The Dennis Wheatley 'Museum' - Dennis Wheatley in World War II: a supplement

The room gradually empties...

A letter from Bill Baumer to DW

'You and Johnny Bevan and all the others
except Ronald having gone made it seem
a hollow and museum-like place'

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For a transcript, click here

A letter from Desmond Morton to DW

'We exiles (Ronald Wingate & self) condemned
to live outside our own land, because our names
have been connected with that accursed one of
W.S. Churchill, are very greatly cheered when
anyone remembers us...'

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For a transcript, click here

As DW relates in his autobiography, once the action moved to the Continent, Deception became the responsibility of Eisenhower's inter-Allied deception Staff, and LCS was left with little to do other than to co-ordinate deception measures between them, Dudley Clarke in Italy, and Peter Fleming in the Far East, and to passing information misleading to the Enemy through their 'Most Secret' channels.

Since DW was not involved in this work, and since there were no new plans to formulate, he became hopelessly bored.

Wishing to return to writing (and to making money - he always had an extravagant lifestyle to fund), DW applied to be demobilized in August 1944, but there was a strict rota for demobilization, and he had to wait several months before his wish was granted. James Arbuthnott was first to leave, being needed urgently to resume the supervision of tea estates in Ceylon, and DW was the next to go. DW left on 22nd December 1944 and spent his last few weeks in visiting and saying goodbye to his vast quantity of wartime friends. They in turn sent him kindly letters, and he was regaled at a couple of parties before he left.