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On the 3rd of September 1940, four
German spies landed near the town on the coast between Hythe and Dungeness,
but were soon caught. It would seem they were ill trained, with only one
able to speak English. One of the German infiltrators was arrested in a
local pub, the Rising Sun (owned by Clifford Cole), at 9.30 am, because he
wanted to buy a drink, and locals would have known the pub did not open
until 10.00 am. This suspicious behaviour at the time tipped off a local RAF
officer, and the visitor failed to produce a required permit permitting him
to travel freely along the coastline, and was handed over to the local
Police. Another of the four was caught and it was discovered he had hidden
radio equipment in a tree not far from the Lydd to Dungeness road. At least
three of them were sentenced to death by hanging at Pentonville prison. At
least two of the men proved to be Dutch in origin, and were recruited as
spies as a result of their complicity in currency smuggling.
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