THE MASSACRE AT LE PARADIS - HELL IN PARADISE - MAY1940.
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Lt Col A. P. Scotland OBE

Alexander Paterson SCOTLAND OBE (1882-1965) was commandant of the London Cage – a prisoner-of-war – facility in Kensington, London. In 1957 he wrote a book entitled “The London Cage” which covered his career in general as well as his time in charge of the facility where he was responsible for interrogating numerous war criminals including Fritz Knoechlein. His book was heavily re-written in order to achieve acceptance by the War Office.

There have been numerous allegations over the years that Scotland employed torture including water boarding and sleep deprivation in his interrogation methods.

Despite his surname, Scotland was born in Middlesbrough, England, to Scottish parents. He was one of nine children and, after leaving school, worked as an office boy at a tea merchants in London and then in the grocery business. He also worked in the insurance business but his mind was always on a military career. He travelled to South Africa with the idea of joining the British army but was thwarted by the end of the Boer War.

Ironically Scotland learnt fluent German and joined the German army from 1903 until 1907. Scotland began to report details of German manpower and information to British Intelligence which in effect made him a spy. In 1914 he was imprisoned by the Germans on charges of espionage. On his release he returned to England. In 1915, Scotland sought to enter intelligence work in England. Initially rebuffed, he was then accepted into the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps and was posted to France receiving a commission as second lieutenant in July 1916. In France he was assigned to interrogate German prisoners.

Scotland continued to spy on behalf of Britain and left the military at the end of the First World War with the rank of captain and was made an OBE (Officer of the British Empire). Scotland worked in commerce in both Africa and South America and there is a possibility that he met with Adolf Hitler to discuss the situation in Africa.

Scotland was recalled to duty in 1940 with the rank of Second Lieutenant (although in his book he states he had the rank of Major) and posted to France where he organised interrogation centres. Scotland returned to England in the Dunkirk evacuation and was put in charge of the Prisoner of War Interrogation Service containing a series of  "cages" where prisoners of war were interrogated before moving onto prisoner of war camps.

At the London Cage in Kensington, Scotland was in charge of ten members of staff. The London Cage became the centre for interrogating suspected war criminals and continued in operation until 1948.

After the war, Scotland wrote a book on the London Cage which the authorities tried desperately to censor the book by seizing manuscripts and it eventually came out with the following disclaimer:

"The War Office wishes to make it clear that the views and facts stated in this book are the Author's own responsibility. Further, the War Office does not in any way vouch for the accuracy of the facts and does not necessarily accept any opinions expressed in this book."

Scotland died in a London nursing home, aged 82, in 1965.

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