Aquila Children's Magazine AQUILA Magazine Best Bits | Page 12

THE HIDDEN MAP
You might not want to blow your nose on
this handkerchief. A map drawn onto a
cloth handkerchief with invisible ink, but
how can you see it? Well, you could always
wee on it. In fact, that’s exactly what you
had to do to make the map appear.
Have you ever looked at your
hairbrush and thought: ‘I could
definitely turn that into a hiding
place for a map and saw’?
Notsomuch? Well, enter the world
of Charles Fraser-Smith, a mild-
mannered clothing supply clerk
who, during World War II, invented
gadgets and gizmos that would
make James Bond jealous.
Described at school by his teachers
as ‘scholastically useless’ (nice, ed)
Fraser-Smith was an exceptional
maker, who went on to change the
face of the British war effort with
his incredible inventions.
In his fake day job at the clothing-
supply office, Fraser-Smith was
secretly working for the Special
Operations Executive (and MI6 and
MI9), a secretive bunch who worked
undercover to sabotage the enemy
at every turn. Fraser-Smith was put
to work transforming everyday
objects into weapons, places to
store documents and tools to help
prisoners of war escape from
camps in Germany. Here are just
some of his amazing inventions.
CAREFUL HOW
YOU TIE YOUR
SHOELACES
Because, you know, there’s an entire
Gigli saw hidden in there that can cut
through metal. No double bows please.