Percy Sillitoe
Encyclopedia
Sir Percy Joseph Sillitoe KBE
(22 May 1888–5 April 1962) was Director General of MI5, the United Kingdom
's internal security service, from 1946 to 1953. Prior to his appointment with MI5, he served as Chief Constable
of several police forces in the United Kingdom, notably Sheffield, Glasgow
and Kent.
, London
, on 22 May 1888, the second son and second child of Joseph Henry Sillitoe, average adjuster, and his wife, Bertha Leontine Smith. There was also a younger sister. The family suffered from the financial profligacy of Joseph Sillitoe. After leaving St Paul's choir school in 1902, Percy Sillitoe lived at home for three years, during which time he received some private tuition. From 1905–7 he worked for the Anglo-American Oil Company and in 1908 became a trooper in the British South Africa Police
, a tough, highly disciplined paramilitary force, in what was then Southern Rhodesia. He transferred to the Northern Rhodesia
police in 1911, was commissioned and, in 1913, became engaged to Dorothy Mary, daughter of John Watson, of Elloughton
, Yorkshire
, surveyor and Justice of the Peace
; he had met her on board ship when returning to Africa
from sick leave. He took part in the campaign in German East Africa
, and afterwards served as a political officer in Tanganyika
from 1916 to 1920, when he resigned from the Northern Rhodesia Police
, and returned to Britain. In 1920 he married Dorothy, and they had a daughter and two sons.
A further two years as a colonial service district officer in Tanganyika followed, but his wife disliked the life, and after suffering a serious illness himself Sillitoe resigned in 1922. Prompted by his father-in-law, he applied for the post of chief constable in Hull
, but this application, and another to Nottingham
, were unsuccessful. Sillitoe spent the winter of 1922–3 reading for the bar as a student of Gray's Inn
, without finding much satisfaction in his studies and becoming increasingly depressed; however, in the spring of 1923 he applied successfully for appointment as Chief Constable
of Chesterfield
and began the career that gained him distinction.
, he was appointed chief constable of Sheffield on 1 May 1926. In Sheffield, he commanded a substantial force, badly in need of rejuvenation and strong leadership, and faced serious problems of law and order, gangs having at this time virtually complete control of the poorer parts of the city. In the course of five years, Sillitoe revitalized and modernized the force, broke the power of the gangs by the use of plain-clothes police patrols prepared to use ‘reasonable force’, and acquired a reputation as administrator, disciplinarian, and upholder of the law.
Sillitoe's success in Sheffield led to his appointment in 1931 as chief constable of Glasgow to command a force of 2500 men, second in size in the United Kingdom
to only the London Metropolitan Police
, and to face problems similar to those he mastered in Sheffield. His tenure, which lasted twelve years, further enhanced his reputation. In the words of one of his subordinates, himself a future chief constable of Glasgow, his arrival was ‘like a breath of fresh air’ from which the whole of the police service in Scotland ultimately benefited. He is credited with breaking the power of the notorious Glasgow razor gangs
during the 1930s, made infamous in the novel No Mean City
. During his time as Chief Constable
of City of Glasgow Police
, he was credited with the introduction of wireless radios, allowing communication between headquarters and vehicles, which previously relied completely upon the use of Police box
es, use of civilians in police related roles, and the introduction of compulsory retirement after thirty years' service.
He is further credited with the introduction of the Sillitoe Tartan
—the black and white diced pattern on police cap bands, originally based on that used by several Scottish regiment
s on the Glengarry
.
He was appointed CBE
in 1936 and knighted in 1942, and the following year was invited to take command of the new Kent
joint force in which the county and nine city and borough forces were combined to facilitate planning and co-operation with the fighting services prior to the invasion of Europe. This was the last police appointment he held, until he was named Director General of MI5
on 1 May 1946, as successor to Sir David Petrie
.
and GRU
had a series of successes. His period of office coincided with the trials of Alan Nunn May
and Klaus Fuchs
and the defections of Bruno Pontecorvo
, Guy Burgess
and Donald MacLean - and by the investigation afterwards, which showed that MI5 had been unaware and slow to act. Sillitoe, who had immense concern for his public reputation, had to answer for what with hindsight could sometimes be seen as blameworthy mistakes. The problem of communists in government service required flexibility and political judgement, which were not his strong suits. MI5 needed a different style of leadership from a police force. Moreover, Sillitoe had no liking for people whom he called ‘book-learned intellectuals’—a category to which (in his view) many MI5 officers could be consigned. For their part the senior staff of MI5, backed by considerable wartime achievements, had had their own favoured candidate for director-general and resented the choice of an outsider whose career had not tended to develop the particular skills the post required. A rift developed at a high level and never closed.
Sillitoe's most valuable contribution was made overseas in extending collaboration with, and promoting organization for security in, the old Commonwealth countries and in assisting colonial governments to establish machinery to cope with the security problems that accompanied the evolution of colonial rule into self-government. Here the resolution and forthrightness that helped him become a successful chief constable served him well—though his predilection for publicity shocked traditionalists at home. Sillitoe was made KBE
in 1950. Despite setbacks and public criticism he enjoyed Clement Attlee
's confidence throughout the latter's premiership.
to curb the flow of diamonds bypassing what was called at the time the De Beers Central Selling Organization
. The main leakage (from Sierra Leone
via Liberia
) was successfully plugged and the International Diamond Security Organization was wound up in 1957. Sillitoe later became chairman of Security Express Ltd. He died in Eastbourne
on 5 April 1962.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(22 May 1888–5 April 1962) was Director General of MI5, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's internal security service, from 1946 to 1953. Prior to his appointment with MI5, he served as Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of several police forces in the United Kingdom, notably Sheffield, Glasgow
City of Glasgow Police
The City of Glasgow Police was the police of the City of Glasgow, Scotland. In the 17th century, Scottish cities used to hire watchmen to guard the streets at night, augmenting a force of unpaid citizen constables. On June 30, 1800, the authorities of Glasgow, successfully petitioned the British...
and Kent.
Early life
Sillitoe was born at Tulse HillTulse Hill
Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London, England. It lies to the south of Brixton, east of Brixton Hill, north of West Norwood and west of West Dulwich.-History:...
, 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...
, on 22 May 1888, the second son and second child of Joseph Henry Sillitoe, average adjuster, and his wife, Bertha Leontine Smith. There was also a younger sister. The family suffered from the financial profligacy of Joseph Sillitoe. After leaving St Paul's choir school in 1902, Percy Sillitoe lived at home for three years, during which time he received some private tuition. From 1905–7 he worked for the Anglo-American Oil Company and in 1908 became a trooper in the British South Africa Police
British South Africa Police
The British South Africa Police was the police force of the British South Africa Company of Cecil Rhodes which became the national police force of Southern Rhodesia and its successor after 1965, Rhodesia...
, a tough, highly disciplined paramilitary force, in what was then Southern Rhodesia. He transferred to the Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
police in 1911, was commissioned and, in 1913, became engaged to Dorothy Mary, daughter of John Watson, of Elloughton
Elloughton
Elloughton is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately to the west of Kingston upon Hull to the south of the A63 road. It lies on the southern end of the Yorkshire Wolds. It is conjoined with Brough that lies to the south east, with which it forms the civil...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, surveyor and Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
; he had met her on board ship when returning to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
from sick leave. He took part in the campaign in German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
, and afterwards served as a political officer in Tanganyika
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
from 1916 to 1920, when he resigned from the Northern Rhodesia Police
Northern Rhodesia Police
-History:Northern Rhodesia is now Zambia. Bounded by Angola , the Belgian Congo, German East Africa, British Central Africa , Mozambique , Mashonaland and Matabeleland , Bechuanaland and the Caprivi strip of German South West Africa , in 1889 it was not a political unit and...
, and returned to Britain. In 1920 he married Dorothy, and they had a daughter and two sons.
A further two years as a colonial service district officer in Tanganyika followed, but his wife disliked the life, and after suffering a serious illness himself Sillitoe resigned in 1922. Prompted by his father-in-law, he applied for the post of chief constable in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, but this application, and another to Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, were unsuccessful. Sillitoe spent the winter of 1922–3 reading for the bar as a student of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, without finding much satisfaction in his studies and becoming increasingly depressed; however, in the spring of 1923 he applied successfully for appointment as Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
and began the career that gained him distinction.
Police career
At Chesterfield, where he stayed two years, Sillitoe made a considerable impression and, after a year as chief constable of the East Riding of YorkshireEast Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, he was appointed chief constable of Sheffield on 1 May 1926. In Sheffield, he commanded a substantial force, badly in need of rejuvenation and strong leadership, and faced serious problems of law and order, gangs having at this time virtually complete control of the poorer parts of the city. In the course of five years, Sillitoe revitalized and modernized the force, broke the power of the gangs by the use of plain-clothes police patrols prepared to use ‘reasonable force’, and acquired a reputation as administrator, disciplinarian, and upholder of the law.
Sillitoe's success in Sheffield led to his appointment in 1931 as chief constable of Glasgow to command a force of 2500 men, second in size in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to only the London Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
, and to face problems similar to those he mastered in Sheffield. His tenure, which lasted twelve years, further enhanced his reputation. In the words of one of his subordinates, himself a future chief constable of Glasgow, his arrival was ‘like a breath of fresh air’ from which the whole of the police service in Scotland ultimately benefited. He is credited with breaking the power of the notorious Glasgow razor gangs
Glasgow razor gangs
- Introduction :The Glasgow razor gangs were violent gangs that existed in the South Side of Glasgow in the late 1920s and 1930s, named for their weapon of choice, which they used to slash their victims....
during the 1930s, made infamous in the novel No Mean City
No Mean City
- 30th Anniversary Bonus Tracks :Earlier remasters included the song Greens as a bonus track. This is not available on the 30th Anniversary remaster of No Mean City, but is instead found on the same such remaster of Expect No Mercy....
. During his time as Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of City of Glasgow Police
City of Glasgow Police
The City of Glasgow Police was the police of the City of Glasgow, Scotland. In the 17th century, Scottish cities used to hire watchmen to guard the streets at night, augmenting a force of unpaid citizen constables. On June 30, 1800, the authorities of Glasgow, successfully petitioned the British...
, he was credited with the introduction of wireless radios, allowing communication between headquarters and vehicles, which previously relied completely upon the use of Police box
Police box
A police box is a British telephone kiosk or callbox located in a public place for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police...
es, use of civilians in police related roles, and the introduction of compulsory retirement after thirty years' service.
He is further credited with the introduction of the Sillitoe Tartan
Sillitoe Tartan
The Sillitoe Tartan is the name given to the distinctive black and white chequered pattern which was originally associated with the police in Scotland, but which later spread to Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of the United Kingdom, as well as to some other places such as Chicago...
—the black and white diced pattern on police cap bands, originally based on that used by several Scottish regiment
Scottish regiment
A Scottish regiment is any regiment that at some time in its history has or had a name that referred to Scotland or some part, thereof, and adopted items of Scottish dress...
s on the Glengarry
Glengarry
The glengarry bonnet is a traditional boat-shaped hat without a peak made of thick-milled woollen material with a toorie on top, a rosette cockade on the left, and ribbons hanging down behind...
.
He was appointed CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
in 1936 and knighted in 1942, and the following year was invited to take command of the new Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
joint force in which the county and nine city and borough forces were combined to facilitate planning and co-operation with the fighting services prior to the invasion of Europe. This was the last police appointment he held, until he was named Director General of MI5
MI5
The 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...
on 1 May 1946, as successor to Sir David Petrie
David Petrie
Sir David Petrie, KCMG, CIE, CVO, CBE, KPM was director general of MI5, the United Kingdom's internal security service, from 1941 to 1946...
.
Career at MI5
Sillitoe wrote in his autobiography that he wished he could persuade himself that his appointment as director-general fulfilled his life's ambition. He had been invited to apply for the post by the Home Office: it was not, he said, one to which the aspirations of a policeman would normally have turned. In fact he was unhappy in it. Sillitoe oversaw the service at a particularly difficult time when the KGBKGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
and GRU
GRU
GRU or Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye is the foreign military intelligence directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation...
had a series of successes. His period of office coincided with the trials of Alan Nunn May
Alan Nunn May
Alan Nunn May was an English physicist, and a confessed and convicted Soviet spy, who supplied secrets of British and United States atomic research to the Soviet Union during World War II.-Early years, education:...
and Klaus Fuchs
Klaus Fuchs
Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs was a German theoretical physicist and atomic spy who in 1950 was convicted of supplying information from the American, British and Canadian atomic bomb research to the USSR during and shortly after World War II...
and the defections of Bruno Pontecorvo
Bruno Pontecorvo
Bruno Pontecorvo was an Italian-born nuclear physicist, an early assistant of Enrico Fermi and then the author of numerous studies in high energy physics, especially on neutrinos. According to Oleg Gordievsky and Pavel Sudoplatov , Pontecorvo was also a Soviet agent...
, Guy Burgess
Guy Burgess
Guy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
and Donald MacLean - and by the investigation afterwards, which showed that MI5 had been unaware and slow to act. Sillitoe, who had immense concern for his public reputation, had to answer for what with hindsight could sometimes be seen as blameworthy mistakes. The problem of communists in government service required flexibility and political judgement, which were not his strong suits. MI5 needed a different style of leadership from a police force. Moreover, Sillitoe had no liking for people whom he called ‘book-learned intellectuals’—a category to which (in his view) many MI5 officers could be consigned. For their part the senior staff of MI5, backed by considerable wartime achievements, had had their own favoured candidate for director-general and resented the choice of an outsider whose career had not tended to develop the particular skills the post required. A rift developed at a high level and never closed.
Sillitoe's most valuable contribution was made overseas in extending collaboration with, and promoting organization for security in, the old Commonwealth countries and in assisting colonial governments to establish machinery to cope with the security problems that accompanied the evolution of colonial rule into self-government. Here the resolution and forthrightness that helped him become a successful chief constable served him well—though his predilection for publicity shocked traditionalists at home. Sillitoe was made KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1950. Despite setbacks and public criticism he enjoyed Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
's confidence throughout the latter's premiership.
After MI5
After retiring from MI5 in 1953 Sillitoe became head of the International Diamond Security Organization established by De BeersDe Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
to curb the flow of diamonds bypassing what was called at the time the De Beers Central Selling Organization
Diamond Trading Company
The Diamond Trading Company is the rough diamond sales and distribution arm of the De Beers Family of Companies. The DTC sorts, values and sells approximately 75% of the world’s rough diamonds by value...
. The main leakage (from Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
via Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
) was successfully plugged and the International Diamond Security Organization was wound up in 1957. Sillitoe later became chairman of Security Express Ltd. He died in Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
on 5 April 1962.