COMMANDO PLAN

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 13772, 15 October 1942, Page 2

COMMANDO PLAN

BOYS’ ENTERPRISE

Wrote to Lord Louis

Mountbatten

Persistence Rewarded

Otford. Kent

Young Guy Wilkin. 13-year-old schoolboy, told me, in his village home here, how with another embryo military expert. 14-years-old David Griffiths, of Rochester, he

“wangled”, his way past a sentry into the Admiralty, writes an “Overseas Daily Mail” reporter.

There they were put before a high official the combined “plan of operations,” complete with maps and plans, which they had drawn up at school, “to help the Commandos.” “After waiting three weeks we got fed up,” said Guy —they wrote to Lord Louis Mountbatten and succeeded in meeting a brigadier, two colonels, and four majors in a Whitehall office.

“Our plan was discussed with us for more than an hour,” Guy said. “Officers made criticisms and suggestions on the plan, most of which we had typed—until the typewriter gave out. They didn’t give away ■what they thought of its possibilities.”

The plan was worked out during term-time and holidays by three boys at the same school, the third partner being John Cooper. Guy said modestly: “Of course, I made suggestions, but the idea really belongs to David Griffiths, who is a genius, and who took Middle School mathematics prize this year. “We got busy on our plan after reading about the Commando raids. We had to persevere to get any attention and we’ve used our pocket money on previous trips to the city. We’ve made lots of phone calls, too. “It was no trouble finding the Admiralty. David knows his way about, and I just went along. “We told the sentry at the Admiralty that we had brought some plans along, and though he said we’d better go to another office, we insisted on seeing an expert in the plans department. “A colonel of the Marines saw us. He didn’t laugh when we told him of our plan. He was quite serious. “Well, after that nothing happened. So after we’d worked the plan out in more detail we wrote to Lord Louis Mountbatten. We had a telegram fixing an appointment. “They were waiting for us, and as soon as we arrived we were ushered in. The officers treated us like gentlemen—though they didn’t offer us any drinks.” The boys have kept the secret of their idea so closely that even their parents do not know what it is. All three are clever at mathematics.

They spent hours of research in the school library, bought and borrowed mathematical text-books and maps, and built up their commando plan with scientific thoroughness since they started work six months ago.