ddycher Posted 2 October , 2017 Share Posted 2 October , 2017 All Spent the weekend trying to catalogue my ref's for "Intelligence" in Egypt through the war. My material a mess of conflicting ref's on Force in Egypt, MEF Military Intelligence, EEF Miliatry Intelligence and the Arab Bureau entwined with bits and pieces from the Levant Secret Service. Can anyone recommend a general ref to help with the big picture ? Am trying to place into the following categories : FIE 1914 & 1915 at Cairo MEF 1915 at Mudros and Gallipoli EEF and the Arab Bureau 1916 ~ 1919 Levant Secret Service at Athens, Alexandria, Port Said and Cyprus 1915 ~ 1918 and its amalgamation into Military Intelligence in 1918 Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 2 October , 2017 Share Posted 2 October , 2017 There are some online books available which cover certain aspects, but don't give the "big picture" you are looking for. Gallipoli Memories by Compton Mackenzie 1929 Archive.org. The first of four volumes of memoirs of his experiences serving with British Intelligence in the Eastern Mediterranean during the First World War. Compton Mackenzie Wikipedia. First Athenian Memories by Compton Mackenzie 1931. scribd.com. Scroll past some pages in Greek. This digital file consists of the first 193 pages of the book, which are then repeated, followed by the remainder of the book (total 402 pages). Greek Memories by by Compton Mackenzie 1939. Available to read online on scribd.com. This is the second edition published in 1939, with some content from the original 1932 edition deleted, due to the author's prosecution under the Official Secrets Act. These two volumes are the 2nd and 3rd of a series of memoirs of the World War. v.4. Aegean Memories does not appear to be available online. Review Tales of Aegean Intrigue by J C Lawson 1921 Archive.org. The author was a Naval Intelligence Officer on Crete (Temporary Lieutenant, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve) The Allied Secret Service in Greece by Sir Basil Thomson, Director of Intelligence 1919-1921. 2nd impression 1931 Hathi Trust Digital Library. Compton Makenzie, in Greek Memories, states that Thomson’s title was a civil post connected with the Police which suggested a more intimate knowledge of Greek affairs than he possessed, and refers to “the untrustworthiness of his narrative”. Mackenzie may not have thought much of Lawson either, but I'm vague on this point. The following is not currently available, but may become so in the future, if the Digital Library of India becomes available again. Hard Lying Pdf download, Digital Library of India. Full title “Hard Lying”: Eastern Mediterranean, 1914-1919 by Captain L B Weldon 1925. The author was a British Army Intelligence Officer , initially OC of a British Ship (HMS Anne previously Aenne Rickmers) carrying a French, later British seaplane squadron used for reconnaissance flights. Although the most of the book is about other regions, there seem to the occasional visits to Greek islands, e.g. Rhodes and Castellorizo, the latter then under French control. Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturmey Posted 2 October , 2017 Share Posted 2 October , 2017 I've never found a cheap version, but if you can afford it Yigal Sheffy's "British Military Intelligence in the Palestine Campaign 1914-1918" nails your EEF/Arab Bureau requirement. Nearly as good, but obviously covering other ground as well are James Barr's "Setting the Desert on Fire" and Neil Faulkner's "Lawrence of Arabia's War". These last two are turning up a bit cheaper in the usual places, and are a bit friendlier as a first read than the Sheffy. Though he's the boss. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 3 October , 2017 Author Share Posted 3 October , 2017 Thank you Maureen. Did not have MacKenzie's work. Reading through it now. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 3 October , 2017 Author Share Posted 3 October , 2017 Thanks Jonathan As you say Sheffy the go to on EEF / Arab Bureau. Martin Thomas's "Empires of Intelligence" also helping. Have Lawrence of Arabia's War but not Setting the Desert on Fire. So getting there re Arab Bureau and the EEF. Really struggling on the SIB though. Especially the move of men from the FIE to there and the MEF. Completely lost on SIB's role in Gallipoli after the opening of the Levant office in Athens in February 1915 and what happened in Cairo on the forming of EMSIB in April 1915. This has me running on the Port Said, Cyprus loop and intrigues with the French Service de Renseignements. After that there appears to be alot of bouncing backwards and forwards between the commands re Gallipoli and later the WFF through 1915. The Military Intelligance / SIB consolidation in Alexandria in January 1916 tough to work through. The Armenian Volunteers of 1916/17 also proving challenging. That all said brain goes into meltdown when I try to bring it all together with the EEF Intelligence re-organization in July and the SIB absorption in September 1918. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 3 October , 2017 Author Share Posted 3 October , 2017 Maureen Compton MacKenzie's "Memories" proving to be a gold mine. Many thanks for this. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturmey Posted 3 October , 2017 Share Posted 3 October , 2017 Hi Maureen and Dave Oh boy, I feel your pain with the interweaving of the agencies you mention. I sometimes think this topic is a bit like modern jazz, I'm actually worried about getting to like it too much because there are no limits and my wife may never see me again. atb j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 4 October , 2017 Author Share Posted 4 October , 2017 The wife claims its not a hobby but an obsession. Does keep me at home where she can see me though. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 4 October , 2017 Author Share Posted 4 October , 2017 (edited) All For those like me who need the difinitive ref look at the National Archives KV 1 section. Download the >40mB KV 1/17 file on the EMSIB and its all there. Going to take months to correct all the errors and assumptions I had made over the years but should be a fascinating closure. Unfortunately KV 1/19 is incomplete at this time but more than enough to keep us busy. Close the door on the study Jonathan.....wives on invitation only for a while... Dave Edited 4 October , 2017 by ddycher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturmey Posted 4 October , 2017 Share Posted 4 October , 2017 Don't know if you can get it - I see you are in Hong Kong - but my co-written episodes of TOMMIES on BBC Radio 4 going out this 10/11th November are about EEF and HK & S Mountain Battery units at Gaza and Hebron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 4 October , 2017 Author Share Posted 4 October , 2017 Will see if I can get an internet feed. Thanks for letting me know. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 8 October , 2017 Author Share Posted 8 October , 2017 All Spent the weekend with the KV 1/17 files. Not as definitive as I hoped, it first looked. Strong on the work of the EMSIB, little in terms of the people at play and almost nothing on the interaction with the General Staff, Intelligence Section. Does give pointers though on the consolidation in Egypt in early 1916 between Cairo and SIB and places the amalgamation of assets in 1916 after Buckleys re-organization. Its place in the references well mapped out by Sheffy in his "British Intelligence in the middle east1900~1918. How much do we know ?". As Jonathan points out above. He remains the boss..... Back to cross referencing people as I come across snippets. I anyone does have any queries. Happy to share anything I have. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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