“In the Second World War, the Rock of Gibraltar stood like a sentinel at the gateway to the Mediterranean. Whoever held it could open or close the sea lanes to North Africa and beyond. To Britain it was a vital stronghold, but by 1940 it looked vulnerable. Spain was under Franco’s rule, sympathetic to Berlin, and German planners drew up schemes to seize the fortress in one swift move.

It was in this climate that a plan was conceived that bordered on the unimaginable. A small group of men would vanish from the surface of the Rock and take up residence in a chamber hollowed out within its limestone core. They would not leave again until the war ended.”

This episode was written by Richard Clements.

Richard has held a keen interest in the Second World War for most of his life. He enjoys uncovering the lesser-known and unusual stories of the conflict and bringing them to life for new audiences. Living in East Anglia, not far from Shingle Street, he first heard the tale of the supposed invasion as a child, and it has stayed with him ever since.