Lives of the First World War

Remembering the lives of people who worked for the Directorate of Military Intelligence Section 7 (MI7). In February 1915 a Directorate of Special Intelligence was formed which in turn gave rise to MO7, a branch of the War Office concerned with press publicity. It was MO7 which gave the first war correspondents permission to visit the Western Front in May 1915, ensuring that the military authorities would maintain control over the correspondents' work. In January 1916, as part of a reorganisation of the Imperial General Staff, a new Directorate of Military Intelligence was created and MO7 became MI7. Military Intelligence Section 7 (MI7) was organised in a series of sub-sections distinguished by lower-case letters in brackets. The precise duties of these sub-sections varied with time, but may be roughly summarised as follows ... MI7 (a) - censorship. MI7 (b) - foreign and domestic propaganda, including press releases concerning army matters. MI7 (c) - translation and (from 1917) regulation of foreign visitors. MI7 (d) - foreign press propaganda and review (part of subsection (b) until subsection (d) was formed in late 1916).

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