Sir Vernon Kell-The founder of British Secret Service

       Sir Vernon Kell, the founder of British Secret Service (Part-1)

Sir Vernon Kell, the founder of MI-5

Sir Vernon Kell, the man who failed all the attempts of Germany to win the First World War. He was the founder of British Secret Service, MI-5, succeeded in getting all information from the German spy, Carl Hans Lody. This helped to defeat Kaiser’s German Army during the First World War. During his term Sir Vernon Kell displayed a rare kind of skill and insight which helped Britain to get rid of all German spies.

   With the beginning of the 20th century the German dictator Kaiser Wilhelm II started preparations for attacking Britain. In the year 1902 the German spies had begun to infiltrate into Britain. Within seven to eight years, German spied had spread themselves all over England. Every bit of information was being sent to Germany. A counter espionage organization was formed in Britain. It was called MO-5 which was later changed MI-5. Till today this is Britain’s largest espionage organization. Captain Vernon Kell was the founder of this organization. With a rare kind of skill he was able to break the German Spy Wing, which was an event of historical importance.

   Vernon Kell did something very unusual. He attached his own organization to the Special Branch of the Scotland Yard. Patrick Quinn, the Superintendent of the Scotland Yard Special Branch gave his full cooperation to Vernon Kell. This helped a great deal towards the success of MI-5. In 1910 Kaiser Wilhelm II came to Britain to attend the funeral of King Edward VII. His delegation included a Naval Captain, who often visited a barber’s shop on London’s Caledoniam Road. Vernon Kell had long suspected that the shop had something to do with the German spies, as it was run by a German called Carl Gustav Ernst. Vernon Kell thought that a person who had come with the royal delegation could easily get a barber called to his residence for hair cut. To get his suspicions confirmed, Vernon Kell got the officer followed by his own men. Letters addressed to the barber were also opened and read.
   It was finally proved that the barber Carl Gustav Ernst was acting as an effective post office for the German espionage department. He would receive messages from Germany which contained instructions for the German spies and the German agents in England would send their reports through him.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

   Vernon Kell displayed a kind of espionage insight. He did not raid the barber’s shop immediately. He decided to wait so that gradually information about all the German agents could be had. He was very careful so as not to make Carl Gustav Ernst get any idea that his secret was out. Carl Gustav Ernst continued as before to send and receive messages. In this time Vernon Kell arrested only those spies who had succeeded in getting hold of vital information which could have resulted in immediate danger to Britain. With the MI-5 specialist, Vernon Kell succeeded in sending some confusing and fake information to Germany. He also raided a few places here and there so that the Germans realized that the British police were not sleeping. If he had not done this, the German might have suspected that the British intelligence was playing a deeper game.

   The First World War was broke out in the August 4, 1914. The very next day Vernon Kell arrested Carl Gustav Ernst and twenty three other spies with help of the Special Branch. Those spies were working in New Castle, Burrough, Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton, Falmouth and Warwick and they were all rounded up. The German army was fighting with the French and they had to face an attack of the British army, which had crossed the English Channel in the night and had entrenched itself, well-equipped, in the trenches of the Mons. It was because of Vernon Kell that the German spies could not give any information to the German authorities regarding the movements of the British troops. Vernon Kell had disabled the German espionage system.




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