MI19 facts for kids
MI19 was a special part of the British government's intelligence team during World War II. Its main job was to gather important information from enemy soldiers who had been captured and were being held as prisoners of war.
MI19 started in December 1940 as a smaller group called MI9a. It was part of a bigger intelligence section known as MI9. About a year later, in December 1941, MI19 became its own independent group. However, it still worked very closely with its original parent organisation.
What MI19 Did
MI19 set up special places called Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centres (CSDICs). These were centers where they could talk to captured enemy soldiers to learn secrets. Some of these centers were in places like Beaconsfield, Wilton Park, and Latimer in the UK. They also had centers in other countries.
Listening to Conversations
One clever way MI19 gathered information was by secretly recording conversations. Starting in 1940, they listened to German officers who were held comfortably at a place called Trent Park in North London. By listening to these talks, MI19 learned many important secrets that helped the war effort.
The London Cage
MI19 also ran an interrogation center in Kensington Palace Gardens in London. This center was led by Lt. Col. Alexander Scotland. It became known as the "London Cage". This facility was used to question important prisoners, including some who were suspected of serious wartime actions.
After the War
After World War II ended, MI19 staff were sent to the Channel Islands in 1945. Their mission was to look for information about how people might have worked with the Germans during their occupation of the islands. This was done to help clear up any rumors or questions about what happened there.
See also
