page_title: MI8
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: MI8 / History
caption_attribution_description: English: National HRO radio
context_page_description: MI8, or Military Intelligence, Section 8 was a British Military Intelligence group responsible for signals intelligence and was created in 1914. It originally consisted of four sections: MI8, which dealt with wireless policy; MI8, based at the General Post Office, dealt with commercial and trade cables; MI8 dealt with the distribution of intelligence derived from censorship; and MI8, which liaised with the cable companies. During World War I MI8 officers were posted to the cable terminals at Poldhu Point and Mullion in Cornwall and Clifden in County Galway, continued until 1917 when the work was taken over by the Admiralty. In WW2, MI8 was responsible for the extensive War Office Y Group and briefly, for the Radio Security Service.
context_section_description: MI8 was the signals intelligence department of the War Office that ran a worldwide Y-stations network.  Additionally, for an 18-month period, from late 1939 to mid 1941, it also ran the Radio Security Service, under the designation of MI8c, but  this was quickly handed over to MI6. The remainder of this page relates only to this small organisation, with, regrettably, no information concerning the major role of MI8.
caption: National HRO receiver, extensively used by the RSS
exif: {}