Focus on
Olga Gray and the Woolwich Arsenal Spy Ring
In 1938, thanks to years of work by a remarkable female agent, MI5 ensured a package of British defence plans stayed secret.
Piece
Harold COLE, alias ROOKE, MASON, COOL, CORSER and many more: COLE went to France...
Catalogue reference: KV 2/415
What’s it about?
This record is about the Harold COLE, alias ROOKE, MASON, COOL, CORSER and many more: COLE went to France... dating from 1940 Apr 11-1945 Apr 21 in the series The Security Service: Personal (PF Series) Files. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
Is it available online?
Yes, this record is available online and can be downloaded. How to view it.
Can I see it in person?
No, this record is not available to see in person at The National Archives. Other ways to view it.
Full description and record details
-
Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- KV 2/415
-
Date (When the record was created)
- 1940 Apr 11-1945 Apr 21
-
Description (What the record is about)
-
Harold COLE, alias ROOKE, MASON, COOL, CORSER and many more: COLE went to France as a soldier in 1939, was taken prisoner by the Germans in 1940, escaped and lived first in Lille, then in Marseilles, where he helped escaping British servicemen to reach safety. Re-arrested by the Gestapo in 1941, he was then turned by the SD and betrayed a whole French Resistance unit, which resulted in the deaths of over 50 people. At the end of the war COLE was hunted by MI5, finally being arrested posing as a US Intelligence officer in liberated France, complete with Mercedes vehicle and French mistress. Escaping once more from US custody, Cole was finally discovered in 1946 living under cover in Paris. He was killed in an exchange of gunfire with French Police
-
Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
-
Former department reference (Former identifier given by the originating creator)
- L 166-230 VOL 1
-
Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
-
Closure status (Whether the record is ‘open’ (available to the public) or ‘closed’ (not available due to a legal exemption))
- Open Document, Open Description
-
Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
-
Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C10967527/
How to order it
- View this record page in our current catalogue
- Check viewing and downloading options
- Select an option and follow instructions
Series information
KV 2
The Security Service: Personal (PF Series) Files
See the series level description for more information about this record.
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
6,152 records
4,773 records
You are currently looking at the piece: KV 2/415
Harold COLE, alias ROOKE, MASON, COOL, CORSER and many more: COLE went to France...
You may be interested in
Read stories that share a catalogue subject with this record.
-
-
Focus on
The Spycatcher affair
The book Spycatcher sparked one of the most controversial courtroom battles of the 1980s, bringing questions around state secrecy to a global audience. -
Record revealed
‘The Book of Negroes’: Black refugees who fought in the American Revolution
This volume offers a glimpse of the numerous ‘Black Loyalists’ who seized the American Revolutionary War as a chance to gain freedom from enslavement.
Related records
Records that share similar topics with this record.