Known as "Clutty" to his friends, Hutton was engaged towards the end of 1939 by the War Office to work under Major (later Brigadier) Norman Crockatt, in order to set up and run operations to create and distribute escape and evasion aids for Allied servicemen. Hutton's small team identified suitable manufacturers, ensured supplies and devised methods by which the concealed aids could be sent to prisoner of war camps. It is estimated that around 35,000 British and other Allied personnel managed to evade capture or escape from captivity and return to Allied territory. Many of these were assisted by MI9's silk maps and other escape and evasion equipment.
Hutton achieved all of his wartime escape and evasion work despite shortages of materials such as silk and steel wire; he also overcame much bureaucratic obstruction. He was often in trouble with the police and with official supply authorities of various kinds, but was unreservedly backed by Crockatt. Hutton was always short of money and after WWII he wrote a book about his wartime experiences, which he believed was reasonable since there had been many stories about escapes in the newspapers, as well as open sales of items such as silk maps. But to his own apparent surprise, he encountered difficulties with the security authorities who were nervous about revelations by former members of the secret or semi-secret services.
