In The Name of The Rose
'In the Name of the Rose', is a major historical database and memorial created to provide a complete and definitive commemoration of those members of the Intelligence Corps who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while engaged on active service since the Corps' formation.
The Intelligence Corps was officially 'born' on 19th July 1940, as the result of Army Order 112, and in due course became a permanently established and 'badged' Corps of the British Army.
The Corps then saw service in all of the major theatres of World War Two - France, Norway, Middle East, North Africa, the Italian campaign, the Far East, the Normandy landings, and the final long push to the heart of Germany.
Members served in Intelligence Staff appointments at Army, Corps & Divisional level; in Field Security Sections & Counter-Intelligence Units; in the Y-Service (Wireless Interception) and amongst the Code breakers at Bletchley Park; on Port & Travel Control duties; Censorship; Interrogation; Photographic Interpretation, and as Interpreters & Translators. Many served alongside the front line units, in the thick of the action, and faced the same dangers as the combat soldier.
Members of the Corps, both officers and NCOs, were 'Specially Employed' and served with the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Political Warfare Executive (PWE) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS - otherwise known as MI6): many paid the ultimate price of this war in the shadows, with some killed in action and others suffering degradation, torture and a slow death in Nazi concentration camps. In addition, our officers and soldiers served on attachment to the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), the Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS).
At the end of the war, members of the Corps were involved in the de-nazification process and the tracking, arrest and investigation of German and Japanese war criminals. During World War II and the period immediately following the German and Japanese surrenders, up to the end of 1946, 247 members of the Corps died: they were killed in action or died of wounds, natural causes, disease, or as the result of accidents while on duty.
Since the end of World war Two Intelligence Corps personnel have seen continuing active service in conventional warfare, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorist and peacekeeping missions across the globe. In Palestine, Korea, Suez, Malaya, Borneo, Cyprus, Kenya, Oman, Northern Ireland, the Falklands, the Gulf War, Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan - members of the Corps have proudly worn the 'Rose & Laurel' cap badge and displayed the professionalism and dedication that has become synonymous with it. In these operations further members of the Corps have lost their lives.
As we move into the 21st Century the traditional role of the Intelligence Corps has continued, albeit refined and sharpened to counter the new threats posed by an ever-changing, increasingly uncertain and dangerous world. In the time it took to research this project we lost seven members of the Corps killed in action - three in Iraq and four in Afghanistan - and our people continue to serve on the frontline of active duty.
Wherever the members of the present day Intelligence Corps may be called upon to serve, they will do so with a proud tradition behind them - a tradition forged by those members who went out before them but didn't come home. The story of those who gave their lives while wearing our cap badge is perhaps the most important, and certainly the most emotive, aspect of our heritage.
The Elizabeth Cross was launched in 2009. It is granted to the next of kin of Armed Forces personnel killed on operations or as a result of terrorism as a mark of national recognition for their loss.
Named after Queen Elizabeth the Second, this is the first time since the George Cross was instituted in 1940 by King George VI that the name of a reigning monarch has been given to a new award. Prior to this, the Victoria Cross was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 for acts of gallantry by the Armed Forces.
In 2001, with the approval and backing of the then Colonel Commandant, the Director and the Trustees of the Intelligence Corps Museum, research began on material for a book commemorating our active service casualties, entitled 'In the Name of the Rose'. The objective was to write the definitive record of our casualties since the formation of the Corps. The research was assisted by the author being granted unlimited access to the service records of the casualties, thus allowing an accurate and detailed account of their origins, education, military career and the operational circumstances of their deaths.
The project involved over five years of research and can be considered as the definitive record of Intelligence Corps casualties. It also includes those members of the Intelligence Corps (India), Burma Intelligence Corps, and the East African and West African Intelligence Corps who died on active service in World War II. The manuscript was completed in 2005 and copies are held in the Military Intelligence Museum archive.
In 2006, as part of the redevelopment of the Museum, the Museum Trustees commissioned Heritage Multimedia Ltd to design and produce an interactive display version of 'In the Name of the Rose' to provide a suitable display commemorating our casualties that would also be a valuable research tool for relatives and researchers.
Searches can be made via name or area of operations and the information available, although varying from individual to individual, typically includes details of birth, education, qualifications, military career and finally the circumstances leading to the individual's death; where available photographs of the casualty, or others relating to his/her career, are included. The database is constantly updated to include new information on each casualty as it becomes available.
Fred Judge
