Document

A page from a Special Operations Executive (SOE) document describing the Advanced Operational Training School (M.E.25) at Horana, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), during the Second World War. Originally located at Trincomalee, the school relocated to Horana in 1944 and began operating under a revised training system in September. Personnel who had completed basic paramilitary training at the Eastern Warfare School in Poona, and parachute training at M.E.89 whenever possible, proceeded to M.E.25 for final preparation before operational deployment. Advanced instruction included air cooperation, specialized communications equipment such as Eureka/Rebecca and S-Phone, Japanese intelligence, intelligence concerning intended operational areas, and codes and ciphers for officers and party leaders. Personnel trained in teams alongside their wireless telegraphy (W/T) operators, practising supply drops, radio communications and field exercises under simulated operational conditions. A collective jungle exercise known as FINALE originally lasted three weeks but was later shortened to one week as deployment demands increased. The document illustrates how Force 136 prepared personnel with different specializations to work together on clandestine missions.