British Secret Service During the Great WarEveritt, Nicholas
History
British Secret Service During the Great War
Everitt, Nicholas
Secret service -- Great Britain; World War, 1914-1918 -- Secret service -- Great Britain
On October 19th, I received a letter on War Office paper referring to my
letter to Sir Edward Grey of the 16th, saying: "I should be very glad if
you would arrange to come and see me here one morning. If you will let
me know when I may expect you I shall arrange to be free." This letter
was signed "P. W. Kenny, Captain"[4] and on its left-hand top corner
specified a certain room number. I subsequently ascertained that this
gentleman (and a real gentleman in every sense of that embracive word I
found him) was the "Acting Buffer" between the Secret Service
departments for both the War Office and the Admiralty to anyone who
might attempt to approach either of these departments. It will be
remembered that his name figured in the public Press as acting in that
capacity when Admiral W. R. Hall, C.B., brilliantly defeated and
frustrated the clever schemes so carefully yet vainly laid by the then
notorious ex.-M.P. Trebitsch Lincoln, whose apparent intention and
purpose was to work the double cross against the British Empire.
I promptly answered this communication by a special journey to London,
of which I gave due notice as requested.
After passing the Police Guards at the entrance to the War Office, I
traversed a long corridor to the inquiry room, where a number of
attendants were busily engaged issuing forms to be filled up by
applicants for interviews. Of course it was impossible to escape the
inevitable form, on which I inserted the name of Captain P. W. Kenny,
his room number, my name, address, and the nature of my
business--private and confidential. It was a bit of a staggerer to hear
from the attendant that he did not know Captain Kenny, nor of him, nor
did he believe there was any officer of that name in the building.
Inquiries, however, from others of his class elicited the information
that someone had heard a name somewhat like it and if I went up to the
floor on which the room was numbered as before-mentioned, and applied to
the porter or commissionaire at the lodge up there, he might be able to
locate him for me.
After a wait of some minutes in an ante-room where were collecting a
large number of officers and others on errands of various natures, I was
sent away in charge of a boy-scout, with about ten other form-fillers,
whom he dropped at various floor lodges on the way. The system was for
each boy-scout to conduct a whole bunch of followers, who carried their
forms in their hands until the desired floors were reached, when the
boy-scout guide handed one or more of his followers to the
commissionaire in charge of the lodge on each floor sought, who in turn
sent them off again in charge of another attendant to the desired room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account