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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Oswald Allen Harker

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two 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 Gen ...

from 1940 to 1941.

Background

Oswald Allen Harker was born in Cirencester in 1886, the son of James Allen Harker, a professor at the

Royal Agricultural College The Royal Agricultural University (RAU), formerly the Royal Agricultural College, is a public university in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world. ...

, 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 ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He joined

MI5 MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), officially the Security Service, is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Gov ...

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

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

British Army Officers 1939–1945
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 {{UK-gov-bio-stub