

Very interesting bit of trivia which I had never heard before.

I knew right away that was you tossing kisses. When did you become a red head? ;-)

Sr. Ann Marie said...

Wow! What a wonderful bit of history. You're right, I will look at Monopoly differently now!

Cheri said...

I really enjoyed reading this...how interesting and smart.

Lois Christensen said...

Well that is something to think about! Hope you're having a great Thursday!

Jeanie said...

The Monoply story is so interesting....something I had never heard.

Unknown said...

very interesting just hope i understood it right

Jewel said...

Wonderful piece of Monopoly trivia! I love info like this! Thanks so much for sharing! Love all of your dancing ladies! Love your blog design and all of the little touches!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Well, how clever! And yes- you do favor the redhead! :)

andy said...

Great history lesson! Hope you have a great day

Mary said...

That is so great to learn about Monopoly games of old. They were inspired. Happy day. Mary

jack69 said...

I just love ingenuity, and the ways it has improved the lot of folks. I remember when this story broke, what an amazing item.
We are Still in the Forest, big night tonight here. something special I will blog about.
Take care and try to be good!! LOL

Unknown said...

Great quote today :-)
Great story about Monopoly!
Have a great day my friend.

Eva

TexWisGirl said...

the monopoly story is so cool!

BelovedBomber said...

Awesome story! I am going to share with the kids! Thanks!

Lynn said...

That is so interesting about how the game Monopoly was used.

Ann said...

well isn't that interesting and clever too.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Very interesting story. Thank you.
We have some silk maps that were my FIL's when he was in the service.

Unknown said...

What an interesting story! I am so amazed! Thanks for sharing!

Stacy said...

That's awesome! Sounds like an episode of Hogan's Heroes.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

I'd never heard this story before about the Monoply game. What a wonderful story!!

Marie said...

Wonderful story! I really like your thought for the day!
You are gorgeous!!!

Dee said...

I will have to watch for one of those old monopoly sets on the TV show Antique Roadshow..$$$$$$ :)

Sally said...

I really love the thought! :)

Rob-bear said...

A for-real "Get Out of Jail Free" card. Who would have thought? Not the Germans, obviously. Great historic note. Thanks.

And while I understand and appreciate your "thought for the day," there are a lot of us whose pain is not just in our thoughts.

betty said...

I had not heard this before Sandie; so very smart of them to devise such a thing! Very clever indeed!

betty

Sally Wessely said...

I have never heard this story. I loved reading it. Thanks for sharing. Wow.

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

What a great idea and printing on silk, someone was very clever.. I can see that silk all squished up in someones pocket..AMAZING!!
I think that a great trick on the Germans..LOL
Imagine, and using monopoly sets.. So glad many escaped.
Great thought for the day..much is all in the mind.

Dolores said...

An interesting piece of information, and especially since it started in 1941... the year I was born...
Hugs,

Grandma Bonnie said...

Very fascinating infromation. I had never heard that about the monopoly.
Hope you have a great evening.

Shug said...

History info that I have never heard of...thanks for sharing!!
BTW...you look fabulous!!
hugs

Grammy Goodwill said...

What a great story. I've never heard that.

Susan said...

Hi Sandie....I never knew any of that about the Monopoly Game. How clever! I know I always enjoyed playing that game when I was a kid.

Hope your day was terrific. Susan

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Happy Thursday!
love
tweedles

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Interesting about Monopoly....

Here's some trivia for you about Monopoly... My older brother was the first person in our hometown to get the game, Monopoly, when it first came out --in about 1935 or so... All of the local kids would go to our home (I wasn't born yet) and they'd play Monopoly for hours and hours....

How's that???
Hugs,
Betsy

Kim said...

Neat story. And a great piece of trivia on an iconic game.

Debbie said...

I had never heard this story before, Sandie. I never liked that game growing up because I'm lousy at it. I will never look at it the same again. What a great story!

Mevely317 said...

That is AWESOME!!!

Suzan said...

We use to always play Monopoly on rainy days. I miss my girls, especially when it's raining and I can't play card games and Monopoly :-{{

SquirrelQueen said...

That is an amazing story. I knew about the silk maps but I had never heard about the Monopoly games.