William Melville
Encyclopedia
William Melville was an Irish
law enforcement officer and the first chief of the British Secret Service, forerunner of MI5
.
, County Kerry
, Ireland. He moved to London in the 1860s and followed his father's footsteps as a baker before he joined the Metropolitan Police
in 1872.
He was once dismissed for insubordination but was later reinstated and later promoted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
that was founded to work against Fenians and anarchists. Melville was posted to the Le Havre
port, during which posting his son, James, later Sir James Melville KC
, was born.
In December 1888 Melville returned to London and assigned to protect the Shah of Persia
in his state visit
. His duties later expanded to the protection of British Royal Family
and he foiled the Jubilee Plot against Queen Victoria
in 1887. In 1891 he began to campaign against anarchists by raiding and wrecking anarchist clubs and underground printing houses. He also revealed the Walsall Plot
.
In 1893 Melville became Superintendent of Scotland Yard's Special Branch
when his predecessor John Littlechild
retired to become a private investigator. When he fired veteran sergeant Patrick McIntyre, McIntyre went to press and claimed that Melville had instigated the whole Walsall Plot
himself, a claim vindicated by police files released over 80 years later.
In the next ten years, Melville embarked on a large series of well-publicized raids against anarchists. He went to Victoria Station to personally arrest bomber Théodule Meunier
. In 1896 Melville recruited Shlomo Rosenblum
(later known as Sidney Reilly) as an informer in an organization he suspected to be involved with Russian anarchists.
In 1901 he worked with Gustav Steinhauer
of the German Secret Service to thwart a plot against the Kaiser during the state funeral
of Queen Victoria
. In June 1900 Melville met future stage magician Harry Houdini
when he came to Scotland Yard to showcase his abilities as an escapologist. When Houdini released himself easily from the police handcuffs, Melville befriended him and reputedly learned lock picking.
On 1 November 1903, Melville resigned as superintendent but was secretly recruited to lead a new intelligence section in the War Office, MO3, which subsequently was redesignated M05. Working under commercial cover from an unassuming flat in London under the alias persona William Morgan, Melville ran both counterintelligence and foreign intelligence operations, capitalizing on the knowledge and foreign contacts he had accumulated during his years running Special Branch. In 1909 the Government Committee on Intelligence, with advocacy of Richard Burden Haldane and Winston Churchill, established a new Secret Service Bureau with a Home Section under command of Captain (Later General) Sir Vernon Kell and a Foreign Section under Commander (later Admiral) Sir Mansfield Cumming. Melville's unit was folded into Kells department, which, while acting in Home matters, remained subordinate to the War Office. By 1910 it was clear that the Home Section and the Foreign Section would seek their own identities, and Kell's department, the Security Service separated from Cummings' Secret Intelligence Service. In 1916 MO5 was redesignated MI5 and remained the most secret of all British spy agencies right up through the 1990s.
According to the conclusions of author Andrew Cook, his biographer, which are not accepted by all historians, Melville then became the head of British Secret Service
with the code name "M". Still, the service had small budget and on occasion Melville had to do the job himself.
service. In 1906 Melville obtained German mobilization plans and investigated their financial support to the Boer
s. He hired a Courage Brewery representative in Hamburg to supply intelligence for him and in 1909 went to Germany himself to recruit more agents. Melville's request was granted in October 1909 when the War Office
authorized the creation of the Secret Service Bureau, nineteen military intelligence departments - MI1 to MI19, but MI5
and MI6 came to be the most recognized as they are the only ones to have remained active to this day.
His own section continued as a separate Special Section and he concentrated on looking for German spies. In August 1914 he eventually was able to identify the barbershop of Karl Gustav Ernst, that was the centre of a German spy ring. After the outbreak of World War I
, Secret Service received more funding. Melville recruited more personnel for his section when it was attached to newly found G-section, that concentrated on investigating suspected agents. He also founded a spy school opposite the War Office at Whitehall Court
.
According to: "Jim Fitzgerald...among a number of relations of Melville's still living in Sneem...We're very proud of him...the last time he visited here was in 1913, but he was watched by republicans and didn't stay long. Now everyone is very proud of his connection to here."
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
law enforcement officer and the first chief of the British Secret Service, forerunner 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...
.
Birth
William Melville was born son of a baker and publican in Direenaclaurig Cross, SneemSneem
Sneem is a town situated on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry in the southwest of Ireland. It lies on the estuary of the River Sneem. National route N70 runs through the town....
, County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, Ireland. He moved to London in the 1860s and followed his father's footsteps as a baker before he joined the Metropolitan Police
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
in 1872.
He was once dismissed for insubordination but was later reinstated and later promoted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Scotland Yard
In 1882 he was chosen to be one of the founding members of the Special Irish BranchSpecial Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
that was founded to work against Fenians and anarchists. Melville was posted to the Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
port, during which posting his son, James, later Sir James Melville KC
James Melville (politician)
Sir James Benjamin Melville KC James Melville was born at Le Havre, France, son of William Melville, from County Kerry, Ireland, who was stationed there on Intelligence work...
, was born.
In December 1888 Melville returned to London and assigned to protect the Shah of Persia
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
in his state visit
State visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
. His duties later expanded to the protection of British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
and he foiled the Jubilee Plot against Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
in 1887. In 1891 he began to campaign against anarchists by raiding and wrecking anarchist clubs and underground printing houses. He also revealed the Walsall Plot
Walsall Anarchists
The Walsall Anarchists were a group of anarchists arrested on explosive charges in Walsall in 1892.Although the British Home Office and the Metropolitan Police attempted to conceal the evidence for over 80 years, recent research into police files has revealed that the bombings were instigated by...
.
In 1893 Melville became Superintendent of Scotland Yard's Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
when his predecessor John Littlechild
John Littlechild
Detective Chief Inspector John George Littlechild was the first commander of the London Metropolitan Police Special Irish Branch, renamed Special Branch in 1888....
retired to become a private investigator. When he fired veteran sergeant Patrick McIntyre, McIntyre went to press and claimed that Melville had instigated the whole Walsall Plot
Walsall Anarchists
The Walsall Anarchists were a group of anarchists arrested on explosive charges in Walsall in 1892.Although the British Home Office and the Metropolitan Police attempted to conceal the evidence for over 80 years, recent research into police files has revealed that the bombings were instigated by...
himself, a claim vindicated by police files released over 80 years later.
In the next ten years, Melville embarked on a large series of well-publicized raids against anarchists. He went to Victoria Station to personally arrest bomber Théodule Meunier
Théodule Meunier
Théodule Meunier was a French anarchist who, along with Emile Henry and Auguste Vaillant, was responsible for a series of bombings in Paris, France during early 1892. The three specifically targeted both civilian and government buildings which included boulevard cafes, the homes of magistrates,...
. In 1896 Melville recruited Shlomo Rosenblum
Sidney Reilly
Lieutenant Sidney George Reilly, MC , famously known as the Ace of Spies, was a Jewish Russian-born adventurer and secret agent employed by Scotland Yard, the British Secret Service Bureau and later the Secret Intelligence Service . He is alleged to have spied for at least four nations...
(later known as Sidney Reilly) as an informer in an organization he suspected to be involved with Russian anarchists.
In 1901 he worked with Gustav Steinhauer
Gustav Steinhauer
-Career:Gustav Steinhauer was born in Berlin circa. 1870. He was an officer of the Imperial German Navy who in 1901 became head of the British section of the German Admiralty's intelligence service, the Nachricten-Abteilung, 'N'...
of the German Secret Service to thwart a plot against the Kaiser during the state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. In June 1900 Melville met future stage magician Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
when he came to Scotland Yard to showcase his abilities as an escapologist. When Houdini released himself easily from the police handcuffs, Melville befriended him and reputedly learned lock picking.
On 1 November 1903, Melville resigned as superintendent but was secretly recruited to lead a new intelligence section in the War Office, MO3, which subsequently was redesignated M05. Working under commercial cover from an unassuming flat in London under the alias persona William Morgan, Melville ran both counterintelligence and foreign intelligence operations, capitalizing on the knowledge and foreign contacts he had accumulated during his years running Special Branch. In 1909 the Government Committee on Intelligence, with advocacy of Richard Burden Haldane and Winston Churchill, established a new Secret Service Bureau with a Home Section under command of Captain (Later General) Sir Vernon Kell and a Foreign Section under Commander (later Admiral) Sir Mansfield Cumming. Melville's unit was folded into Kells department, which, while acting in Home matters, remained subordinate to the War Office. By 1910 it was clear that the Home Section and the Foreign Section would seek their own identities, and Kell's department, the Security Service separated from Cummings' Secret Intelligence Service. In 1916 MO5 was redesignated MI5 and remained the most secret of all British spy agencies right up through the 1990s.
According to the conclusions of author Andrew Cook, his biographer, which are not accepted by all historians, Melville then became the head of British Secret Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
with the code name "M". Still, the service had small budget and on occasion Melville had to do the job himself.
Secret Service Bureau
After 1903, when relations between Britain and Germany cooled, Melville lobbied the government to create a counter-espionageCounter-Espionage
-Cast:* Warren William as Michael Lanyard* Eric Blore as Jamison* Hillary Brooke as Pamela Hart* Thurston Hall as Insp. Crane* Fred Kelsey as Detective Wesley Dickens* Forrest Tucker as Anton Schugg* Matthew Boulton as Inspector J...
service. In 1906 Melville obtained German mobilization plans and investigated their financial support to the Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
s. He hired a Courage Brewery representative in Hamburg to supply intelligence for him and in 1909 went to Germany himself to recruit more agents. Melville's request was granted in October 1909 when 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...
authorized the creation of the Secret Service Bureau, nineteen military intelligence departments - MI1 to MI19, but 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...
and MI6 came to be the most recognized as they are the only ones to have remained active to this day.
His own section continued as a separate Special Section and he concentrated on looking for German spies. In August 1914 he eventually was able to identify the barbershop of Karl Gustav Ernst, that was the centre of a German spy ring. After the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Secret Service received more funding. Melville recruited more personnel for his section when it was attached to newly found G-section, that concentrated on investigating suspected agents. He also founded a spy school opposite the War Office at Whitehall Court
Whitehall Court
Whitehall Court in London, England is one contiguous building but consists of two separate constructions; the end occupied by the National Liberal Club was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the major part was designed by Archer & Green.The Royal Horseguards Hotel, owned by Thistle Hotels, covers 1 &...
.
Death
William Melville died of kidney failure in February 1918.According to: "Jim Fitzgerald...among a number of relations of Melville's still living in Sneem...We're very proud of him...the last time he visited here was in 1913, but he was watched by republicans and didn't stay long. Now everyone is very proud of his connection to here."
See also
- Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming
- Sidney ReillySidney ReillyLieutenant Sidney George Reilly, MC , famously known as the Ace of Spies, was a Jewish Russian-born adventurer and secret agent employed by Scotland Yard, the British Secret Service Bureau and later the Secret Intelligence Service . He is alleged to have spied for at least four nations...
- Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart
- Vernon Kell
- Sir James Melville KC son, eminent barrister, MP for Gateshead and Solicitor GeneralSolicitor General for England and WalesHer Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
in Ramsay MacDonaldRamsay MacDonaldJames Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
government - died in office aged 46. Had successfully defended anarchists; also unsuccessfully acted in appeal against the obscenityObscenityAn obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time, is a profanity, or is otherwise taboo, indecent, abhorrent, or disgusting, or is especially inauspicious...
decision re: Radclyffe HallRadclyffe HallRadclyffe Hall was an English poet and author, best known for the lesbian classic The Well of Loneliness.- Life :...
's The Well of LonelinessThe Well of LonelinessThe Well of Loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by the British author Radclyffe Hall. It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman from an upper-class family whose "sexual inversion" is apparent from an early age...
. Married to Sara Tugander, Bonar Law's former secretary.