Constance Babington Smith was a beauty with brains. Her father, Sir Henry, had been private secretary to the Viceroy of India. Her mother was the daughter of the ninth Earl of Elgin. Her eldest brother was a director of the Bank of England. In the 1930s she became very interested in flying. Eventually she was such an expert on all aspects of aviation that she wrote a regular column for The Aeroplane magazine. When war broke out, she was commissioned in the Waaf and joined Coastal Command’s Photographic Reconnaissance Unit. It was based at Danesfield, a mansion in Buckinghamshire. That was where David Bensusan-Butt went.
“I’m told you know more about interpreting air reconnaissance pictures than anyone else,” he said.
“Actually, that’s quite likely,” she said, “because until recently I was the only one here who was doing it. But I’m sure the Germans must have something similar.”
“It’s a subject I know absolutely nothing about.”
“Good. That means you start with an uncluttered mind.”
For the rest of the day she showed him what to look for, and how to find it, in photographs of Germany taken by high-flying aircraft. He learned much about camouflage, shadow, bomb damage, fire damage and smoke. He used magnifying glasses of various size and complexity. Next day he came back and practiced his skills.
“It makes a change to meet someone like you,” she said. “I sometimes think the various Commands don’t have much faith in our Unit. Unless our interpretation confirms what they already think, they’re likely to ignore it.”
“What about photographs of the target taken by our bombers at night? Can you help me with those? I imagine that flak and searchlights are a problem.”
He came back again. By now they knew each other well enough for him to ask the name of the delicate perfume she always wore. “L’Heure Bleue,” she said. “By Guerlain. I slosh it on, in case an air vice-marshal looks in. This uniform is fearfully masculine, don’t you think?”
“In your case, not for one instant,” he said. His utter honesty made it sound like a vote of thanks.