Sir David Petrie (9 September 1879 – 7 August 1961) was
Director General (DG) of
MI5
The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
's internal security service, from 1941 to 1946.
[The Times, ''Obituary'', 8 August 1961]
Biography
Petrie worked in the
Indian Imperial Police The Indian Imperial Police, referred to variously as the Imperial Police or simply the Indian Police or, by 1905, Imperial Police, was part of the Indian Police Services, the uniform system of police administration in British Raj, as established by ...
between 1900 and 1936. His highest level in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
was to chair the
Union Public Service Commission
The Union Public Service Commission (ISO: ), commonly abbreviated as UPSC, is India's premier central recruitment agency for recruitment of all the Group 'A' officers under Government of India. It is responsible for appointments to and exami ...
. In April 1941, he was appointed Director General of
MI5
The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
. His task was to reorganise the service so that it could improve its efficiency. In the spring of 1946, Petrie retired.
He was awarded
Order of the Yugoslav Crown
The Royal Order of the Yugoslav Crown was instituted by King Alexander I of Yugoslavia on 5 April 1930, to commemorate his changing of the name of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separa ...
and other decorations.
References
Notes
Sources
* R. Popplewell, ''Intelligence and imperial defence: British intelligence and the defence of the Indian empire, 1904–1924'', 1995,
* F. H. Hinsley and C. A. G. Simkins, ''British intelligence in the Second World War, 4: Security and counter-intelligence'', 1990
* D. Petrie, ''Communism in India, 1924–27'', 1972
* T. Bower, ''The perfect English spy: Sir Dick White and the secret war, 1935–90'', 1995
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrie, David
1879 births
1961 deaths
Directors General of MI5
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order
Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Indian Police Service officers in British India
Intelligence Corps officers
British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine
People from Banffshire
Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Knights of Grace of the Order of St John
Colonial recipients of the Queen's Police Medal
category:Scottish recipients of the Queen's Police Medal
Recipients of the Order of the Yugoslav Crown