Moggie Moo
Dedicated Member
Whilst in our local antique shop I picked up an old brief case for a couple of quid. There were initials embossed on the flap and after some easy research I found they belonged to a local man from Pudsey LowTown. A Mr. Edric Cakebutt, he was a well know fish and chip shop proprietor. Sadley he has passed over to that great place above us but he had gained great respect from the Fish Friers Association, infact he had been awarded the BIFFA,( the Batley International Fish Friers Award). Inside the brief case there were several documents and receipts going back to the 1940's. I managed to get them into some chronological assemblence with the earliest being 10th April 1944. It was a delivery docket from M.O.D Catterick via Grimsby. It read: 4 crates North Sea Cod, POW for use of, 14s 6d Delivery Stalag Luft 101.... This did intrigue me as I read through the rest of the papers which were very simular. They were mostly for deliveries of beef dripping, vinegar, crates of haddock and cod, jars of pickled onions and 400 jars of piccalilly. Tucked right down in the bottom of the case was an envelope marked top secret destroy by consumption after reading. All the dockets had been signed for by E. Cakebutt but the orders in the envelope were addressed to Captain C. Brook Royal catering corps 567. The papers must have got damp at some stage as the type had faded towards the bottom of the signal but it detailed:
OPERATION BATTER... FRITTERSBURG... GERMANY.
PROCEED FRITTERSBURG STALAG LUFT 101. RAF TRANSPORT SCA**TON.
My mind was salivating for more information. It took me three days to find anything remotely connected with Operation Batter. A lady on line was looking for any surviving members of the Royal Catering corps 567 and one of the replies on line came from a John Wigglesworth of Slackside Pudsey.
He told her that he had supplied the M.O.D with Fish Shop frying equipment in 1944. He thought it was strange at the time but they told him that after the invasion of France they were setting up Comfort zones along the front and Fish and Chip suppers were being considered. He thought no more of it at the time. Mr wigglesworth was knocking on a bit now but I did trace him and arranged to meet him in the Golden Lion and discuss it over a pint or two.
He told me that he had been to school with Edric and saw him coming down Church Lane in May 1946. He said he wished him well and was he just back from the war. Edric said " Aye lad, thank god thats over, mind you I could have made a fortune." " What do you mean Edric" said John." have they got any beer in the Butchers Arms" asked Edric. "Aye but its watery" said john as they crossed over the road into the pub. They got their beers and sat down in the window seat as Edric began his story. "Its Like this John, back in 1944 the RAF were having such brilliant success with their escapes and returning of aircrew back from France via the Cafe Rennee route, or out through Spain to Gibralta that the Germans were getting fed up and were reducing the guards and manpower at the P.O.W camps and surrounding areas moving them to the front lines.The allies didn't want this with the pending invasion so I was approached by a Captain C. Brook. He had a plan to set up a fish shop at Stalag Luft 101. The british commander at the camp had set the ball in motion by ordering that any spare ground would be cultivated and potatoes must be planted. The Frying Equipment was smuggled in via Red Cross parcels and part of hut 19 was converted to a fish shop with counter and condiments. They needed a Fish Fryer of excellance so I was approached. I was very flattered of course, they said I would have a free hand and run it as if I was back here at home. Of course the captain would be accompanying me to iron out any problems. I thought I'd give it a go and off we went, parachuted in that night.
The resistance got us into the camp and the C.O. introduced us to our team of potatoe peelers, all we had to do was light the pans. The beef dripping fat was soon up to temperature, and in went our first load of chips. We put the shop lights on to show we were open but there was already a queue of young pilots more from curiosity than hunger. The aroma had drifted across to the kamp Kommandants office so he came into our camp with his henchmen to see what was going on". He said to the C.O "Brigadeer I'am a patient man and I like the chips with fish, I had them many times when I was spying in England, a place called Guiseley near Harry Ramsden's, so I will let you carry on for the comfort of your men, I have seen nothing and make sure all my men get a portion too. Goodnight!" "Well John" said Edric " this went on three nights a week and all day Fridays. The germans started to bring in Frankfurter Sausages and other meaty things to be battered. No one had escaped, they were even transfering POW's from other camps who had heard about stalag luft 101. A film crew from Geobbles's Ministry of Propaganda came with the intention of showing the British how a unified europe could be after the war. The camp and local german garrisons were extended in manpower and the guards were sated with cod and chips three times a week. Captain C Brook had developed a technique slicing chips so they fried nice and crisp and brown which the germans lavished upon. All the while the german high command had failed to recognised the diversion this had created. Even after D day the germans did not shut us down, infact they would tell their troops if they didn't fight they would not be able to go to Edrics on their next leave, it would be the Russian front for them. Just before the final surrender of the Axis power a german high offcial approached me and asked if I would be interested in opening a chain of Fish Huts down Argentina way after the war is over. It would be 50/50 basis and all I could eat. I thought about it for a few days and when I decided to join him he had been whisked away to Nuremberg and I never saw him again. So I came back home and here I am." "So you had a pretty quiet war then" came Johns reply.
I asked Mr. Wigglesworth if he ever saw Edric again but he said no as he had been run over in a bad fog by the West Yorkshire Bus. He told me his son still had the Chippy down Lowtown but that's a story for another day.
OPERATION BATTER... FRITTERSBURG... GERMANY.
PROCEED FRITTERSBURG STALAG LUFT 101. RAF TRANSPORT SCA**TON.
My mind was salivating for more information. It took me three days to find anything remotely connected with Operation Batter. A lady on line was looking for any surviving members of the Royal Catering corps 567 and one of the replies on line came from a John Wigglesworth of Slackside Pudsey.
He told her that he had supplied the M.O.D with Fish Shop frying equipment in 1944. He thought it was strange at the time but they told him that after the invasion of France they were setting up Comfort zones along the front and Fish and Chip suppers were being considered. He thought no more of it at the time. Mr wigglesworth was knocking on a bit now but I did trace him and arranged to meet him in the Golden Lion and discuss it over a pint or two.
He told me that he had been to school with Edric and saw him coming down Church Lane in May 1946. He said he wished him well and was he just back from the war. Edric said " Aye lad, thank god thats over, mind you I could have made a fortune." " What do you mean Edric" said John." have they got any beer in the Butchers Arms" asked Edric. "Aye but its watery" said john as they crossed over the road into the pub. They got their beers and sat down in the window seat as Edric began his story. "Its Like this John, back in 1944 the RAF were having such brilliant success with their escapes and returning of aircrew back from France via the Cafe Rennee route, or out through Spain to Gibralta that the Germans were getting fed up and were reducing the guards and manpower at the P.O.W camps and surrounding areas moving them to the front lines.The allies didn't want this with the pending invasion so I was approached by a Captain C. Brook. He had a plan to set up a fish shop at Stalag Luft 101. The british commander at the camp had set the ball in motion by ordering that any spare ground would be cultivated and potatoes must be planted. The Frying Equipment was smuggled in via Red Cross parcels and part of hut 19 was converted to a fish shop with counter and condiments. They needed a Fish Fryer of excellance so I was approached. I was very flattered of course, they said I would have a free hand and run it as if I was back here at home. Of course the captain would be accompanying me to iron out any problems. I thought I'd give it a go and off we went, parachuted in that night.
The resistance got us into the camp and the C.O. introduced us to our team of potatoe peelers, all we had to do was light the pans. The beef dripping fat was soon up to temperature, and in went our first load of chips. We put the shop lights on to show we were open but there was already a queue of young pilots more from curiosity than hunger. The aroma had drifted across to the kamp Kommandants office so he came into our camp with his henchmen to see what was going on". He said to the C.O "Brigadeer I'am a patient man and I like the chips with fish, I had them many times when I was spying in England, a place called Guiseley near Harry Ramsden's, so I will let you carry on for the comfort of your men, I have seen nothing and make sure all my men get a portion too. Goodnight!" "Well John" said Edric " this went on three nights a week and all day Fridays. The germans started to bring in Frankfurter Sausages and other meaty things to be battered. No one had escaped, they were even transfering POW's from other camps who had heard about stalag luft 101. A film crew from Geobbles's Ministry of Propaganda came with the intention of showing the British how a unified europe could be after the war. The camp and local german garrisons were extended in manpower and the guards were sated with cod and chips three times a week. Captain C Brook had developed a technique slicing chips so they fried nice and crisp and brown which the germans lavished upon. All the while the german high command had failed to recognised the diversion this had created. Even after D day the germans did not shut us down, infact they would tell their troops if they didn't fight they would not be able to go to Edrics on their next leave, it would be the Russian front for them. Just before the final surrender of the Axis power a german high offcial approached me and asked if I would be interested in opening a chain of Fish Huts down Argentina way after the war is over. It would be 50/50 basis and all I could eat. I thought about it for a few days and when I decided to join him he had been whisked away to Nuremberg and I never saw him again. So I came back home and here I am." "So you had a pretty quiet war then" came Johns reply.
I asked Mr. Wigglesworth if he ever saw Edric again but he said no as he had been run over in a bad fog by the West Yorkshire Bus. He told me his son still had the Chippy down Lowtown but that's a story for another day.
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