Inside  Camp-X TM

Now a international Bestseller!!!
www.camp-x.com


Chapter I

The Start Up
by Lynn Philip Hodgson

  Lieutenant Colonel  A. T. Roper-Caldbeck, immaculately dressed in his British uniform, opened the front door of the old farm house and stepped out into the cold winter's day. It had snowed the previous night. The  bright sunlight reflected off  the snow and the deep blue lake.

  As he looked around, he could see the newly erected asbestos shingled huts, the sloping farm land and the beauty of Lake Ontario. He walked down the steps and started along the narrow roads that connected the various buildings. The snow was crisp and crackling under his feet. He walked slowly past an ominous looking building, strange with its very high windows. He knew of course that this was Hydra, the top secret radio transmitting building that would  receive data from all around the world.

Bill Hardcastle takes a break outside Hydra.

 As he turned toward the south, he passed by the agents' barracks, empty now but soon to be filled with Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents in training.  He knew all too well what was in store for the young men who would pass through Camp-X.  After their training in Canada, they would go on to Britain for further training before their personalized missions could take place.  He fully understood that, of the agents who would be trained at Camp-X, many would not return to their homes.  Lieutenant Colonel Roper-Caldbeck continued on his walk.  As he turned another corner he could see the Jeep off in the distance on its winding path traveling the circumference of the camp, constantly on guard.

Lieut. Col. Roper-Caldbeck, the first Commanding Officer of Camp-X, stopped, stared over the rolling fields, picturesque Lake Ontario, the newly erected buildings and thought to himself;

"Everything is ready!"

It is December 6th, 1941!......

Sir William Stephenson

Britain had her back to the wall. The Nazis were about to leap across the channel and strike at the throat of England.

 Lieutenant Colonel Roper-Caldbeck had a very serious task ahead of him as he knew very well that his mission could make the difference in the final results of this war, the war to end all wars!

 Much has been written about the Second World War and of the various intelligence organizations.  Inside Camp-X will primarily concentrate on the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS - British), Special Operations Executive (SOE - British), British Security Co-Ordination (BSC - British/North American), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI - United States), Office of Strategic Services (OSS - United States), Office of War Information (OWI - United States), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP - Canadian).

 Early on in the war, Winston Churchill recognized the importance of a solid intelligence network and the role that it would play in the defeat of the Axis countries. It is with this knowledge  that he would call upon the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and then upon a branch of the SIS, the Special Operations Executive (SOE).

 With this in mind, and recognizing that the Nazi regime had sights on North and South America, he created the British Security Co-Ordination which was charged with protecting the Americas. It was at this point where William Stephenson was introduced to the intelligence community and appointed "Head of the British Security Co-Ordination. (BSC) The BSC and the SOE had a special liaison that worked well and quickly enabled them to link up with the United States, Office of Strategic Services. (OSS)

 General (Sir) Colin Gubbins, the chief of the SOE, charged with the challenge to "set Europe ablaze", said after the war, "Per capita, the secret war was bloodier than the Somme. The only difference was that the cries were muffled and, in many instances, the corpses were never found."

 
 

The history of Camp-X

http://webhome.idirect.com/~lhodgson/historyofcampx.html

 Lieut. Col. A. T. Roper-Caldbeck (in middle with kilt on) and his staff.

Left Side - Top Row         - Sergeant Major, George de Rewelyskow (A most feared silent killer)
Next                                     - Staff Sergeant, Maloney
Next                                     - Sergeant Major, Greene
Next                                     - Sergeant, Harry Court (Explosives expert)
Next                                     - Sergeant, Lettice
Next                                     - Sergeant, Neat

Left Side - Middle Row  - Major, Frederick Stanley Milner (Demolition expert)
Next                                    - Lieut. Col., R. M. Brooker (Major) would succeed Roper-Caldbeck in
                                             1942
Next                                    - Lieut. Col., Roper-Caldbeck, Camp Commandant
Next                                    - Major, Arthur Jackson Bushell a Canadian, was the Adjutant Quartermaster
Next                                    - Major, James (Paddy) Adams, Chief W/T Signals Instructor

Left Side - Bottom Row - Unknown (Can anyone identify him?)
Next                                    - Sergeant (Ginger) Hall

Inside Camp-X TM will describe to you in detail the day to day life at Camp-X  for these very brave and talented men.  The book, has over 100 photos of Camp-X and the related area. When Lynn started researching Camp-X in 1977, he was told by many that no photos exist of this top-secret camp. Now he has over 500 in the Camp-X Museum Archives. Some of these photos are on display at: http://webhome.idirect.com/~lhodgson/camp-xphotos.html
 

Don't forget to click on the chapters within to read an excerpt from Inside Camp-X.
http://webhome.idirect.com/~lhodgson/chapters.htm
I hope you enjoy it!
Lynn  Philip Hodgson
 
 

Tours

Would your organization like to take a tour of Camp-X and the relevant surrounding areas?

We are now available for tour bookings. The tour will start out at 'Intrepid Park', the site of Camp-X where you will visit the Camp-X monument and walk the original grounds of the old Camp.

We will then proceed to the Camp-X Exhibit at the Oshawa Airport where you will see fascinating artifacts from Camp-X.

Then lunch at the prodigious 'Parkwood' home of the late R.S. McLaughlin.  Here, Col. Sam, as he was affectionately called, would entertain the Camp-X commandant and instructors on a Sunday afternoon.

Other sites, such as the Camp-X mural located in downtown Oshawa, can be a stop along the way.

Contact me at the e-mail below.

 
 

American OSS agents training north of Camp X - 1943
Courtesy, Hamish Pelham Burn, Camp-X Explosives Instructor 1943
 

 

 

Lief Bangsboll (third from left) an American OSS secret agent trained at Camp-X

Lief headed up several missions behind enemy lines

 
 

The mouth of Corbett Creek where Mac McDonald cleared the ice jam for Major Bushell. Page 130 1st edition and 249 paperback - 'Inside Camp-X'

1943
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Camp-X from the mouth of Corbett Creek, made famous by my good friend Eric Walters
http://www.interlog.com/~ewalters/
 
 

 
 
 

My daughters Karen (left) and Renee standing on what was left of the original guardhouse - 1977

 
 
 

The only remaining building from
Camp-X

This building can be found at the Whitby (Paw) Humane Society which is located exactly 5 km north of Highway # 2 (Dundas St.) on Thickson Road in the Town of Whitby, Ontario, Canada.

It was donated to the Humane Society by Muriel Sissons, a cat lover, back in the early 1970's.  The town of Whitby offered the buildings to anyone wishing one for $1.00!  The catch was that you would have to move the building immediately from the site of Camp-X.  Muriel paid for the building to be moved to its new home and it was lucky for Canada that she did.  This building, while almost sixty years old, is in remarkable condition.  The interior, in some parts of the building, is exactly as it was when the agents were housed there during their training. 6 x 9 foot cubicles with a single window in each room.  Even the electrical fixtures and wiring is original.

I found this building in 1977 by accident.  A man whom I was interviewing had redecorated his recreation room with material taken from the interior of the Camp-X buildings.  He just happened to mention to me that he thought that one of the buildings had been moved intact.  I started investigating and eventually found the building.  I called my research associate, Alan Longfield, and together we drove to the site; and a remarkable site it was.  As we pulled into the driveway this incredible building was staring us straight in the face.

From exhaustive research using approximately 60 different pictures of the buildings both war time and after, and with the help of many agents trained at Camp-X, we were able to categorically identify this building as the top portion of the western 'H' building. (Of which there were two)  It is in this part of the 'H' building where the hundreds of Camp-X secret agents were housed. In other words, this was known as the 'agents barracks'.  The building housed approximately 12 agents for a period of anywhere between eight to twelve weeks.

Exciting news!

In September of 2001, while at a book signing, we discovered that there are in fact three more buildings from Camp-X standing today. They are the three pieces which make up the eastern 'H' building which housed the Camp officers. The buildings were purchased by a man for $100 each and as he said, "were made from the finest grain of wood."

The reason that it wasn't noticed previously is that unlike the Sissons building which was moved as one piece, these buildings were moved by taking the roof off and taking down the sides in pieces. The buildings were relocated to another town and this summer we will be doing forensic testing in order to determine whether or not these buildings can be returned to the site of Camp-X as part of the Camp-X museum.

Lynn Philip Hodgson
 

3    Coming from Buffalo take the QEW East past Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, stay in the right hand lane, then look for the 427 north, take this highway for about five miles, stay to the right, look for the sign saying 401 East, take this cut off and follow directions in # 2.



Contact: C-X Official Site with your questions!


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