WW1 Airman

[healdav]

I am looking for any information available on Walter Dicketts. My info has him as having been in the Air Intelligence in WW1. In WW2 ha was a double agent code name CELERY, working for the British.

 

According to the references he was a Luxembourger. How he got to Britain in or before WW1 is a mystery, as is how, as non-British he would have been accepted into Intelligence.

Funny thing is that there is no trace of the family name Dicketts in the Luxembourg birth registers, nor is there a mention in the WW1 pension records for airmen of a Walter. I'm not a member of any genealogy site in Britain, but from what I can see on-line there is no mention of him either.

 

Has anyone come across this name or can suggest where else to try?

[chaz]

FMP has this man in RAF records,

First name(s)	Walter Arthur Charles
Last name	Dicketts
Birth year	1896
Birth date	31 Mar 1896
Country	United Kingdom
Record set	British Royal Air Force, Officers' Service Records 1912-1920
Category	Military, armed forces & conflict
Subcategory	Service Records
Collections from	Great Britain       with three forenames and an officer maybe this is him?

[chaz]

having looked at his service record on fmp, he was a naughty boy, maybe a good reason for double agenting, he would be used to back handers and dealing with people.

but then, I surmise. maybe not him after all??

[healdav]

I would think that that would be him.

Can you send details or précis of his service record?

 

[Flakdodger]

Well well, Agent Celery, who was a slippery double agent run with the similarly slippery Arthur Owens [Agent SNOW]. What a headache that must have been for all concerned. There ought to be records at The National Archives in series KV 2 [which could be downloaded for a fee]. I agree with Chaz - an interesting service record. Dodgy, dodgy, dodgy.

Edited 15 June , 2016 by Flakdodger
omitted a closing bracket

[MickLeeds]

Are you sure Walter Arthur Charles Dicketts is the right man ?

 

There is another record for a W H Dicketts. No full name given, dob, place of birth etc or any personal information at all on the record.

 

The only information given is "Se Area No 4 Group, 25/05/18. On appt Lt ad 30/04/18. On reclassification from a+s to ad for duty as Naval Base Intelligence Officer."

 

Mick.

[healdav]

The sources I have all say that he was in RAF intelligence.

 

Pity no personal info given. The sources say he was a Luxembourger and the Luxembourg records say no such surname.

 

The names Walter Arthur and Charles together make him sound British, although Charles is quite often found in Luxembourg, in two or three guises, the others aren't.

Perhaps his father moved to Britain before his birth and he took his mother's name. Bizarre, bizarre.

Maybe father was an economic migrant?

[chaz]

inbox full, can you pm email addy...

[healdav]

When I try to PM it comes up that you can't receive them.

 

To ... with it. My email is: healdav@vol.lu

 

Many thanks for any info.

 

By the way, I used to know Melksham very well indeed, even back in the days when it was really a village. First of all my family had friends who lived their - Hicks, and then I later lived in Corsham, and after that Winsley. A good friend used to work at Avon so I went there a lot.

 

[chaz]

Hi

email sent with details.

Melksham has grown up and is still growing (1000+) houses going up this year. the old George Ward school has been relocated and the old site levelled for more houses.

round the back on the Bromham side there are new estates.

I work in Leafield Industrial Estate at Corsham, Living in Melksham and previously in Chippenham. Corsh.am has also grown on the Leafield side

The Avon is still known locally but is now called Cooper Avon , as its part of the Cooper tyres from America group.

hope the files are of interest

charlie

[healdav]

Ahh, Leafield. I expect the factory making sonar has gone.

I did live in Chippenham for a few months when I first went to the area.

[Guest spiesgd]

Hi there. My grandfather is Walter Dicketts (Celery). I have written a book about him which is with a publisher at the moment - no deal to announce as yet, but I will as soon as I know. I've only just started approaching publishers so it may take a little while.
I'm intrigued you refer to him as a Luxembourger as he was born in England.  I am hoping you have some material on him I might have missed.

He was indeed a rather dodgy character but he was also extremely brave, having entered Germany (Hamburg/Berlin) in the middle of the war (1941) posing as a traitor willing to sell out his country for cash. The fact that he survived at all was suspicious and MI5 had an enormous problem ascertaining Snow's true relationship with his contact in the Abwehr (the principal reason Dicketts was sent there in the first place). In the end his story was believed and Snow was imprisoned for the remainder of the war and Celery continued to spy for MI5. There's a whole lot more to his story - but you'll have to read the book!!

[chaz]

Dave and Spies,

for info thougth you might be interested!!

 

http://www.britishmedalforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=385&t=116541