1 Fake news in fancy dress
How MICK GURMIN became a member of the SAS before it even existed
In 1941, a young British trooper based in Palestine was sent on an unlikely mission. Together with a fellow soldier named Smith, Mick Gurmin was dispatched to Cairo with instructions to spread an elaborate yarn around restaurants, bars and tourist hotspots. For the mission, Gurmin was issued with a uniform liberally sewn with parachute badges, to back up his membership of the 1st Special Air Service (SAS) Battalion parachute unit, which was completing its training in Transjordan. It was an intriguing costume – because the 1st SAS didn’t exist.
Both battalion and uniform were inventions of Lieutenant Colonel Dudley Clarke. He had recently arrived in the region, having been summoned by his friend and supporter Sir Archibald Wavell, British commander-inchief for the Middle East. Clarke’s task was to deceive the enemy about British intentions – and the capture of an Italian officer had presented him with an opportunity. The officer’s diary revealed an Axis belief that British parachute troops were present in the Middle East. In truth, there were none – but Clarke spotted the chance to exploit an existing fear. He schemed a plot to convince enemy intelligence that 500 parachutists, all specialists in vehicle sabotage, had arrived in the region. This deception operation was codenamed ‘Abeam’, and Gurmin’s carefully staged performance was a key element.
Gurmin had to leak ‘evidence’ of a crack new parachute unit while seeming reluctant to do so
Gurmin and Smith – also in fake uniform – were to leak ‘evidence’ of a crack parachute unit while seeming reluctant to do so. Clarke’s admonition made clear the importance of getting their mission spot-on: “Any carelessness or indiscretion on your part may well upset carefully arranged and important plans and have far-reaching consequences.”
Spreading rumours
In the event, Gurmin and Smith had a fine old time. They visited the pyramids, watched a football match, and went to a
