Charles Fraser-Smith English author, military gadget designer and missionary Date of Birth: 26.01.1904 Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of Charles Fraser-Smith
2. Early Career and Missionary Work
3. Work during World War II
4. Later Life and Legacy

Biography of Charles Fraser-Smith

Charles Fraser-Smith was an English author, military gadget developer, and missionary. He was born on January 26, 1904. At the age of seven, Charles became an orphan and was raised by a Christian missionary family in Hertfordshire. He attended Brighton College, where he excelled in carpentry and natural sciences.

Early Career and Missionary Work

After completing his education, Fraser-Smith worked in various professions, including teaching at a preparatory school, working as a motorcycle courier, and being a worker at an aviation factory. Inspired by his adoptive parents, Charles embarked on a Christian mission to Morocco. He returned to England in 1939 and delivered Sunday sermons at a church in Leeds. His speeches, which shared his experiences and discussed procurement tasks, impressed two parishioners who worked for the British Ministry of Supply.

Work during World War II

As a result of his impressive speeches, Fraser-Smith was offered what he later called the "strange job in London" by the head of the Ministry of Supply. Officially, he served as a temporary civil servant in the clothing and textile department, but in reality, he was involved in the development of ingenious gadgets under the instruction of MI6. His inventions were designed to aid in the rescue of prisoners of war and help agents gather information about Nazi activities in occupied Europe.

Under Fraser-Smith's leadership, over 300 firms in London and its surrounding areas were engaged in the production of equipment for covert operations. Many of these firms were unaware of the purpose of their products and were unknowingly contributing to the war effort. Some of the gadgets included miniature cameras hidden inside lighters, hairbrushes with concealed maps, pens with hidden compasses, and steel shoelaces that could be used as garrotes or wire saws. Fraser-Smith also played a role in the creation of a new type of Luftwaffe rescue vest, which later became the standard "Mae West" inflatable life vest used by the British Royal Air Force.

Later Life and Legacy

After the war, Charles Fraser-Smith purchased a dilapidated dairy farm in Devon, Southwest England, and turned it into a profitable business. In the late 1970s, encouraged by his family, he obtained permission to write a book about his wartime exploits.

Fraser-Smith passed away on November 9, 1992, for unknown reasons. He was survived by his wife Selina and two children from a previous marriage, Brian and Christine. It is believed that Fraser-Smith served as an inspiration for the literary character of Q, the quartermaster, in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.