D-Day

Here's a cautionary tale for would-be compilers. In the lead-up to D-Day in 1944, an MI-5 officer, who was also a cryptic crossword fan, started taking a special interest in the Daily Telegraph crossword. During the middle of May, UTAH and OMAHA appeared as solution words. Both of these were codenames for designated beaches as part of the Normandy landings. Then on Saturday, May 27, up came the answer OVERLORD, codename for the whole operation!

Two days later, with the clue 'This bush is a centre of nursery revolutions', came MULBERRY – codename for the two giant man-made harbours to be towed across the English Channel. Then later that same week NEPTUNE, codename for the navy's part in the operation, was among the crossword's answers.

Palms were sweating at MI-5. Two officers were dispatched to deepest Surrey, to visit Leonard Dawe, the paper's chief compiler. Fortunately for him, Dawe was able to convince the sceptical twosome that it was all a series of amazing coincidences.