MI5 : Official Secrets

Fascinating, dense exhibition at the National Archives looking at the work of MI5 since its foundation in 1909.

I say dense as being based mainly on documents there was a lot of reading with just a few objects however it was worth taking time over as it was packed with fascinating stories and I came away with lots to look up, such as the Woolwich Arsenal Spy Ring in 1938 as I live at Woolwich Arsenal.

The show was arranged chronically with each section having an introduction, a selection of case studies, staff profiles of the prominent MI5 staff and an outline of the techniques and methodology used and was shown as if in an archive on shelves with case file boxes around the exhibits.

As well as the Woolwich reference I found two other connections in the show. There was a section on Karl Fuchs, the atomic spy who was arrested at Harwell where my father worked. Some of his friends remembered Fuchs. Also there was a mortar bomb from the IRA attack on Downing Street in 1991 which I heard from where I worked in Parliament Square. I had to tell the poor man next to me!

Closes 23 November 2025


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