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.
Series
Special Operations Executive: Playfair and Wireless Operators Codes Nominal Card...
Catalogue reference: HS 16
What's it about?
HS 16
This series contains the nominal Playfair code card index showing code details for each agent or wireless operator in the field. The Playfair code (invented by one of the devisers of the telegraph, Sir Charles Wheatstone) was that used by SOE...
Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
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HS 16
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Title (The name of the record)
- Special Operations Executive: Playfair and Wireless Operators Codes Nominal Card Index
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Date (When the record was created)
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1940-1946
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Description (What the record is about)
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This series contains the nominal Playfair code card index showing code details for each agent or wireless operator in the field. The Playfair code (invented by one of the devisers of the telegraph, Sir Charles Wheatstone) was that used by SOE agents up to 1942, when its weaknesses were demonstrated by Leo Marks and the code was progressively replaced by more secure coding practices.
For each agent, the index card shows the letter square to be used and the phrase it was derived from, along with the various security measures agents were to apply to their messages sent from the field. The cards include a date of which the meaning is now not clear, but which may be the date of the agent being trained in the use of the code.
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
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Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
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English
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Creator(s) (The creator of the record)
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- Foreign Office, Special Operations Executive, 1945-1946
- Ministry of Economic Warfare, Special Operations Executive, 1940-1945
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
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1 card(s)
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Restrictions on use (Information on restrictions to the use or reproduction of the material)
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Document to be seen only under supervision
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
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Open
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Immediate source of acquisition (When and where the record was acquired from)
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In 2004 Secret Intelligence Service
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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))
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Accruals (Indicates whether the archive expects to receive further records in future)
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Series is not accruing
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C16295/
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
19,884 records
Within the department: HS
Records of Special Operations Executive
You are currently looking at the series: HS 16
Special Operations Executive: Playfair and Wireless Operators Codes Nominal Card Index
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