"When a man arrived at the Rue Forbin he was thoroughly interrogated. I took his name, the next-of-kin, his regiment and his home address. I entered these details in a ledger, and when times became very perilous I placed this book in the hands of a heroic French friend, Henri Thebault, who guarded it carefully. Today it is one of the most precious possessions in my manse.

      "After entering the information in the register I questioned the new arrival, gleaning as much information as I could about the activities and movements of the enemy in German-occupied France. All this material was passed on to my frequent nocturnal callers from the Secret Service. The men's names were sent through Lisbon to the U.K. In that first year I despatched some hundreds of pounds worth of telegrams to Britain by way of the Church of Scotland offices at 121, George Street, Edinburgh.

      "It was expensive work and involved much bribery as each telegram had to be visaed by the police and further difficulties were encountered among postal authorities which only 'palm oil' solved. That was the only distasteful part of the task I grew to love. I justified it by the thought of the untold comfort and relief each message brought to distressed folk at home who had been without news of their men since the fall of France.