British Intelligence - Dublin 1920

[corisande]

I have struggled to understand exactly who was running what, and when In Dublin as part of the Intelligence operation in 1920/21

I have put together this chart

which represents my best understanding of what was happening. Spies never did want anyone to find out about them!

1. Can anyone add or point out errors in the chart

2. Can anyone give information of the Hounslow Spy School

3. Can anyone add information on the operation that Scotland Yard ran to put "ethnic Irish" undercover men into Ireland. This was outside the military Intelligence system. Thomson boasted later that only one was killed (I think this was probably Angliss)

[IPT]

It is indeed a complicated puzzle.

I can't quite make out the meaning of these sentences (I have to admit I found it on Wikipedia's Smith-Cumming page). Does it fit with your flow chart?

"When Britain's Government Committee on Intelligence decided to slash Kell's budget and staff and subordinate MI5 under a new Home Office Civil Intelligence Directorate led by Special Branch's Sir Basil Thomson in January 1919, the powerful MI5/Special Branch partnership that admirably managed counterintelligence and subversives during the war was suddenly thrown into disarray. These bureaucratic intrigues happened at the very moment that the Irish abstentionist party, Sinn Féin, and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were launching their own independence campaign.With MI5 reduced to a skeleton staff of just 28 officers and relegated to the sidelines, and with Thomson unable to contain or penetrate the revitalized IRA with a series of clumsy and hastily organized police intelligence operations, it fell to Smith-Cumming and SIS (then MI1©) to organize a new espionage unit in Ireland, based on continental lines and called the Dublin District Special Branch, in mid-1920."

Also, Basil Thomson is often described as Director of Special Branch of Scotland Yard. Does that fit?

On the other hand;

"Winston Churchill,

Secretary of State for War, endorsed the

Army Council's concurrence with

Macdonogh's views and approved the

dismantling of GHQ Great Britain. It was

decided that the Army's domestic

intelligence organisation, including A2,

would be disbanded on 1 February 1920.

Thereafter, Basil Thomson's Home Office

Directorate of Intelligence and Special

Branch were to control and co-ordinate

the Government and Industry's covert

domestic empire."

[corisande]

The chart does include my interpretation as to what was going on

1. Thomson was in charge of all UK intelligence in 1920.

2 Smith-Cumming came under him running SIS/MI6 or whatever

3. Thomson himself ran the spy school that recruited "ethnic Irish" to send in deep cover to Ireland

[Piley]

I am currently trying to get to the bottom of "who reported to who" and who called the shots?"

I have been researching Major Arthur Raymond Boscawen Savage, he was formerly RFA, was employed as an Intelligence Officer in the Dublin District. Sadly he had a severe drink problem throghout his Army career, and sadly was forced to retire as an IT Officer....however having had reports against him from Dublin Castle and RIC, he applied as an Auxie and was accepted! only to pass away on 18 May 1921 aged 52 (before he could serve!) and was buried in Grangegorman Cemetery.

Surely Army Intel/RIC and ADRIC would all have access to his files?

If anyone has a picture of him I would be very grateful.

Simon

[corisande]

Sold for £440

Three: Major A. R. B. Savage, Royal Field Artillery, an Intelligence Officer in Dublin after the war

1914-15 Star (Major, R.F.A.); British War and Victory Medals (Major) with card boxes of issue, nearly extremely fine (3) £80-100

Footnote

Arthur Raymond Boscawen Savage (father of J. R. B. Savage) died on 18 May 1921, at the age of 52, whilst serving in Ireland as an Intelligence Officer, in Dublin District. He is buried at Grangegorman Military Cemetery, County Dublin, Ireland. Sold with twelve pages of research copied from his P.R.O. correspondence file, mostly relating to his problems with alcohol addiction. The following is extracted from a confidential testimony submitted to the Recruiting Officer of the R.I.C. on 13 May 1921: ‘Major A. R. B. Savage, Royal Field Artillery, aged 53, obtained his first commission in the Royal Artillery on 23 July 1887. In 1906 after reports of unfitness to command and addiction to alcohol, he was called upon to retire, and was appointed to the Reserve of Officers. Major Savage was called up for service at the outbreak of the war, and, after a short term in France did duty with a Reserve Brigade at home until relegated to unemployment on account of ill health on 22.6.1918.

I see he has a CWGC recognised grave

Have you read his Nat Archive file. I can see no record of him being a "special appointment" and cannot see where he was serving when he died. I assume he died of "natural" causes.

I think if I were you I would start a new thread for him, that way you stand more chance of his details not being buried in a thread like this.

The new thread on him has been started here