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Maxwell Knight
Charles Henry Maxwell Knight OBE, known as Maxwell Knight, (9 July 1900 – 27 January 1968) was a British spymaster, naturalist and broadcaster, reputedly a model for the James Bond character "M". He played major roles in surveillance of an early British Fascist party as well as the Communist Party of Great Britain.
Knight was the son of Hugh Coleraine Knight, a solicitor, and his wife, Ada Phyllis (née Hancock). He was christened in Holy Innocents Church, South Norwood on 3 August 1900.
He saw service during the First World War. Having been a naval cadet, he was appointed to the temporary rank of Midshipman in the Royal Naval Reserve on 2 May 1918.
In July 1918 he attended a hydrophone officers' course, and in August served for a short time as First Class Hydrophone Officer aboard the trawler, Ninus. On 1 September 1918 he was appointed to the armed merchant cruiser, HMS Andes. In December 1918 Captain C.T.H. Cooper of the Andes described him as "a promising young officer." He was demobilised in February 1919.
Having left the navy, he worked as a teacher in a preparatory school and as a freelance journalist.
In an unpublished memoir in the MI5 Archives, Knight recalled that he joined the first of the Fascist Movements in Britain, Rotha Lintorn-Orman's British Fascisti, in 1924:
"at the request of the late Sir George Makgill who was then running agents on behalf of Sir Vernon Kell, Director General of the British Security Service, MI5. I remained with this organisation until 1930 when it more or less became ineffectual. My association with this body was at all times for the purposes of obtaining information for HM Government and also for the purposes of finding likely people who might be used by this department for the same purposes."
He served as the BF's assistant chief of staff and director of intelligence until 1930. Between 1924 and 1925 Knight arranged for six British Fascists to infiltrate the Communist Party of Great Britain to work as covert human intelligence for Makgill's IIB acting on behalf of MI5.
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Maxwell Knight
Charles Henry Maxwell Knight OBE, known as Maxwell Knight, (9 July 1900 – 27 January 1968) was a British spymaster, naturalist and broadcaster, reputedly a model for the James Bond character "M". He played major roles in surveillance of an early British Fascist party as well as the Communist Party of Great Britain.
Knight was the son of Hugh Coleraine Knight, a solicitor, and his wife, Ada Phyllis (née Hancock). He was christened in Holy Innocents Church, South Norwood on 3 August 1900.
He saw service during the First World War. Having been a naval cadet, he was appointed to the temporary rank of Midshipman in the Royal Naval Reserve on 2 May 1918.
In July 1918 he attended a hydrophone officers' course, and in August served for a short time as First Class Hydrophone Officer aboard the trawler, Ninus. On 1 September 1918 he was appointed to the armed merchant cruiser, HMS Andes. In December 1918 Captain C.T.H. Cooper of the Andes described him as "a promising young officer." He was demobilised in February 1919.
Having left the navy, he worked as a teacher in a preparatory school and as a freelance journalist.
In an unpublished memoir in the MI5 Archives, Knight recalled that he joined the first of the Fascist Movements in Britain, Rotha Lintorn-Orman's British Fascisti, in 1924:
"at the request of the late Sir George Makgill who was then running agents on behalf of Sir Vernon Kell, Director General of the British Security Service, MI5. I remained with this organisation until 1930 when it more or less became ineffectual. My association with this body was at all times for the purposes of obtaining information for HM Government and also for the purposes of finding likely people who might be used by this department for the same purposes."
He served as the BF's assistant chief of staff and director of intelligence until 1930. Between 1924 and 1925 Knight arranged for six British Fascists to infiltrate the Communist Party of Great Britain to work as covert human intelligence for Makgill's IIB acting on behalf of MI5.