Hardback by Blink Publishing, £18.99 (ebook £6.47)
History is littered with stories of famous spies – from Mata Hari to
Philby, Maclean, Burgess and Blunt. But few people have heard of the
treachery practised by Ernest Holloway Oldham. Before the Cambridge
Five, as they were known (if you include Cairncross), rocked the
British establishment, a deception just as damaging had come to light.
In the 1930s Oldham was the first of Stalin’s British moles, selling
secrets to the Russians to feed a lavish lifestyle and a disastrous
drinking habit. The temerity of Oldham’s actions and the abject
incompetence of the Foreign Office and the security services is laid
bare in The Forgotten Spy.
Genealogist Nick Barratt has made his name unearthing the family trees of numerous people, but for him, telling the tale of Oldham’s treachery was a very personal project.
The painstaking research for which Barratt has made his name through his work on numerous television series has resulted in a fascinating read as he tells the story of his Great Uncle. Barratt has spared none of
the details, regardless of how painful they may be to the surviving
relatives of Oldham or how embarrassing to the civil service.
