Secret Service Bureau (Home Section)

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The Secret Service Bureau (Home Section) was an early British intelligence organization responsible for domestic counter-espionage before its functions evolved into what is now known as MI5, the Security Service.

All labels observed (2)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf British intelligence agency
alsoKnownAs Domestic Section of the Secret Service Bureau
Home Section of the Secret Service Bureau
appliesToJurisdiction British Isles
classification secret organization
coordinatedWith Admiralty
linked to: The Admiralty

Metropolitan Police Special Branch
War Office
country United Kingdom
directorEndTime 1916 (Vernon Kell, as head of Home Section before MI5 formalization)
directorStartTime 1909 (Vernon Kell)
dissolved 1916
evolvedInto MI5
Security Service (United Kingdom)
fieldOfWork counter-espionage
domestic security
intelligence gathering
foundedBy Committee of Imperial Defence (through recommendation)
hasDomain counter-intelligence
internal security
hasMainTask countering German espionage in the United Kingdom
investigation of suspected enemy agents
liaison with police forces on security matters
protection of military secrets
hasOrganizationalStructure separate Home and Foreign sections
headquartersLocation London
linked to: London, England
historicalPeriod First World War
linked to: World War I

pre–First World War
inception 1909
isPartOf early British intelligence community
jurisdiction United Kingdom (domestic)
linked to: United Kingdom
legallyFormedAs secret, non-statutory body
notableActivity security vetting related to defence establishments
surveillance and disruption of German spy rings in Britain before 1914
notableDirector Vernon Kell
operatedDuring Edwardian era
early stages of World War I
parentOrganization British War Office
linked to: War Office

Committee of Imperial Defence
partOf Secret Service Bureau
predecessor none (first formal British domestic counter-espionage agency)
reasonForDissolution reorganization of British intelligence and creation of MI5 as separate Security Service
reasonForEstablishment growing concern over foreign espionage, particularly German, in the United Kingdom
successor MI5
Security Service (United Kingdom)

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Secret Intelligence Service predecessor Secret Service Bureau
subject linked to: SIS
linked to: Secret Service Bureau (Home Section)
Security Service precededBy Secret Service Bureau (Home Section)
Military Intelligence, Section 6 formedAs Secret Service Bureau
linked to: Secret Service Bureau (Home Section)
Military Intelligence, Section 6 predecessor Secret Service Bureau
linked to: Secret Service Bureau (Home Section)