The story of Columba and of those who used the Secret Pigeon Service has been pieced together over many years and with the help of many people. I would like to thank the following archives, institutions and their staff for access to material: Britain’s National Archives at Kew; the Belgian Security Service archives at the Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Society (CEGESOMA) in Brussels; the US National Archives at College Park, Maryland; the British Library; the trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives at King’s College London; the Imperial War Museum archive; the Churchill Archives at Churchill College, Cambridge; the BBC Written Archives at Caversham; the Royal Signals Museum; the British Archives of Falconry; and the British Falconers’ Club.
Vital pieces of the puzzle were found in British and Belgian archives, but it would not have been possible to understand the whole picture – and especially the story of Leopold Vindictive – without the assistance of a number of individuals who guided me through the various archives, or who provided advice and, in some cases, their own material. They include Colin Hill (who welcomed me into his loft when I first began looking at the subject), John Clinch, Martin Skipworth, Mark Seaman, Robin Libert, Eliza Manningham-Buller, Philippe Connart, Andrew Riley, Mark Upton, Tony James, David Horobin, Louise North, Jo Peeters, Martyn Cox, Geoffrey Pidgeon, Emmanuel Debruyne, Nicolas Livingstone, Anna and David Melland, Peter Kleyn and Michael Shepherd. I’d also like to thank Gisela Corera for her help with translations and Steve Gove for his comments and help with the text. My agent Georgina Capel has provided the kind of encouragement and support every writer needs (even when I told her my plan was to write about pigeons). And my editor Arabella Pike at HarperCollins has adeptly guided me in bringing the story together with her astute suggestions. My wife and sons have also shown great patience as I wrestled with my pigeons, and they will always have my thanks for their support and encouragement.
I owe a particular debt to the families of the Leopold Vindictive network. The Debaillie and Joye families provided me with memories and papers that were vital in telling this story. This book would not have been possible without the help of Brigitte Raskin, the niece of Joseph Raskin. Her own research into her uncle’s life proved an invaluable guide. And her advice, hospitality and friendship has, I hope, resulted in a British–Belgian cooperation which is in some tiny way a reflection of what her uncle sought to achieve during the war.