Catalogue description Royal Patriotic School: interrogation of civilians arriving in UK from abroad

Details of Subsubseries within WO 208
Reference: Subsubseries within WO 208
Title: Royal Patriotic School: interrogation of civilians arriving in UK from abroad
Description:

This subsubseries contains numbered interrogation reports of alien civilians and refugees from friendly countries, arriving in the United Kingdom from abroad, interviewed at the Royal Patriotic School (R.P.S.) premises at Wandsworth in London to collect military information about the enemy, and also about the places from where the individuals had come, and also to identify enemy agents and possible future allied agents. They also include former military personnel from both allied and German armed forces.

The individuals being interviewed are from a range of nationalities, which reflect general trends of different nationalities arriving in the UK due to developments in the war. The earliest reports in 1941 mainly concern civilians entering the UK from Norway (in particular, from where there was a constant flow of escapers, often in small boats), and to a less extent other countries. During August 1941 to November 1942, the informants arrived not only from enemy and enemy occupied territory, but also from French possessions in Africa. The period from November 1942 to September 1943 covered the complete liberation of Africa to the invasion and surrender of Italy; during this period large numbers of refugees arrived, many of them in direct escape parties from continental countries, chiefly from France, Norway and Denmark. After D-Day in June 1944 civilian aliens continued to arrive in the UK in large numbers, but their value for intelligence steadily declined. On the other hand, there were numerous arrivals of British and French subjects from the Channel Islands who escaped to France and were sent to the UK for interrogation.

The reports vary in their layout, length and content, but generally include the names and nationalities of the individuals being interviewed, and some biographical details such as date of birth, together with information regarding where the individuals had been in enemy or enemy occupied territory, what was their occupation in those places, and what period of time they had spent in those occupations and places. Some reports include sketch maps and diagrams, and occasionally photographs.

Note: the prefix of the original (former) reference number alters to reflect changes in the organisation. The earliest reports are prefixed A.B. (possibly this stands for the initials of Captain A E A Burnell who is the officer at the end of those reports); in WO 208/3665 at paper no 172 (11 Aug 1941), A.B. becomes M.I.9(a)/R.P.S.; in WO 208/3671 at paper no 516 (3 Jan 1942), this then changes to M.I.19.(R.P.S.). The composition or layout of the original (former) references is variant in terms of spaces, brackets and slashes.
Date: 1941 May-1945 June
Arrangement:

Chronological
Former reference in its original department: A.B. then M.I.9(a) then M.I.19(R.P.S.)
Creator:

Royal Patriotic School, 1941-1945
Administrative / biographical background:

Royal Patriotic School (R.P.S.)

At the outbreak of war, Security Control officers at ports were responsible for collecting military information from aliens entering the UK. The collection of this information at ports was initially the responsibility of M.I.5. officers, but in May 1941 M.I.9 became responsible for the 'Ia' interrogation of those aliens who were sent to the London Reception Centre. The terms of its charter were for the interrogation of alien refugees and escapers, and the collection of intelligence requirements and dissemination of refugee intelligence. In January 1941 the premises of the Royal Victoria Patriotic School, Trinity Road, Wandsworth, London SW18, were taken over by the Internment Camps Division of the Home Office, and opened on 8 January 1941 for the reception of aliens and refugees of allied and friendly countries. Other buildings were requisitioned for various periods to accommodate women and children and to take the overflow of the main house, which was known as the 'London Reception Centre'. On 25 May 1941 an officer of the Prisoner of War Interrogation Section (Home) - P.W.I.S.(H) was sent to the centre to organise this work. Interrogations were then started and 172 reports were issued by 12 August 1941 after which date the organisation was absorbed into M.I.9.(a), and the officer of P.W.I.S.(H) who had been in charge was put on the staff of M.I.9.(a). In 1 January 1942 a reorganisation of M.I.9. was carried through, two sections being created, M.I.9. and M.I.19. under a Deputy Director of Military Intelligence. The organisation at the London Reception Centre now became M.I.19.(R.P.S.) under M.I.19. Essentially, civilians were interrogated as a sifting process for useful military information, and to identify enemy agents (political agents); also, individuals may be ‘approached’ for their suitability to act as allied agents (for example. Norwegian fishermen). As with military prisoners of war, individuals were interrogated at ports and then transferred to R.P.S. Before the end of 1944, the staff was reduced, and after the new year officers, other ranks and civilian staff were released for work elsewhere. The section was finally disbanded on 31 May 1945.

Results of interrogation were embodied in reports and 2,641 were written between 25 May 1941 and 31 May 1945. The serial numbers 1 to 172 were prefixed A.B. and were issued between 25 May 1941 and 10 August 1941; those from 173 to 515 were prefixed M.I.9.(a)/R.P.S. and issued from 11 August 1941 and 31 December 1941; and all others were subsequently prefixed M.I.19(R.P.S.).

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