Living in British Columbia after immigrating from Liverpool in 1921, Arthur worked as a teacher and a public utility engineer. They then moved to Ontario where Arthur started Owens Battery Company - where he registered Canadian patents for his improvement to dry cell battery accumulators he developed. These dry cell and portable batteries where not only perfect for flashlights but Owens hoped they would be used for military purposes as well and headed to Britain and then Europe hoping to make it big.
This isn't the only thing Arthur was up to though, during the early years of world war two Arthur Owens was the most important double agent working for MI5 (British intelligence agency)!! Given the codename Snow, he sent false information to the Germans, as they believed he was working for their intelligence agency, Abwehr.
Arthur Owens was mostly in it for the money and the ladies (though he was married and had a daughter). In fact, the MI5 suspected Owens was helping the Germans as well!
Not only did Arthur Owens have this shocking lifestyle, his daughter, born while they were living in British Columbia, was Patricia Owens - an actress best known for her work in the movie The Fly!
Arthur was imprisoned by the British by 1941, he was eventually released, he then passed away in 1957. Learn more about Arthur Owens is the book "Snow: the double life of a world war II spy" written by Nigel West and Madoc Roberts.
Images courtesy Graham White and Adam Nathanson
Thank you for that DidyouknowCanada
ReplyDeleteSounds really interesting.
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