22/01/2026
Coldstream Stories: Operation Keepsafe and the 'Fake' Crown Jewels
The following story was passed to me several years ago by Phil Gourd, the former intelligence officer of the 2nd Battalion in 1944/45. Although a member of the 3rd Bn. throughout the majority of WW2 he was transferred to the 2nd Bn. late in 1944. A well respected and highly influential Coldstream Guardsman I know he would want me to share his story.
🔑Operation KEEPSAFE
By Sgt. Philip Gourd,
During the autumn of 1939, the Daily Mirror had a touring exhibition of replica Crown Jewels. There was a small corner of the front page showing where the exhibition was being held.
On 1st September, the exhibition came to Teignmouth, and my brother and I saw the Daily Mirror arrive at an empty shop which had just been vacated by a house agent. The jewels were carried into the shop in T/chests and cardboard cartons, easily carried by one man because the jewels were just Papier-mâché and coloured stones.
When the exhibition was opened everyone was amazed at the quality of the jewels. They certainly looked like the real thing.
On Sunday 3rd September the BBC gave notice of an important notice by the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, at 11 o'clock. This was the most notable moment on record, when the Prime Minister announced that Britain was at war with Germany.
After Sunday lunch, my father was relaxing in his chair when a Humber Super Snipe drove up the road, with two gents in city suits, asking to see my father. They spoke of the need for a van to be at the shop where the replica Crown Jewels were exhibited, stating that cases were to be moved to Bodmin old jail-house. This was to be on the Monday morning, 4th September. When we arrived at the hop, with the van, there was my father, brother, cousin, and me. The two gents in city suits were there, and by W.H. Smiths on one side of the triangle, was a police car, and another on the other side by Fortes Cafe. There were also police motorcycles around- an antique dealer who had a shop just around the corner came and asked my father what the hell was going on, with vehicles coming and going up to midnight. My brother and I noticed that instead of T/chests and cardboard cartons, the cases were large deal one, only manageable by two men,
During the journey to Bodmin, there was a police car in sight, and also Police Motor bikes. When we got to Bodmin old jail, we carried the cases along a long Passage, down three steps and into a cell which had thick bars.
The two gents in city suits breathed a sigh of relief and my father mentioned that these seemed heavy for Papier-mâché replicas. By this time, the two gents realized we knew what we had been handling, and one told my father how, if he thought he knew anything, it would have been a matter of security, and nothing should be said for at least 50 years. There could be serious consequences for any breach of security.
When we arrived back, my father got us around in a half circle and made us swear to secrecy. My father was a strict disciplinarian and such was his influence, we did not say anything for 50 years. It seems the Ministry of Works vehicle had brought the real crown Jewels from the tower of London, and did not have time to go on to Bodmin, as the replicas had to be on show by 10 o'clock on the Monday morning.
On joining the Coldstream Guards, there were times at Wellington Barracks that chaps would come back from guard duty, saying that had something to write home about, as they had been guarding the crown jewels. I was bursting to tell them, but could not.
70 years to the day after we took the jewels to Bodmin, a small group of us went to Bodmin, where we had a wonderful reception at the museum and at the old jail-house, which is now a noted restaurant.
The cell was visited, and instead of the old thick bars as I remembered, the bars are not rather slender. I was told how this had been the condemned cell, with the last ex*****on being during 1909.
It was 50 years after the war that the Brigadier, govern governor of the Tower of London, had an article in the Daily Telegraph saying that the mystery of what happened to the Crown Jewels during the was unsolved. As 50 years had passed, it was safe for me to tell him.
At a Regimental Garden Party, I met the Queen, but did not have the opportunity to mention the crown jewels, as she was just talking about regimental matters.
I did speak to the lady-in-waiting, who replied that "The Queen is aware of this- she does know”.
I had a call by David Freeman, who is the archivist and historian of the BBC His job is to check and double check on the facts before any documentary is made, He checked on my actions in order to get a firsthand account, He also gave me some interesting information, and this was the first time I knew all this was part of Operation Keepsafe.
Months before the war started, the generals and civil service seniors knew that war was coming, and they kept plans from the politicians, knowing how they talk among themselves, and how secret plans get leaked.
So it was that the Generals and senior civil service were in charge of plans. Knowing how the N***s looted treasures, plans were made to safeguard such items as the gold bullion ingots in the vaults of the Bank of England, historic documents such as the Doomsday book and Magna Carter in the Somerset House archives, Old Masters from the National Gallery (some of them) and various treasures from museums, as well as the most important Crown Jewels.
David Freeman told me that altogether there would be about 49 cases of the Crown Jewels. We conveyed about LO, Most went to two caves in North Wales, where the humidity and temperature was suitable, those taken to Bodmin were transferred to these caves as soon as suitable space was prepared.
The Ministry of Works vans were disguised as Cadbury or Frys chocolate vehicles, as the Cadbury family were helpful with anything that did not involve killing. They would not allow their canning machines, used to Produce cocoa at the time, to be used for manufacture of shell cases, Cadbury family members were acting as stretcher bearers, winning medals for bravery, they also produced emergency chocolate rations in flat tine, only to be opened when instructions given, they did this on a non-profit basis, Producing a tin for every service-man on active service,
