William Melville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids William Melville |
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| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service | Secret Service Bureau |
| Rank | Head of the British Secret Service Bureau |
| Codename(s) | M |
| William Morgan | |
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| Born | 25 April 1850 Sneem, County Kerry, Ireland |
| Died | 1 February 1918 (aged 67) London, England |
| Spouse |
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| Children | 4, including James Melville |
| Occupation | Detective, Spymaster |
William Melville (born April 25, 1850 – died February 1, 1918) was an important Irish law enforcement officer. He became the very first head of the British Secret Service Bureau, a top-secret organization.
Contents
Early Life and Career
William Melville was born in a small village called Direenaclaurig Cross in County Kerry, Ireland. His family was Roman Catholic, and his father worked as a baker and ran a pub. In the 1860s, William moved to London. He first followed his father's footsteps as a baker. But in 1872, he decided to join the Metropolitan Police, starting his career in law enforcement.
Joining Special Branch
In 1882, William Melville was chosen for a special new team. This team was called the Special Irish Branch. Its job was to work against groups like the Fenians and anarchists. Anarchists were people who believed there should be no government. Sometimes, some of them used violence to try and achieve their goals.
Melville was sent to the port of Le Havre in France for a time. While he was there, two of his children were born: James Benjamin in 1885 and Cecile Victorinne in 1886. James later became a famous politician.
Protecting Important People
In December 1888, Melville returned to London. He was given the important task of protecting the Shah of Persia during his visit to Britain. His duties soon grew to include protecting the British Royal Family. He even stopped a plot against Queen Victoria in 1887, known as the Jubilee Plot.
By 1891, Melville started a campaign against anarchists. He led raids on their clubs and secret printing houses. He also helped uncover a plot known as the Walsall Plot.
Leading Special Branch
In 1893, Melville became the Superintendent of Scotland Yard's Special Branch. This happened when the previous leader retired. Over the next ten years, Melville led many public raids against anarchists. He even personally arrested a bomber named Théodule Meunier at Victoria Station.
In 1896, Melville recruited a man named Shlomo Rosenblum. This person later became famous as Sidney Reilly. Melville hired him to be an informer, giving him secret information about groups he suspected were linked to Russian anarchists.
Working with Other Spies
In 1901, Melville worked with Gustav Steinhauer from the German Secret Service. Together, they stopped a plot against the German Kaiser during Queen Victoria's funeral.
In June 1900, Melville met the famous magician Harry Houdini. Houdini came to Scotland Yard to show off his amazing skills as an escapologist. When Houdini easily freed himself from police handcuffs, Melville was very impressed. They became friends, and it's said that Melville even learned some lock-picking tricks from Houdini.
Head of Secret Service
On November 1, 1903, William Melville officially left his job as superintendent. However, he was secretly hired to lead a new intelligence section. This section was part of the War Office, which handled military matters. It was first called MO3 and later MO5.
Melville worked from a simple flat in London, pretending to be a regular businessman. He used the fake name William Morgan. From here, he managed both counterintelligence (finding enemy spies) and foreign intelligence (gathering information about other countries). He used all the knowledge and contacts he had gained from his years in Special Branch.
In 1909, the government decided to create a new organization called the Secret Service Bureau. It had two main parts: a Home Section and a Foreign Section. Melville's unit became part of the Home Section. This section focused on protecting Britain from threats inside the country.
Some historians believe that William Melville became the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) with the code name "M." This service had a very small budget. Sometimes, Melville even had to do the spy work himself!
Hunting German Spies
Melville's own special section continued to operate within the Secret Service Bureau. He focused on finding German spies. In August 1914, his team finally identified a barbershop owned by Karl Gustav Ernst as the center of a German spy ring.
Later Life and Death
William Melville died on February 1, 1918, due to kidney failure.
See also
- Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming
- Sidney Reilly
- Vernon Kell
- Sir James Melville
Images for kids
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William Melville, a key figure in early British intelligence.
