Real-life British spies Pete and Prue Mason lived out their days in quiet anonymity right here in Ponoka County, living in an iconic white-and-brown farmhouse about five kilometres south of Ponoka, enjoying their retirement with their many horses, cats and dogs, for over 30 years.
Captain Peter Mason and Prudence (Prue) Mason (knee Fitzalan-Howard) were both integral members of the British Intelligence Service. Pete made a career of hunting down high-level Nazis and war criminals following the days after WWII.
"He now leads an unobtrusive and fairly quiet life in which he has surrounded himself with the things which he likes: horses, dogs, guns, books and a large collection of clandestine weapons, plus various military vehicles. This includes a long sough-after WWII Jeep!," Prue wrote in a letter to movie producer Rob Stone in 1996.
Lying about his age, he was only 16 or 17 when he enlisted and was eventually given a "license to kill" by Sir Winston Churchill, and later signed by Clement Atley.
"At this time, volunteers were gratefully accepted, no questions asked," Prue wrote.
"While his peers, who had been bundled off as evacuees into the depths of the English countryside were busy settling in the rural schools, playing cricket and soccer, and only worrying about exams and homework, Mason was physically embroiled in the real war."
While Pete wrote one autobiographical account of his exploits Official AsSASsin and co-authored another book about spying, after immigrating to Canada, the couple kept their exact whereabouts secret, constantly expecting retaliation.
Now that Pete and Prue have both passed, however, Pete's second wife Laurie Mason wants to ensure they are both remembered.
"Their efforts were definitely a big part of the winning of the war," said Laurie.
"Their whole life is just an incredible story."
Prue also worked as a spy, although less of her exploits are known.
"She did service Israel, Palestine. Her methods regarding warfare and weaponry are still in use today," said Laurie.
Pete served in both the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Special Air Service (SAS) during the war. Prue was a transport pilot.
The SOE was a secret British organization formed by Churchill for the purpose of conducting espionage behind enemy lines.
Pete and Prue operated a dude ranch in Sussex, England. Pete also had an arms shop in Lewes. During the war, the couple toured around Europe as part of a Wild West show, allowing them to carry out covert operations.
After the war ended, Pete was assigned to a Baker Team and tasked with hunting down and eliminating Nazis who had escaped prosecution at Nuremberg. on May 8, 1945, Churchill gave the unit orders to "convert to his Majesty's possession" their targets, or in other words, to eliminate them - a license to kill.
German officers who had carried out illegal executions under Hitler's 1942 "Commando Order" had been found guilty of war crimes at the Nuremberg trials but some escaped prosecution. Some of the executions of Allied commandos by the Germans were gruesome, and so for the SAS, bringing those German officers to justice was personal.
Pete had always maintained that he had carried out 16 executions.
Pete's exploits during and after the war have been captured in a Discovery Channel television series called Spy-Tek.
"That really details what Pete did ... and how brutal the SS was to some British operatives," said Laurie.
"Their efforts definitely contributed to the war effort and an Allied outcome of victory."
Although there may be other sources of inspiration, some believe Cpt. Mason was the basis for the fictitious secret agent character James Bond.
Pete was known to be a friend and consultant to Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels.
Fleming would seek Pete's advice and knowledge on secret agent weaponry.
"Pete, a weapons expert, designed a silencer that, from what I understand, was used on screen by Sean Connery in a Bond film," said Laurie.
"That's always why I thought of Pete as the original James Bond."
Hundreds of the gadgets, weapons and knives Pete used are now part of a display at the Combined Military Services Museum in Maldon, Essex. The museum also has a copy of Prue's unpublished memoirs.
There has been some interest in adapting Official AsSASsin into a movie, but so far no deal has come to fruition.
When Pete and Pru first came to the USA, they were part of the rodeo circuit for awhile. They brought over six of their beloved horses, as well as dogs and cats, that travelled by sea.
In 1964, they moved to Western Canada, living in hiding. When they came to Alberta, they first lived in the bush near Rocky Mountain House, surviving in fairly isolated, primitive conditions for about 20 years.
They built cabins on the O'Chiese First Nation. Prue taught school there and delivered a few babies on those cabin floors, said Laurie.
Pete was even awarded a plaque for 20 years of service to the Nation.
"It was another offshoot in the story of their lives - pretty fascinating - about how they survived."
Around 1991, the couple moved into the house south of Ponoka, which had been converted from an old barn.
"Living a quiet country life, (Pete) spends more time in boots and jeans than Savile Row suits and handmade shirts and shoes," Prue wrote.
"But, the suits and shoes are still there, and the Jag is in the garage next to the Jeeps ad the stable yard has a full quota of top-bred mares and Stallions. A peaceful, rural life. But the telephones wait, and a suitcase stays packed."
Laurie met the Masons in 1995 when she went to work for them, caring for their many animals.
A single mother in need of a job, she was anxiously awaiting the print edition of the Ponoka paper. As soon as it arrived, she checked the classifieds and saw the Masons' posting about caring for their horses.
Experienced and passionate about horses, Laurie jumped at the chance, calling Pete right away.
"He hired me on the spot," she recalls.
That's how she came to care for their eight horses and several cats and dogs on and off over the next couple of decades.
In the couple's later years, it was Laurie who cared for each animal into their old age, watching as each passed on, as well as losing Prue in 2018 and Pete in 2022.
"I helped them out and it was such a joy to help them ... but painful as well," said Laurie.
"They were both very special people to the towns people," she said, adding many locals had connections with the couple, from veterinarians to nurses and hospital staff who said Pete was their favourite patient.
Laurie and Pete got married on Aug. 1, 2021.
"Pete could tell a story," said Laurie, noting you could come expecting to visit for half-an-hour and leave four hours later.
"He was mesmerizing ... you couldn't leave."
Although, she admits, she could never really tell for sure if everything he said was true, as she believes he tended to embellish things.
"He was larger than life, charming, charismatic, funny ... the greatest storyteller there ever was," she said.
"That's what I miss the most," she said. "I miss them both terribly."
