This book is not a regimental history in the traditional sense or an academic study. It is another glimpse of an organization that has convinced the military establishment of its belief that going to war without intelligence and not protecting the Army with security measures is unwise. The eminent military historian Anthony Beevor described the Intelligence Corps in his Inside the British Army (1990) thus:
…the Intelligence Corps is spread around in small detachments working closely with the field army so the risk is reduced. And although it is different from the rest of the Army in many ways, the Intelligence Corps is not as eccentric or unmilitary as outsiders might imagine. The Intelligence Corps Territorials represent, in the words of one of their Regular Army colonels, an amazing range of qualifications and professions. The Int Corps is one area where the one-Army concept is a reality.
While the title Sharing the Secret is taken from the Military Intelligence Museum, as with any book relating to intelligence and security, it has been written under the restrictions of the era and thus I have had to be economical with detail. I am afraid that some readers will be disappointed that some activities or incidents have either not been described or mentioned.
Any organization involved in intelligence and security takes a risk when it lifts the blanket on its activities and thus when the proposal was placed before HQ Intelligence Corps by the Military Intelligence Museum Trustees to write an updated account of the Intelligence Corps, it was a significant step forward. I have drawn heavily on several prime sources of information, all unclassified. While the late Colonel Felix Robson drafted the first history during his tenure as Corps Secretary, this book is the third published history of the Intelligence Corps and is designed to complement British Military Intelligence (1973) by Jock Haswell and Forearmed (1993) by Dr Anthony Clayton. The Rose and The Laurel, the Corps Journal, as one would expect, is a goldmine of information, however it is no longer generally available. The late Captain Hamish Eaton’s Soldiers with Stereo (1978), copyrighted to the Military Intelligence Museum, is a fascinating account of Photographic Interpretation. The privately published Field Security Section (1996) by Bob Steer in his FSS is an account of Field Security during and after the Second World War. Fred Judge’s detailed research of Field Security and the Intelligence Corps in West Germany is worthy of a book in its own right, as is the examination by Paul Croxson of strategic and tactical Signals Intelligence. Research by the late Lieutenant Colonel Tony Williams into the relationship between the Intelligence Corps and the Special Operations Executive and other governmental intelligence and security organizations during the Second World War is enlightening.
Thanking those who contributed is always a pleasure. I am most grateful to Brigadiers Tony Crawford, Brian Parritt and Philip Springfield for their views; to Lieutenant Colonel Dickie Richard for his help; to Dr Anthony Clayton for his early guidance; to Joyce Hutton, the Corps Archivist, and Major Alan Edwards, the Corps Historian, who were quick in tracking down information. Captain Dennis Magennis of the Museum of Australian Military Intelligence was most helpful on the mentions about the Australian Intelligence Corps. There are several others who must remain anonymous. They know who they are and acknowledge sensitivities surrounding the Corps. On the editorial side, I must thank Brigadier Henry Wilson, the Commissioning Editor, Lynne Maxwell, the Editor, and the staff at Pen & Sword (Military Books). My thanks also to John Noble for indexing; to Peter Woods for the maps; and the Ministry of Defence Army Public Relations (Army) for its informative vetting.
I am grateful to those who have supported this book with photographs. While every effort has been made to trace owners of copyright material, this has not always been possible, nevertheless I am happy to make amends where appropriate, including giving acknowledgements in future editions.
And most importantly, I must also thank Penny, my wife, for her patience and encouragement over the two years that it has taken to complete the work.
Nick van der Bijl
November 2012.