About the Author

Philip M. Williams has been associated with the village of Hurley for the past 30 years and has had a keen interest in uncovering local history from Roman Britain through to modern times. Having a service background in the Royal Engineers he was curious to know why US Navy personnel would have been stationed in the village during the war. Open source research led to the discovery of Hurley’s codename VICTOR which unveiled its wartime association with the OSS, its secrets and the discovery of its remarkable operational diary at the National Archive’s in Maryland USA. Having spent several years studying the local landscape, maps and aerial photographs he has managed to bring wartime Hurley back to life.