THE SECRET MI5 INTERROGATION CENTRE ON HAM COMMON
The contribution made by Bushy Park in the Second World War is both well-documented and recognised but just two miles across the River Thames a more shadowy and secretive MI5 interrogation centre known by the codename Camp 020 also played a key role in a different way.
During the war, Camp 020, located on Ham Common in Richmond, London, played a vital yet secretive role in Britain’s intelligence and counter-espionage efforts.
Officially designated as the London District Interrogation Centre, Camp 020 was a unique facility operated by MI5 and was instrumental in identifying, interrogating, and turning enemy agents who had been captured in the United Kingdom.
The camp’s operations were pivotal in undermining the Nazi espionage network and contributed significantly to the overall Allied victory.
Camp 020 was established shortly after the outbreak of war in 1939. Its location, set in a secluded Edwardian mansion known as Latchmere House, was ideal for its covert operations.
The camp was placed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Robin “Tin Eye” Stephens, a stern and exacting intelligence officer whose leadership was central to its success.
Stephens insisted on strict discipline and psychological interrogation methods rather than physical coercion.
His approach proved to be not only more humane but also highly effective in obtaining accurate and actionable intelligence.
One of Camp 020’s primary roles was the interrogation of captured German spies.
Many of these enemy agents had been parachuted into Britain with orders to conduct sabotage or gather intelligence.
However, thanks to MI5’s efficient counter-intelligence operations, most were apprehended shortly after landing.
Once captured, these individuals were brought to Camp 020 for interrogation. The facility’s skilled staff used a mixture of psychological pressure, careful questioning, and exploitation of personal weaknesses to extract confessions and gain insight into the workings of the German intelligence services.
One of Camp 020’s most important contributions was its central role in the Double Cross System, one of the most successful counter-espionage operations of the war.
This system involved turning captured German agents into double agents who then fed false or misleading information back to their Nazi handlers.
Under Stephens’ oversight, many captured agents agreed to cooperate, and the intelligence they transmitted became a crucial tool in deceiving the German High Command.
The Double Cross agents were used to spread misinformation about Allied military plans, significantly affecting German strategic decisions.
Perhaps the most notable achievement of the Double Cross System, supported directly by Camp 020’s interrogation and handling of agents, was its role in Operation Fortitude.
This was the elaborate deception operation designed to convince the Germans that the D-Day landings would occur at Pas-de-Calais rather than Normandy.
The success of this deception was instrumental in the eventual success of the Normandy invasion, as it led the Germans to hold back reinforcements from the actual landing site.
The credibility and reliability of the double agents used in Fortitude were rooted in the careful and effective work conducted at Camp 020.
Camp 020 also played a crucial role in building a detailed understanding of the Abwehr, Germany’s military intelligence organization.
Interrogations conducted at the camp revealed the identities of key German personnel, procedures used in spy training, encryption techniques, and more.
This intelligence was shared across the British security apparatus and helped to dismantle and preempt enemy espionage efforts. Camp 020 was not a battlefield in the conventional sense, but its contributions to victory in the Second World War were no less significant.
Through its sophisticated interrogation techniques, leadership under Stephens, and its foundational role in the Double Cross System, the camp helped to neutralize the German spy network in Britain and mislead the Nazi regime at critical junctures.
The quiet work done at Ham Common played a pivotal part in protecting British security and ensuring the success of major Allied operations.
Here are some of the most famous double agents held at Camp 020, along with their real names and code names:
1.
Juan Pujol García
- Code Name: Garbo
- Nationality: Spanish
- Notes: Arguably the most successful double agent of the war. He created a network of fake sub-agents and was instrumental in deceiving the Germans about the D-Day landings. He was not initially held at Camp 020 but worked closely with MI5 after volunteering to spy for the British.
2.
Dusko Popov
- Code Name: Tricycle
- Nationality: Yugoslav
- Notes: Glamorous and flamboyant, Popov was a Serbian playboy who fed disinformation to the Germans. Although not imprisoned at Camp 020, he was processed through the Double-Cross System and worked closely with British intelligence.
3.
Tate (Wulf Schmidt)
- Real Name: Wulf Schmidt
- Nationality: German (Danish origin)
- Notes: Captured soon after parachuting into England in 1940, Schmidt was held at Camp 020 and quickly turned. He played a crucial role in the deception operations leading up to D-Day.
4.
Zigzag (Eddie Chapman)
- Real Name: Eddie Chapman
- Nationality: British
- Notes: A British criminal turned German spy, Chapman was captured and flipped by the British. He became a key double agent and is one of the more colorful figures associated with Camp 020.
5.
Snow (Arthur Owens)
- Real Name: Arthur Graham Owens
- Nationality: Welsh
- Notes: One of the earliest double agents, Owens was a radio operator who worked for both Germany and Britain. He was detained at Camp 020 and became a crucial part of early wartime counterespionage.
6.
Brutus (Roman Czerniawski)
- Real Name: Roman Czerniawski
- Nationality: Polish
- Notes: Originally a member of the Polish resistance, Czerniawski was arrested by the Germans in France, turned, and then turned again by MI5 at Camp 020. He later helped in D-Day deception.
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