Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The history of drawing and printing maps onto fabric can be dated back to ancient China.
Although such maps have sometimes been made for decorative purposes (see
The measure
of Melbourne
for an example), lightweight fabrics also offer some practical advantages over
paper, especially for military use. They are thin but durable - silk especially can be folded
or crumpled repeatedly in a manner that would leave paper torn to shreds - and they can be
handled noiselessly.
During the Second World War, about 250 different maps - some 1.75 million copies alto-
gether - were printed on fabric for the use of the United Kingdom's armed forces. The im-
petus to create them came from MI9. This was the branch of the British intelligence services
that was responsible for aiding attempts by military personnel to evade capture by the enemy
or to escape once caught. The person credited with realising how useful silk maps would be
in those circumstances was Christopher Clayton Hutton, an intelligence officer who insis-
ted that the combination of map and compass was 'the escapee's most important accessory'.
Believing (probably incorrectly) that no existing military suppliers could help him, Hutton
approached the publisher John Bartholomew, who supplied him with paper maps to copy for
his printing experiments.
Most escape and evasion maps were produced at relatively small scales - this example is
at 1:2,000,000 - with breadth of coverage prioritised over fine detail. To begin with, the maps
were printed in three or four colours, with pectin added to the ink to stop it running and to
ensure a clear image. Here, the roads are in red, the all-important international boundaries in
green, and other details in black. Not all 'silk' maps were actually made of silk, which was a
scarce material in wartime; this example is printed on rayon.
Access to maps was thought to be especially valuable for airmen, who might survive being
shot down over mainland Europe. A plan was devised to sew silk maps into the lining of
air force uniforms. Such doctored clothing was to be identified by discreet labels bearing the
word 'monkey'. Maps were also smuggled into prisoner of war camps, within items such as
gramophone records and playing cards, to help men who were planning to escape. One clev-
er scheme, devised with the co-operation of the board games manufacturer J C Waddington,
involved hiding escape kits inside special versions of
Monopoly
.
Intelligence officers also developed many other practical aids and pieces of advice for men
trying to escape from enemy hands or to avoid detection as British servicemen. These ranged
from small tins of concentrated food to instructions for how to carry a bag like a French peas-
ant. Despite this variety of gadgets and guidance, Hutton's opinion of the unique value of
maps was apparently vindicated in practice. Of the 35,000 members of the Allied armed ser-
