For today's #BehindTheScenes we take a look at some objects in our Special Operations Executive (SOE) display. Here we have some unsuspecting #WWII items, a shaving brush, a small saw, and a door key. However, all three are in fact escape aids!
#MuseumFromHome
The door key has been adapted for the concealment of small items, such as microprints, silk maps or radio frequencies. The key shaft has been drilled to about three-quarters of the way down and a small stud made which fits at the end to keep the hidden items in place. #WWII
The small saw works as an escape aid as well as a compass. When freestanding on a pivot the point with the notch always points north.
The shaving brush incorporates a hiding place and a compass. The brush can also be filled with pure metallic sodium and a small hole drilled in the stub of the hairs to allow water to seep through. When the brush is used the sodium is ignited by contact with the water.
These items would be invaluable to #SOE #agents in the field for escape and evasion purposes. When facing dangerous situations, SOE often showed great ingenuity by inventing their own devices. #WWII #MilitaryIntelligence
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