MI19
Encyclopedia
MI19 was a division of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence
, part of the War Office
. In World War II
it was responsible for obtaining information from enemy prisoners of war
.
It was originally created in December 1940 as MI9a, a sub-section of MI9
. A year later, in December 1941, it became an independent organisation, though still closely associated with its parent.
MI19 had Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre
s (CSDIC) at Beaconsfield
, Wilton Park and Latimer as well as a number overseas.
MI19 operated an interrogation centre in Kensington Palace Gardens
, London
, commanded by Lt. Col. Alexander Scotland
OBE, known as the "London Cage
". It was a subject of persistent reports of torture by the prisoners confined there, which included war crimes suspects from the SS and Gestapo held in the facility after World War II.
The BBC reported that MI 19 staff were sent to the Channel Islands in 1945 to look for evidence of collaboration during the German occupation. The intent may have been to silence speculation. The Channel Islands were demilitarized by Britain when France fell, and were occupied by substantial German forces. The islands had no strategic value, unlike Malta, and any tactical value would have been outweighed by the effort to maintain forces there. The Channel Islands did contribute to the war effort, by tying up large numbers of German troops who were not available for more aggressive military tasks. There was also a very substantial investment in fortifications, all of which were in the end pointless. MI19 in the Channel Islands'
Directorate of Military Intelligence
The Directorate of Military Intelligence was a department of the British War Office.Over its lifetime the Directorate underwent a number of organisational changes, absorbing and shedding sections over time.- History :...
, part of the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was responsible for obtaining information from enemy prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
It was originally created in December 1940 as MI9a, a sub-section of MI9
MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
. A year later, in December 1941, it became an independent organisation, though still closely associated with its parent.
MI19 had Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre
Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre
The term Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre was used for facilities in the UK, the continent between 1942 and 1947, the Middle East, and South Asia. They were run by the British War Office on a joint basis involving the British Army and various intelligence agencies, notably MI5 and...
s (CSDIC) at Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield is a market town and civil parish operating as a town council within the South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies northwest of Charing Cross in Central London, and south-east of the county town of Aylesbury...
, Wilton Park and Latimer as well as a number overseas.
MI19 operated an interrogation centre in Kensington Palace Gardens
Kensington Palace Gardens
Kensington Palace Gardens is a street in west central London which contains some of the grandest and most expensive houses in the world. It was the location of the London Cage, the British government MI9 centre used during the Second World War and the Cold War.A tree-lined avenue half a mile long...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, commanded by Lt. Col. Alexander Scotland
Alexander Scotland
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Paterson Scotland OBE was a British Army officer and intelligence officer.Scotland was noted for his work during and after World War II as commandant of the "London Cage", a MI19 prisoner of war facility that was subject to frequent allegations of torture.-Early life...
OBE, known as the "London Cage
London Cage
The "London Cage" was a MI19 prisoner of war facility during and immediately after World War II that was subject to frequent allegations of torture...
". It was a subject of persistent reports of torture by the prisoners confined there, which included war crimes suspects from the SS and Gestapo held in the facility after World War II.
The BBC reported that MI 19 staff were sent to the Channel Islands in 1945 to look for evidence of collaboration during the German occupation. The intent may have been to silence speculation. The Channel Islands were demilitarized by Britain when France fell, and were occupied by substantial German forces. The islands had no strategic value, unlike Malta, and any tactical value would have been outweighed by the effort to maintain forces there. The Channel Islands did contribute to the war effort, by tying up large numbers of German troops who were not available for more aggressive military tasks. There was also a very substantial investment in fortifications, all of which were in the end pointless. MI19 in the Channel Islands'
External links
- The Guardian (Ian Cobain) : The secrets of the London Cage 12.11.05.
- The Guardian: Britain's secret torture centre 17.12.05
- The Guardian: The postwar photographs that British authorities tried to keep hidden; Revealed: victims of UK's cold war torture camp 3.4.2006
- What happened to MI1 - MI4? MI5MI5The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
FAQ - ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/local/jersey/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8674000/8674493.stm}