Intelligence in the Middle East

[mhifle]

Hi,

Here is a list of some of those working in Intelligence.

Regards Mark

EGYPT

Five ‘Specialists’ Arrived in Cairo from the War Office Dec 1914 to join the General Staff of Army HQ. None were regular army.

Carefully selected civilians for special service with knowledge of Turkish language and of Asia Minor

Lieutenant George A Lloyd. Knew Turkish had worked at British Embassy in Constantinople, Member of Parliament (had left Cairo by Feb 1915) Worked for Military Intelligence in Gallipoli. Intelligence colleague Staff Officer George Lloyd 4 Feb 1915 visit front at Suez Canal towards end of the battle

Lieutenant Charles Leonard Woolley RFA knew Arabic, archeologist 11 Dec 1914 arrived Egypt

Lieutenant James Barromew Hay, possible former Ottoman Gendarmerie in Libya- specialist on Turkish activity in Libya. Born Aberdeenshire in 1880. Became Assistant Provost Marshal GHQ.

2nd Lieutenant Thomas Edward Lawrence knew Arabic, archaeologist

Captain Aubrey Herbert. Knew Turkish had worked at British Embassy in Constantinople, former Member of Parliament (had left Cairo by Feb 1915) in charge of naval Intelligence in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf in early 1916

2nd Lieutenant T E Lawrence Army List 23.10.1914 appears to have been back dated.

Captain 20 March 1916, Major 5 Aug 1917 (at various times held temporary & local rank in Cairo)

All reported to Captain Stewart Newcombe RE who arrived a few days after them

Worked for Director of Intelligence Captain Gilbert F Clayton (Pre war Cairo Intelligence) also controlled Egyptian civil Intelligence

By Nov 1915 only Hay and Lawrence still working at Army HQ in Cairo

Mervyn Sorley Macdonnell. Specialist on ‘Tripoli’.and Sanusi matters. Irish and had worked as civil servant in the Sudan and Egypt, replaced James Hay at GHQ. Turkish on western frontier of Libya Nov 1915 working with T E Lawrence on Intelligence Summaries

Hough ex Consul at Jaffa Feb 1915

Jan 1915 Captain W H I Shakespear Indian Army adviser to ibn Saud killed in a tribal battle, picked out as a target due to his British uniform

Colonel Wyndham H Deedes (Intelligence staff at Gallipoli) (sent to Basra)

Lieutenant Colonel C J Hawker

Both worked on occasion for Cairo’s Military Intelligence, previously Ottoman Gendarmerie in Libya

Cairo Military Intelligence June 1915 located in the Midan Suraes building Cairo

Captain Stewart Francis Newcombe RE (survey of Sinai)

Macdonnell

2nd Lieutenant T E Lawrence

Ciphering June 1915

Captain Gordon Philip L Cosens-arrived Egypt Nov 1914

Captain Lord C H A Anglesey

Captain Lord Edward William Spencer Hartington (Gallipoli 18 Aug 1915)

Captain Prince Alexander of Battenburg , Grenadier Guards

Colonel A C Parker (Nephew of Lord Kitchener) replaced Captain Necombe when he was posted to the Dardanelles Sept 1915. Pre war Governor of Sinai

WESTERN EGYPT 1915-16

Nov 1915 Captain Hay was at located at RNACD headquarters at al-Dab’a as liaison with Army HQ Cairo. Emergency Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Division.

Commanded by Lieutenant Commander Charles Lister

George Purvis-Political Officer with the squadron (Deputy Director General of the Egyptian Coastguard Administration)

Lieutenant Yeo RNVR

A surgeon

Medical attendant RAMC

5 men operating the wireless

17 assorted drivers and soldiers.

Sir Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor, the 2nd Duke of and 4th Marquess of Westminster in command no.2 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Division.

Major L V Owston replaced him as commander of the Armoured Car Brigade 1916

Sub Lieutenant Leslie Dudgeon

Interpreter Basil Lambrinidis

Sent to help secure supplies for POW’s from the ‘Tara’ 1916

Cecil Longueville Snow

Captain Norman Dewhurst (Military Representative at British Consulate Riga Latvia in 1921)

Major Leopold Royle RFC killed in combat air crash 17 Aug 1918

Major Charles W Maclean Staff officer. 7 years service Egyptian Army. Married to Leo Royle’s cousin Gladys Royle

Jan 1916 Intelligence section: Code named ‘Intrusive’

Colonel Gilbert Clayton – Chief – Director of Intelligence

Captain Wyndham H Deedes, Kings Royal Rifle Corps– Suspects (Arrived from Intelligence staff Gallipoli 11 Dec 1915) had worked in Turkish section of Military Intelligence in London at start of war

Captain Kinahan Cornwallis – SW Arabia, Arab Bureau

Captain Macdonnell – Tripolitania

Captain Robert Graves – Turkish Army

Major Engleton or Engledon – Censor

Captain T W Beaumont – Censor

Major Hennessy – Suspects

Captain Charles Leonard Woolley – liaison French Fleet

Major C Garvice – Alexandria ‘Staff (Intelligence Alexandria)’, Res of Officers,Staff

Major Pratt Barlow – Suez

Colonel W E Jennings Bramly – Ismailia. A specialist on the Egyptian Bedouin (Sudan Civil Service) (I S Cavalry), (Arrived Egypt June 1915 & 1 Aug 1916)

Built a town called Borg al-Arab west of Alexandria in the 1920’s with a monument a 10ft high pillar in the memory of Leopold Royle.

Local Lieutenant Charles Hubert Armbruster – Enemy trading (Later became Director of Sudan Customs) Arrived Egypt 1 Dec 1915

H F Rider – Enemy trading-Fin Adv Staff

Captain Vivian Henry Hadkinson (RNVR)– French Fleet

Captain Walter Francis Stirling – Port Said

2nd Lieutenant T E Lawrence - Maps

Oct 1915

Captain Chope with the Bikanir Camel Corps arrived from India

George Hunter Coastguard Camel Corps

Nov 1915 at Sollum

Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Longueville Snow, Egyptian Coast Guard. Collected intelligence on the Sansui Brotherhood and secure the Libyan Border

Captain Leopold Royle seconded from RFC ex Coastguard Camel Corps

Captain Richard Brazley-White in command of Egyptian troops

Bimbashi Hewitt

Turkish Mission to the Sanusi in Sept 1914

By the ‘Special Organization’

Pasha Sulayman al-Baruni

Turkish Mission to the Sanusi 1915

Nuri Bey (Enver Pasha’s brother) led the Sanusi Army, later returned to Turkey. He was commanding guerrilla operations in the Caucasus at the end of the war.

Ja’far al-Askari, Staff Officer in Ottoman Army held a command in the Sanusi Army. Captured and later joined the Arab revolt. Govt Minister in Iraq & assassinated in 1936

His ADC was Pertev Tewfik

Muhammad Bey al-Jibani, Libyan noble from Bengahzi

Hajji Kamel Bey al-Bunduqi

Muhyi al-Din Shatila boat owner & Beiruti gun runner

Major Djemal Bey situated at Marmaris harbour

Sulayman al-Baruni

Turkish officers

Fevzi

Husni

Dr Bechie Fuad

Captain Ahmad Mansur ex Egyptian Coastguard

Lieutenant Mustafa

Nehud Bey, Machine gun officer

Abdi Bey

German Mission to Sansui 1915

Lieutenant Baron Otto von Gumpenberg, German Foreign Ministry (ex soldier of fortune), cover name ‘Roeder’ using an American passport. Captured 11 July 1915, and held as POW.

Dr Otto Mannesmann German Agent, Reserve Officer with Uhlan Regiment at Ludswigsburg, Stuttgart. With the German Foreign Ministry as an expert on North Africa. Supplied arms etc via German U boats to the Sansui. Shot and killed 10 April 1916 while travelling west across Libya by Sanusi soldiers

Senousi agent in Cairo 1915

Muhammad Idrisi

Egyptian Coastguard who defected to the Sanusi Nov 1915

Bimbashi Muhammad Saleh (Harb) Bey became a General (lewa) in the Sanusi army. Fled by U boat to Pola and on to Constantinople. Returned to Egypt after the war. 1939 Director General of the Egyptian Coastguard Administration

Yousbashi Adeeb Effendi

Lieutenant Abu Zeid

Mahmoud Labid

Defected with 134 uniformed Egyptians

24 Nov 1914 Four German officers based in Gaza, dressed as Arabs working with Bedouin in Sinai

French navy torpedo boat ‘Mousqueton’ captured two Turkish officers and five NCO’s on a mission to the Sanusi onboard the ‘Olympia’ 16 June 1915

Major Gordon Ingram Bey, Staff Officer in Intelligence at Alexandria ex Egyptian Police, Arabic speaking (died of typhoid in Egypt 28 Feb 1929)

Captain Massey 29th Punjabis commanding Royal Flying Corps group 1915

Pilots

Captain Reilly

2nd Lieutenant Cockerell

Observer - Captain Leopold Royle

Lieutenant Roy Tweedie ex Egyptian Coastguard

Lieutenant Rowden

Athens Intelligence - Major Samson (pseudonym ‘R’) Ran the Levant Branch of British Intelligence

Compton Mackenzie arrived in Athens mid August 1915.

Sir Reginald Hall Head of Naval Intelligence

David George Hogarth-Arab Bureau

Temporary naval or military rank held by officials of the Arab Bureau did not indicate their political status or duties.

French military liaison staff in Egypt

Monsieur Albert Defrance French representative in Cairo

Francois Georges-Picot Secretary at the French Agency

Lieutenant Doynel de Saint-Quentin, French Military representative in Cairo.

Ronald Storrs Oriental Secretary to the High Commissioner

Military Governor Jerusalem 1918. On good terms with the Franciscan Fathers who ran the only English Language printing press in Jerusalem, and printed OETA Standing Orders and also General Instructions for the Information of Officers.

Gertrude M L Bell arrived Cairo 26.11.1915 sent by Captain W R Hall head of Intelligence at the Admiralty. Cairo Intelligence Department an Arab expert. Later based at Basra

Philip Graves joined Intelligence Jan 1915 Expert on the Turkish Army.

Ernest M Dowson Director of the Survey of Egypt

Captain Leopold Royle intelligence officer with Western Frontier Force Nov 1915

Captain James Hay

MESOPOTAMIA May 1916

Colonel Beach – Military Intelligence

Campbell Thompson – Basra

Basara – Secret Service work Captain J C More Military Intelligence staff

Running network of agents into Jauf, Damascus, Aleppo, Diarbekir, Mosul, Deir, and Baghdad

Military Intelligence staff at:

Amara

Ali Gharbi

Sheikh Sad

Nasiriya

Ahwaz

2 mapping sections:

Colonel Pirrie -Survey of India

5 officer surveyors

12 Indian surveyors

Chainmen

Vandyke section

Printing section with 3 machines

RE Litho and Printing Section

Captain Hamilton

Mostly attached to Corps HQ at the front.

Rest based at Basra issuing corrections to degree sheets.

Political Department – HQ at Basra-Sir Percy Z Cox

Also included Customs, Excise, Land Revenue, Taxation, Crown Lands, the Judiciary, the Police, River-Conservancy,

Khaki uniforms and white tabs.

Captain C E Wilson - Assistant

Lieutenant Ernest Gilbert Bullard – Postal Service (ex Levant Consular Service)

Captain Gerard Evelyn Leachman – Political Officer. - Arabian

Captain E W C Noel Political Department

Hubert Young

Major John Inglis Eadie (Indian Army) Iraq Army after war

H R C Dodds - Chief of the Revenue Department (Civilian from India)

Major Blacker Military Intelligence –Arab Bureau local correspondent

Colonel Parker in charge Cairo Intelligence after Clayton in 1916

Ismailia Medforce HQ

Colonel Holdich chief of EEF Intelligence staff

HEJAZ 1916

Colonel A C Parker arrived in Hejaz 6 Sept 1916 for 3 months

Study possibility of setting up an airfield at Rabegh, and a liaison officer at Rabegh

Worked with alongside an engineer officer and a pilot.

Handed over to Major P C Royce 5 Dec 1916 in anticipation of an advance across Sinai where his local knowledge would be very useful.

Captain Alfred Christopher Pearson Royal Warwickshire Regiment - Political Officer looking after the Basra Sector in 1917/1918

Oct 1916 in the Hejaz

Lieutenant Colonel C E Wilson – Pilgrimage Officer

Major Hugh Drummond Pearson RE, Egyptian Army replaced Wilson at Jidda while on leave 1916

Colonel Bremond head of the French Military Mission (later replaced by Major Cousse)

Colonel Cadi of the French Military Mission

Captain Pisani, Artillery Officer

3 French NCO machine gun instructors at Wejh

Sergeant Claude Proste, French Army, arrived at Wadi Ais March 1917

Berhet-French interpreter

Lieutenant Millet English speaking officer of French Military Mission at Jidda

Lamotte a French officer

Major Pierce Charles Joyce

Captain Devonport

Commanded two Moslem Egyptian companies from the Sudan as protection for the RFC

Egyptian artillery unit from the Sudan commanded by Hassan Zeki Bey. (Thought to be pro Turkish)

Captain Bray Indian Army Officer visited Red Sea ports in Arab hands 1916

Major ‘Bimbashi’ H G Garland RE training in explosives had been promoted from Sergeant to Major on starting service in the Hejaz. (Special List British Officers Attached to Egyptian Army) former superintendent of a government explosives laboratory in Cairo. Over saw the Turkish surrender at Medina in late 1918.

Sir Reginald Wingate-Governor General of Sudan ‘Sidar’

Captain Boyle the Commander of the Red Sea Patrol Squadron

Major Ross commander of RFC flight in Hejaz

J C Watson RFC observer at Rabegh

Military Mission of four Officers to the Hejaz

Captain Stewart Newcombe Royal Engineers - Yenbo

Major Vickery Artillery – Rabegh (departed June 1917)

Major Cox Artillery – Rabegh (departed June 1917)

Major Marshall Medical officer – Rabegh

Lieutenant H S Hornby RE joined Hejaz Military Mission April 1917

Captain N N E Bray visited the Hejaz with an Indian Army mission

Dec 1916 Staff Officer (I) to Colonel Wilson at Jidda

Oct 1916 Major P C Joyce senior British officer at Ragbegh

Major Joyce Senior British officer responsible for armoured cars and the RFC flight

Arrived March 1917

Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Evelyn Leachman Wejh March 1917 (12 Aug 1920 shot in the back by a sheikh in Mesopotamia)

Admiral Rosslyn Wemyss-informed observer of Arab Revolt

Flag Captain Burmester

Syrian-Arab operations 1917

Officers from Hadjaz Mission working with EEF in Syrian-Arab operations 28 July 1917

Lieutenant Colonel P C Joyce GSO

Captain W E Marshall MC RAMC Medical Officer

Captain T E Lawrence Staff Captain

Captain R Goslet Army Service Corps, Supply Officer

Captain H S Hornby RE – worked with Arab raiding parties, Peake’s Egyptian Camel Corps and a corps of Egyptian labourers

Captain D MacIndoe Arab Bureau 1917

Lieutenant Wood RE – base engineer Akaba 1917

Algerian Captain Rabo Arab Army

Lieutenant Colonel Alan Dawnay liaison between EEF and Arab Revolt 1918

Direct ‘Arab Operations’ team in Cairo

Lieutenant Colonel Joyce Akaba Base Commandant 1918 (Actually Military adviser to Arab Revolt)

Major Scott actually in charge at Akaba

Lieutenant Alec Kirkbride EEF Intelligence 1918

Agent ‘Y’ a British agent occupying a high place in the Turkish command 1917

Lowell Thomas American journalist-authorised by US Govt. Left Italy for Palestine 12 Jan 1918

Harry Chase his photographer

Special liaison staff GHQ Cairo ‘Hedgehog’ Staff March 1918

Colonel Dawnay GSO 1

Captain Pratt Barlow GSO 3

Major Wordie DAQMG

Captain Bennett Staff Captain

Lieutenant Colonel T E Lawrence GSO 1 Liaison Arab Army12 March 1918

Lieutenant Colonel Walter Francis Stirling MC– Deputy Chief Political Officer June 1918

Captain Hubert Young worked alongside and trained as a possible replacement for Lawrence during 1918

Lieutenant Colonel Robert ‘Robin’ Buxton commanding the Imperial Camel Corps

Major Maynard

Lieutenant Junor RFC pilot of one of two aircraft 1918

Lieutenant Lord A E H M A Delmany Attached 1st Echelon for Special Duty Egypt

With T E Lawrence at the Jaffa Gate ceremony 1917

Later Kings Messenger Service GHQ France

Grenadier Guards, Reserve of Officers, Staff Corps

Major W G A Ormsby – Gore, British Liaison officer to the Zionist Mission in Palestine Feb 1918. (Shropshire Yeomanry)

Arrived in Egypt 15 March 1915. With the Arab Bureau 1916 to 1917. 1922 With the Colonial Office & MP

Colonel Bourchier officer in charge of Allied troops in Damascus 1918

[infantry]

Very interesting prosographic info.

Thanks

[pearsonica]

Hi

Whats the differnce between Political Officer and an Inteligence Officer as My gt Uncle was Captain Alfred Christopher Pearson - Political Officer looking after the Basra Sector in 1917/1918

Regards

Ian Pearson

[mhifle]

Hi,

The Political Officer dealt with the local tribes and in Basra also had to deal with the Customs, Excise, Land Revenue, Taxation, Crown Lands, the Judiciary, the Police, River-Conservancy. They had Khaki uniforms and white tabs.

While I think the Inteligence Officer dealt with military inteligence on the enemy & allies ?

Regards Mark

[bluedog]

One can only hope that the Senior British staff took more notice of their intelligence

Officers in the EEF and Mesopotamia than they did at Gallipoli.

But history tells us , "Not really"

Peter

[mhifle]

Hi,

Would that be Captain Alfred Christopher Pearson of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment?

Regards Mark

[Guest kiratibetan]

Hi

I am currently researching Brig-General Hawker who is on the above list - can I ask where the list came from?

Pete

[mhifle]

Hi.

Most of it came from Lawrence of Arabia: The Authorized Biography of T.E.Lawrence by J.M. Wilson

Mark

[Philip Wilson]

Lieutenant George A Lloyd. Knew Turkish had worked at British Embassy in Constantinople, Member of Parliament (had left Cairo by Feb 1915) Worked for Military Intelligence in Gallipoli. Intelligence colleague Staff Officer George Lloyd 4 Feb 1915 visit front at Suez Canal towards end of the battle.

In the biography of Lord LLOYD by Colin Forbes Adam, it states that: From the end of January 1916 George remained until the middle of April with his regiment the Warwickshire Yeomanry, at Sabbieh.......As there was nothing to do but regimental duties, he had plenty of leisure to read, and do some quiet thinking about past experiences (page 78)

The Wartime Diary of Trooper Charles THORNE of the Warwickshire Yeomanry - July 1915 to January 1918 puts a different complexion on matters and helps to flesh out that which is omitted from the biography of LLOYD, not only during the so called quiet period from January 1916 to middle of April 1916 but for much of the duration of the War in the Middle East.

2750 Trooper Charles Thorne was in Mena Camp on the 19 January 1916 and commenced his duties as batman / valet to Captain G.LLOYD on 23 January 1916 and remained with him until 13 February 1917. For a short spell THORNE was batman to General LYNDON BELL from 15 February 1917 to 25 April 1917 returning to work wih LLOYD for the remainder of the War.

While THORNE was serving with Captain LLOYD he travelled widely as THORNE 's diary reveals, either with LLOYD or alone carryimg documents and messages. Both LLOYD and THORNE accompanied LAWRENCE OF ARABIA on an exciting journey into Arabia and they are both mentioned in Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

A transcript of THORNE's diary can be viewed in the Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum.

Those intelligence officers who travelled out into the desert may well have been accompanied by their batman / valet . Clearly this is an avenue worth exploring in terms of any remaining diaries their batmen may have kept.

[mhifle]

Thanks for that interesting information

Regards Mark

[Robert Dunlop]

One can only hope that the Senior British staff took more notice of their intelligence Officers in the EEF and Mesopotamia than they did at Gallipoli.

Peter, have you read '36 Days: The Untold Story Behind the Gallipoli Landings' by Hugh Dolan (ISBN 9781405039857)? If not then it is well worth taking a gander. Dolan discusses the intelligence operations, including reports from spies. He shows how the information was used to plan the Gallipoli landings. It's a great read and very eye-opening.

Robert

[Story]

How did Colonial Office Intelligence Officers interact with the Military Intelligence guys?

I'm particularly interested in Harry St John Philby, who in worked Baghdad for Percy Cox in the "Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force", as a Finance Officer.