The Man Who Never Was — Answers

Here’s the answers to my earlier questions.

Today’s questions are related to the date, April 29th..

One

In a 1943 British deception plan, a corpse was given the identity of ‘Major William Martin’. The idea for the above operation, which was partly inspired by a plot device in a 1939 novel by Basil Thomson, The …’s Hat Mystery, had first been suggested in a memo.

1. What was the codename of this operation?
2. What word for a hat maker is missing from the book’s title? 
3. A future spy novelist—later the creator of a fictional spy which spawned a massive media franchise—worked in British Naval Intelligence during the war where he circulated the memo outlining the above deception tactics. Who was he?

Answers

1. Operation Mincemeat
2. Milliner
3. Ian Fleming

The body was released from the submarine HMS Seraph off Spain, where authorities were known to share intelligence with Germany. The Milliner’s Hat Mystery (a milliner is someone who makes or sells hats) is by Basil Thomson who had himself worked in intelligence and blurred the line between fiction and real espionage long before the war. Ian Fleming’s memo was nicknamed the ’Trout Memo’, comparing deception to fly-fishing—luring the enemy with carefully chosen bait. He went on to create James Bond.

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Two

In 2011, Prince William married his longtime girlfriend, Catherine, whom he had met at university. 

1. What is Catherine’s maiden name?
2. At what university did they meet?
3. In what church did they marry?

Answers

1. Middleton
2. University of St. Andrews
3. Westminster Abbey

Prince William, heir to the British throne, married Catherine Middleton in 2011. They have three children: George, Charlotte, and Louis.

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Three

In 2004, after 107 years of vehicle production, the final … was built in Lansing, Michigan. What make of vehicle is missing from the previous sentence?

Answer: Oldsmobile.

Oldsmobile, an American automobile brand, was established by Ransom Eli Olds in 1897 as Olds Motor Vehicle Company and produced over 35 million vehicles. Despite peaking sales in the 1980s, the brand faced declining sales in the 1990s and was discontinued in 2004. 

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Four

On this day in 2018, a U.S. TV series became the longest-running scripted prime-time show, overtaking a Western that had aired from 1955 to 1975. Name both these shows.

Answer: The Simpsons; Gunsmoke.

The record-breaking episode was the show’s 636th, surpassing Gunsmoke’s long-standing total.

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Five

Also on this day, in 1770, which British explorer made his first recorded landing on the east coast of Australia, at Botany Bay?

Answer: James Cook.

Cook’s voyage aboard the HMS Endeavour was originally intended to observe the transit of Venus before turning to exploration.

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The Man Who Never Was

The Man Who Never Was (1956) is a British espionage thriller directed by Ronald Neame, starring Clifton Webb and Gloria Grahame. Based on Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu’s book, it depicts Operation Mincemeat, a 1943 British intelligence operation to mislead the Axis about the Allied invasion of Sicily. It was featured at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. Nigel Balchin’s screenplay received the BAFTA award for that year.

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