Vernon Kell
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Major-General Sir Vernon George Waldegrave Kell, KBE (21 November 1873 – 27 March 1942) was the founder and first director general (DG) of the British Security Service, otherwise known as MI5.
Kell was the son of Major Waldegrave Kell of the 38th Foot and his wife, Georgiana Augusta Konarska. She was daughter of a Polish émigré, Aleksander Konarski, a surgeon with the 1st Podhalian Rifle Regiment who had fought in the November Uprising and had been awarded the V.M. (Gold, 4th class) and his English wife.
After graduating from Sandhurst, Kell was commissioned into the South Staffordshire Regiment and fought in the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. As he could speak German, Italian, French and Polish with equal facility, he served and studied in China and Russia and subsequently learned to speak their respective languages.
While he served as an intelligence staff in Tientsin, he was also the foreign correspondent of the Daily Telegraph.
From 1902 to 1906 Kell was head of the German section of the War Office, eventually rising to the rank of staff captain.
Removed from office by Winston Churchill during World War II, Kell was knighted for his services (KBE) shortly before his death.
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Melville |
Director-General of MI5 1909–1940 |
Succeeded by Brigadier 'Jasper' Harker |
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