A Spy in the House

10 January 1929 I was born at Darras Hall Newcastle upon Tyne.My father was a watchmaker and jeweller and my mother was an asistant at the Northern Goldsmiths shop in Newcastle. I have a sister 6 years my senior.
1939 The family moved to 102 Kenton Lane Kenton Newcastle, a new house on a private housing estate but building had been interrupted by the war and several houses were unfinished. Two miles down this lane was an RAF plotting station with WAAFs plotting enemy aircraft in the area.There were also anti-aircraft guns on this station.
1940 My father had bought a jewelly shop in Leeds town centre and had to live there during the week returning home to Kenton for weekends. As travelling became more difficult home trips were less frequent.
Our neighnours at no.100 were a middle aged couple,the husband a retired police detective.All households in the area were approached by the RAF and those with accomodation were obliged to take billitees from the RAF station up the road.Ours was a girl called Trixie, I don't remember her surname. She was about 20 years old, rounded figure Eton cropped mousey coloured hair and most exciting for my sister and I she was Canadian and had the accent to prove it. She even cut all her food up with a knife and fork using only the fork to eat with. We had only seen such things in American films!
After the initial excitement she quickly settled and was calling my mother "mum" and became part of the family and in spite of all that was to happen, my mother never let us know or feel anything untoward was going on in the home. Trixie, like all those working at the RAF station, was on staggered duties. I remember her joy and excitement when she was promoted to an actual plotter. This entailed extra night duties - more enemy raids at night that in daylight hours. Trixie did not socialise with any RAF staff living locally but often travelled to places far afield, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow, part work and she had friends to visit.She had no boyfriend but regularly received letters and occasional parcels(nylons for my mother,sweets and chewing gum for my sister and I) from Canada
she said from her brother.I don't know how my mother became suspicious but she did and one night after Trixie had been to Coventry the previous night that city was hammered by the Luftwaffe. She visited Bristol and then Liverpool with similar consequences.At this stage my mother took into her confidence Raffles the ex detective living at no.100. He suggested she stay up and await Trixie's return-the lady who let herself in was unrecognisable to my mother,
long black hair,very well made up features etc. when asked to explain she said she had been with friends to a wonderful fancy dress party! It was later revealed that the trunk in her bedroom contained a false bottom hidden therein were not only the wigs,stage makeup and clothes but the letters she had been receiving from her "brother"in Canada, actually written in German and from her Controller in Germany sent to Canada and reposted to England.
I think it was around this time my mother approached the RAF police. Trixie was moved into one of the unfinished houses now completed as accomodation for RAF personnel - presumably while further investigations proceeded.
At Christmas turned up a our home with her "brother" to plead with my mother.She had brought beautiful presents for us all.
My father went next door to contact the RAF police.My sister and I were sent into the garden whilst her arrest was made.
I remember so clearly one of the loveliest dolls I had ever owned being bundled, along with all the other gifts Trixie had brought, into the coke boiler by my parents.
Much later in my lift I understood.
To my knowledge this story has never been told and no recognition of my mother's bravery. I think she was very courageous to pursue what must have started as a seed of doubt, grown to suspicion but a huge step from there to actually and formally making an accusation.
My mother was a woman of constant laughter and fun and what she lacked in academic ability she made up for in wisdom. The whole incident was never talked about while we were youngsters and in later years if asked my mother would avoid discussion. I do believe she was troubled by the fact that she condemned this girl, but how could we measure how many lives she could have saved.
For my part I would be very interested to discover any other threads to this story.
Does it striks chords with anyone reading this?
It all happened over 60 years and with the passage it may be that military records of this event are now in the public domain if I knew where to search.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.