THE man who stumbled across a coded wartime message attached to a dead pigeon says he does not believe claims by a Canadian historian that it has been deciphered.
David Martin, 74, made the fascinating discovery 30 years ago while clearing out a blocked fireplace at his home in Bletchingley.
It is thought the pigeon, one of about 250,000 used by the Allies during the Second World War, died atop his chimney on its way back from occupied France, possibly during the D-Day landings.
Inside a red capsule attached to the pigeon's leg was a folded note headed "pigeon service", with 27 sets of handwritten digits.
Earlier this year Mr Martin sent it to GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) – the heart of British intelligence – but boffins there have since said it is impossible to decode without the original cryptographic material.
But now Gord Young, from Ontario, Canada, believes he has deciphered the text using a code book from the First World War.
Mr Martin said: "Someone has said they have deciphered it but the message is nonsensical, they can't decode part of it, and both Bletchley Park and GCHQ say it hasn't been decoded.
"Saying it has been decoded is wishful thinking, but hopefully people will carry on trying."
The message appears to be signed by a "Sgt W Stot" and Mr Martin is also sceptical about claims that the sender was a paratrooper called William Stott.
The Mirror reported on Mr Martin's mystifying discovery 30 years ago, but when the story resurfaced thanks to a Bletchley Park press release earlier this year, it got national and even international press coverage.
Amateur spooks across the globe may be joining the search for the message's true meaning.
"It feels bizarre, quite frankly," said Mr Martin, who has six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. "It's also a bit of a shame; if we had all this publicity 30 years ago someone may have said they knew Sergeant Stot or served with him."
