Group    From 1/11/1919 

GCHQ

Categories: Espionage

British intelligence and security organisation, responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the government and armed forces. Originally established after WWI as the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) in Watergate House. During WWII it was relocated to Bletchley Park, where it was famed for breaking the German enigma codes. Renamed Government Communications Headquarters in 1952.

During WW1 the Army and Navy had separate signals intelligence agencies: MI1b and Room 40, respectively. Then, Fortune tells: "Established on November 1, 1919, as a peacetime code-breaking unit made up from staff from the Royal Navy and War Office, GCHQ was first known as the Government Code & Cypher School (GC&CS). ... During WWII, its staff operated covertly from Bletchley Park in Bedfordshire... Palmer Street {2-14} - known as station UKC1000 - came into operation in the Spring of 1953 to serve as a central London spy hub, shortly after GCHQ moved its main headquarters from the London suburb of Eastcote to the sleepy, rural surroundings of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. ... "

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
GCHQ

Commemorated ati

GCHQ - WC2

We've put 14 February as the erection date, but actually that was only the da...

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Pembroke Park

Pembroke Park Pembroke Park takes its name from the World War II base HMS Pem...

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Other Subjects

Special Operations Executive (SOE)

Special Operations Executive (SOE)

Spies, basically (but see below), working for the UK in WW2. Formed by Churchill and variously known as "Churchill's Secret Army", "The Baker Street Irregulars", the Pythonesque "Ministry of Ungent...

Group, Armed Forces, Espionage, France, Germany

6 memorials
Ensign Eliane Sophie Plewman, Croix de Guerre

Ensign Eliane Sophie Plewman, Croix de Guerre

Elaine Sophie Browne-Bartroli was born on 6 December 1917 in Marseille, France, the daughter of Eugene Henry Browne and Elsa Francesca Browne née Bartroli. In addition to the information shown on ...

Person, Espionage, Execution, France, Germany

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
Sir Mansfield Cumming

Sir Mansfield Cumming

First Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6. Born as Mansfield George Smith.  Began his career in the navy aged 13, but suffering severe sea-sickness he was retired in 1885, and married...

Person, Espionage, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Section Officer Yolande Elsa Maria Beekman, Croix de Guerre

Section Officer Yolande Elsa Maria Beekman, Croix de Guerre

Yolande Elsa Maria Unternahrer was born on 28 October 1911 at 13 Avenue de la Grande Armée, Paris, France, one of the six children of Swiss nationals Michelangelo Mercurio (1872-1953) and Berthe Ly...

Person, Espionage, Execution, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
Noor Inayat Khan

Noor Inayat Khan

WW2 spy and member of the French resistance.  A descendant of the 18th century south Indian ruler Tipu Sultan, Khan was a follower of the Sufi faith and believed in non-violence. Born Moscow to pa...

Person, Espionage, France, Russia

War dead, WW2
3 memorials