Arthur And The Colonel

   Poor dear Arthur! The picture on the mantelpiece in her London home, is of a man in Naval officer’s uniform, Arthur, Mrs. Butterworth’s dead husband. Men in British Intelligence were recruited from the armed forces, and more often than not from the Royal Navy. In ‘Dance of The Dead,’ Dutton made reference to Arthur, Arthur, the Colonel. I’m not suggesting that Arthur was the Colonel, but he could have been in a position as Fotheringay, or Thorpe. And that Arthur could have been Mrs. Butterworth’s late husband! Ah, but when did Arthur die? It appears before ‘Dance of The Dead,’ so that idea doesn’t hold water. Unless of course ‘Dance of the Dead’ assumes its rightful position in the screening order, that being second and well  before ‘Many Happy returns, then it could be made to fit, fictionally speaking that is.
   I suppose one must ask the question did poor dear Arthur, Mrs Butterworth's late husband really exist? It is not normal for a widow, when moving home, to bring her dead husbands clothes with her and then hang them in a wardrobe let alone to keep his shaving things. Usually if the possessions were kept by the widow they would be carefully stored away. I know she made the excuse that it made her feel there was a man about, but it doesn't ring true somehow. It's also a strange coincidence that dear Arthur took exactly the same size clothes and shoes as Number Six, seeing as they fitted him perfectly!

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