Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...
Oswald Allen Harker
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(1886–1968), known as Jasper Harker, was Acting
Director General of MI5 __NOTOC__
The Director General of the Security Service is the head of the Security Service (commonly known as MI5), the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency. The Director General is assisted by a Deputy Director Gene ...
from 1940 to 1941.
Background
Oswald Allen Harker was born in Cirencester in 1886, the son of
James Allen Harker, professor at the
Royal Agricultural College
;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts"
, established = 2013 - University status – College
, type = Public
, president = King Charles
, vice_chancellor = Peter McCaffery
, students ...
, and his wife
Lizzie Allen Harker
Lizzie Allen Harker (née Watson; 1863 – 14 April 1933) was an English author.
Amongst her works are the play '' Marigold'' (with Francis R. Pryor), which was turned into a 1938 film '' Marigold''. It was also broadcast on 22 May 1943 as one ...
. His younger brother was Brigadier
Arthur William Allen Harker CBE.
Career
Harker joined the Indian Police in 1905, and served as Deputy Commissioner of Police in
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He joined
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 ...
in 1920, after being invalided home from India the previous year.
[C.A.G. Simkins, F.H. Hinsley, British Intelligence in the Second World War: Security and Counter-intelligence v. 4 (Stationery Office, 1990)]
Harker served as the Deputy Director General prior to his promotion.
He was promoted to acting
Director General of MI5 __NOTOC__
The Director General of the Security Service is the head of the Security Service (commonly known as MI5), the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency. The Director General is assisted by a Deputy Director Gene ...
in June 1940 when
Major-General Sir Vernon Kell was dismissed.
When
Sir David Petrie was appointed as the new Director General in April 1941 Harker stepped down to be the Deputy Director General again.
References
External links
Generals of World War II
Directors General of MI5
British Army brigadiers of World War II
1886 births
1968 deaths
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
British police officers in India
People from Cirencester
Military personnel from Gloucestershire
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