No I am not talking about the Australian singer/song writer Billy Fields 1981 top 40 hit or the really bad Ed Sheeran song of the same name.

But rather the fact that during WW2 the tale of the bogus nun captured the popular imagination like no other, and was singled out for special attention in a broadcast by Harold Nicolson, then Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Information. On the subject of the chatterbug (a wartime campaign to stop heedless gossip that might be used by the enemy) he warned:

He will say that his brother in law – chatterbugs always have innumerable brothers in law – was in the train from Derby when a nun entered and started to read a religious book. The book dropped from her lap, and as she stooped to retrieve it she disclosed a manly wrist complete with a tattooed inset of Adolf Hitler.

Suspicious nuns quickly became a popular talking point, a fact reflected in “Mass” (pun intended) Observation reporting. A diary entry on 30 May, 1940 by Naomi Mitchison illustrates the point:

We discussed German agents in disguise. Archie said he had often noticed what big feet nuns had, and probably the half of them were men. The conversation, as Scottish Presbyterian conversations do, then became extremely ribald.

A popular theory was that German Fallschirmjäger were parachuted into Britain disguised as nuns. The theory was also popular in Europe.

A Miss Elsie Seddon, one of six Salvation Army social workers who reached England in the first weeks of the war told of how on one of the many occasions she had to leave her car for shelter in roadside woods from enemy bombers French soldiers pounced upon her. They apparently believed that she was either a parachutist or a spy. When she proved her identity they apologised and explained that only a day or so ago they had found a “sister of mercy” hastily shaving in the same woods. “She” was a German parachutist.

The myth of spies dressed as nuns still exists today as seen in the “Spy Hard” movie above and “Nuns on the Run” below.

The nun myth was extremely popular in Europe but in Britain does not seem to have caught on until the end of May, 1940. On the 24th a Ministry of Information Home Intelligence summary noted the “usual crop of rumours about hairy-handed nuns and parachutists”, together with “a house full of blind refugees which were alleged to be in possession of machine-guns”.

Oh, how do you solve a problem like …………………….Fritz, or Hans, or Heinrich, or Jurgen or Klaus?

The miniatures are great sculpts, except for the facial features which are very poor. Not sure if it was just the mouldings I have or they are like that in general. The other figures in the blister are a lot better. Maybe they just wanted nuns that looked like men – and very ugly deformed men at that.

How do you hold a hand grenade in your hand?

When I’m with him I’m confused

Out of focus and bemused

And I never know exactly where I am!

They will feature in my Weird War and Sea Lion games when I get enough other figures completed to run one! At the moment I have nun(s)!

Whilst the fifth column was indeed in action there has been no real evidence that the nun ruse was ever used. Ugly, hairy nuns, with big feet…………would never happen!

I will have nun of it!

Oops maybe I will have to take that back!

That is unless they bat for the other side!

Prior to the 18th century, the business of medicine was illegitimate. It was not down to an exact science, causing deaths to be equal to lives saved. However, doctors desired to learn more about the human body, and as a result dissections were the main way to gain an understanding, and required a large amount of fresh corpses.

Before the Anatomy Act of 1832, the only legal supply of corpses for anatomical purposes in the UK were those condemned to death and dissection by the courts. Those who were sentenced to dissection by the courts were often guilty of capital crimes, such as murder, burglary, rape, and arson. However, in 1832, Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the Anatomy Act of 1832, which gave doctors and medical students the right to dissect donated bodies for education and research purposes. Although this act was created to stop the illegal trade off of corpses, it did not provide near enough corpses needed by medical schools annually, which could be up to 500 in number. This led to increased numbers of body snatching in the United Kingdom.

Interfering with a grave was a misdemeanour at common law, not a felony, and therefore only punishable with a fine and imprisonment rather than transportation or execution. However, dissection of these bodies and theft of items within the graves was illegal. This caused the body snatchers to only take the body and leave everything else behind in the grave.

Relatives of the recently departed needed to watch the body prior to burial and to take precautions afterwards such as providing guards on the grave site or by the use of “mortsafes” like that above at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh. (Information from Wikipedia)

Medical students and staff did not ask where the bodies came from. The trade was a sufficiently lucrative business to run the risk of detection, particularly as the authorities tended to ignore what they considered a necessary evil. Body snatchers had a small time window where they could dig up bodies before they began decomposing, so that the body could be embalmed. They had to remain undetectable while digging up the bodies and transporting them from the grave sites to the medical facilities to be sold.

These are plastic Reaper miniatures from their Kickstarter and include the mysterious Dr Death, Thaddeus Mortis, The pumpkin gang of body snatchers and Dr Deaths three assistants.

The mysterious Dr Death, the head of a syndicate of body snatchers.

Dr Death’s assistants.

Thaddeus Mortis the undertaker and close compatriot of Dr Death.

The Pumpkin head gang

This unlikely group of colleagues was named the “Body Syndicate” by the popular press.

Can Scotland Yard and their consulting detective Sherwood Hollows bury them and their dastardly deeds, or will the “Body Syndicate” snatch victory from the jaws of death?

Coming soon to a post near you!

Just caught up with all my replies and at the same time filled up your in-boxes! Who said we males couldn’t multitask!

Hi all just wanted some advice and info on 28mm mechs out there. I know that Westwind have a few in their “Weird War” range:

As do warlords in their Konflict 47:

Does anyone else but Games Workshop sell something similar.

I am after miniatures not stl files and need (want?) 2 heavy mechs, and four medium ones and wish to fund them with the sale of about one hundred Mech-war mechs which is quite popular in Melbourne now. The mechs need to be larger than a 28mm tank in height not necessarily footprint.

Guru

From the box and two half boxes of Japanese Warlord plastics I have from Rob I have been able to make up a 1250pt Reinforced Japanese Platoon without trying to stretch out the points.

The reinforced Platoon.

Veteran Infantry Squad 1

Veteran Infantry Squad 2

Dual (knee mortar and LMG) Squad 1

Dual (knee mortar and LMG) Squad 2

Captain and Aide

Grenadier Infantry Squad (3 knee mortars)

1st Lieutenant and Aide

Political Officer and Aide

Lone Sniper

2 Flag Bearers to attach to units

3 Anti-tank “squads”

Now that they are all together I will start painting them gradually. There are still some vehicles, flame thrower, howitzer and heavy mortar that I will pick up when they come up on sale but at least it is viable enough to use when it is painted as it is.

I have been really busy this last week and having trouble just keeping up with my daily post. I will get to all of your commen ts and replies over the weekend!

Sorry!

Not much completed over the last few days. Just these Wolves that I will use as “Dire Wolves” from the Reaper Kickstarter

The models are very good sculpts. There is also another Werewolf to add to the collection.

Werewolf

Direwolf

Large wolf that I will use as the Pack Alpha or leader.

Tomorrow I should have finished putting together some more of the Japanese WW2 plastic figures and undercoating them ready for painting.