WAR HERO PIGEON carrying SECRET WWII CODE found in chimney

The remains of a World War II homing pigeon carrying a coded message from the D-Day landings has been found in a chimney in Bletchingley, Surrey. The message is so potentially sensitive that it was handed over to codebreakers at GCHQ, who are now frantically trying to decipher it. Historians reckon the bird, found by David …

[Anonymous Coward]

Mission Failure

Roosted in the wrong place. Fail.

;-)

[The Man Who Fell To Earth]

Re: Mission Failure

More to the point, why is this news? If Martin showed the bird and message to Dunderdale, WHO DIED IN 1990, then this "news" is at least 22 years old.

[Anonymous Coward]

MESSAGE

2345 2184 2987 6573 2345

Monty has run out of toilet paper, send some quick.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: MESSAGE

Tasty pigeon breast that Caruthers, goes well with a '29 Chateau Plonk don't you think.

[DragonKin37]

The bravest angry bird ever!

[wowfood]

“We suspect it was flying back to Monty’s HQ or Bletchley Park from Nazi-occupied Normandy during the invasion. I can only presume it became exhausted and attempted to rest on an open chimney – where it valiantly perished.”

Oh and I suppose the vulture squadron had absolutely nothing to do with it then?

[Anonymous Coward]

"...attempted to rest on an open chimney – where it valiantly perished."

Sorry, was that the 'Dickin' or the 'Darwin' they were calling for?

[Anonymous John]

Give it a medal?

Why? For all we know, the war might have ended in 1944 if it had got through.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Give it a medal?

Not to mention all of the untrained pigeons that are capable of having a rest on a chimney without falling in and dieing.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Duh

* DYING

[Anonymous Custard]

An understandable mix-up

Bletchley Park, Bletchingley - I'm sure there have been less likely sat-nav and map-reading cock-ups...

[Epimetheus]

It's taken them thirty years to get "frantic" about this:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/21065

[Harry the Bastard]

it's with some glee that i find the reporter's name to be an anagram of riparian bell end

[Richard_C]

I have on my leg a piece of paper...

Maybe it was a double agent, attempting a coup...

#coat

Penguin, coz that bird don't fly

[dotdavid]

"we know it’s an Allied Forces pigeon because of the red capsule it was carrying "

By Jove it's a good thing Jerry didn't have our "red paint" technology; there might have been all sorts of trouble with imposters otherwise!

[Canocola]

Imposter postal pigeons

Amusingly enough, the British did try to spike the German pigeon network with fake birds (carefully selected for their complete lack of homing ability) - although rather disappointingly the idea that their lofts may have been penetrated was discounted by the Germans on the basis that only a lunatic nation would bother attempting it...

[unitron]

Re: Imposter postal pigeons

"Imposter postal pigeons

Amusingly enough, the British did try to spike the German pigeon network with fake birds (carefully selected for their complete lack of homing ability) - although rather disappointingly the idea that their lofts may have been penetrated was discounted by the Germans on the basis that only a lunatic nation would bother attempting it..."

They could have gotten a great Peter Sellers movie out of that story.

Mine's the one with the screenplay in the pocket.

[Cyclist]

Was idly wondering if it was Speckly Jim, shot & eaten by The Flanders Pigeon Murderer. But that was WW1 so obviously not. Carry on.

[Anonymous Coward]

posthumous award?

Sounds more like it should be shot for desertion....

[AndrueC]

An early example of an encrypted RFC1149 communication.

Obviously someone is getting in a flap about it :)

[Alan Welk]

Some made it and some did not

Salute for 'Winkie' the Pigeon

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-17138990

[Euripides Pants]

"the Dickin Medal, the highest possible decoration for valour given to animals"

Or as the animals call it, NotFood...

[Anonymous Coward]

The Whistling Spy Enigma

Never pass up an opportunity to quote the Goons!

Seagoon: Through the pigeonhole flew a carrier pigeon. There was something attached to its leg. It was a postman.

[Neil of Qld]

Am I the only person that thinks not cleaning a chimney since WW11 may have been a problem.

[Rob Carriere]

Yes, you are. For us natives, World War Eleven is a (hopefully very distant) future. Please check your TimeTime navigation device before traveling any further.

[Anonymous Coward]

"a classified pigeon loft"

One of the best phrases I've ever read on el reg.

[unitron]

Re: "a classified pigeon loft"

I demand clarification!

Was it the loft that was classified, or the pigeons?

[micheal]

Re: "a classified pigeon loft"

"It's not a pigeon loft"

<then what is it?

"that's classified"

<BUT there's pigeons in it>

"It's not a pigeon loft"

etc etc.....liek the "not the MI6 building" at the beginning of the bond film

[Anonymous Coward]

WHY ARE EL REG USING UNNECESSARY CAPITALS IN THEIR HEADLINES?

TEDIOUS NOW!

[moonface]

Message is obvious

"Coincidentally, Secret Agent Commander Wilfred "Biffy" Dunderdale, the real-life inspiration for his friend Ian Fleming's James Bond, lived near Martin after the war. Martin said he had the chance to show the bird and the message to Dunderdale before he passed away."

Monty's funniest joke in the world.

[Anonymous Coward]

The message is sensitive? unless anyone is planning on finding Hitler to pass on the message then I'm sure we're safe.

[elderlybloke]

you can't be too carefull

Loose lips and all that.

It was only 67 years aga,I can still remember it(almost) well.

[tony trolle]

very sensitive.

looks like win8 serial numbers

[Anonymous Coward]

Hollywood is planning on doing the film of this story, instead of pigeons it will be an eagle of course and it will be set in California.

[kain preacher]

But filmed in Canada .

[Magani]

Red capsules?

"...we know it’s an Allied Forces pigeon because of the red capsule..."

They gave pigeons suicide pills in case they were captured?