Jeff Skidmore, a partner at Roy Thomas Begley & Co in Swansea, writes in to point out an error in last week’s item by James Morton about Ewen Montagu. The latter was indeed mastermind of 'The Man Who Never Was', but the deception plan was carried out in the Mediterranean and its purpose was to deceive the Axis forces that the Allies intended to invade Sardinia and Greece, rather than the real target, Sicily. Fortunately the plan worked and the Axis moved troops to both locations to counter the expected invasions, while the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) proceeded in July 1943 with far less resistance than anticipated.

Obiter’s Oxford-educated history tutor used to excuse his ignorance of important past events with the handy get-out clause ‘not my period’. But with more than one history graduate in the office we ought to have spotted that mistake. Apologies.