Description

Sidney Reilly: A Spy’s Timeline and Key Figures

Detailed Timeline of Sidney George Reilly’s Life Based on Provided Source:

March 24, 1873 or 1874: Born Shlomo (Salomon) Rosenblum (possibly Georgi Rosenblum) in the Jewish Kherson gubernia of Tsarist Russia (or Odessa, according to some sources).
Pre-1915: Educated to some extent in Europe. Travels and engages in business dealings in Russia, the Far East, and Europe.
Circa 1895: Arrives in England from France, according to passport records.
Circa 1915: Engaged in business activity in New York, where he comes under suspicion from the Russians as being a German spy.
October 1917: Joins the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in Canada.
March 1918: Becomes an agent for the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS).
1918: Sent to Russia by the SIS and becomes involved in the “Lockhart Plot,” a failed attempt to overthrow the Bolshevik government. Works alongside R. H. Bruce Lockhart in this endeavor.
Post-Lockhart Plot (1918): Sought by the Cheka (Soviet secret police), Reilly escapes to London.
December 2, 1919: Awarded the Military Cross.
Several Trips (prior to 1925): Undertakes multiple trips to Russia for the SIS.
1925: Returns to the Soviet Union one last time, no longer directly under SIS orders, as part of the “TRUST operation,” hoping to assist in overthrowing the communists.
1925: Captured, interrogated, and executed by the Soviets.
Post-1925: R. H. Bruce Lockhart writes about his and Reilly’s efforts to overthrow the Bolshevik regime in 1918, contributing significantly to the common knowledge about Reilly.
1931: The London Evening Standard begins printing a serial based on exploits attributed to Reilly called “Master Spy.”
Later: Ian Fleming, author of James Bond, is said to have used Sidney George Reilly as a model for his iconic character, Agent 007.
1916-1944: The MI5 files on Sidney George Reilly contain documents dating from this period.

Cast of Characters:

Sidney George Reilly (born Shlomo/Salomon Rosenblum or possibly Georgi Rosenblum): The central figure. A Russian-born individual who became a British intelligence agent, known as the “Ace of Spies.” He worked for various British intelligence entities, including Scotland Yard, the Secret Service Bureau, and the SIS. He was involved in business, suspected of being a German spy in 1915, joined the RFC, participated in the Lockhart Plot to overthrow the Bolsheviks, and was eventually captured and executed in the Soviet Union in 1925. His life is shrouded in disputed details and exaggerations.
Ian Fleming: Author of the James Bond series. He is said to have used Sidney George Reilly as a primary inspiration for the character of James Bond, Agent 007.
R. H. Bruce Lockhart: British spy and associate of Sidney George Reilly. He worked with Reilly on the Lockhart Plot in 1918. After Reilly’s death, Lockhart wrote about their activities, becoming a key source of information about Reilly’s life and exploits. His son, Robin Bruce Lockhart, also wrote about Reilly based on his father’s accounts.
Andrew Cook: Author of “Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly” and “On His Majesty’s Secret Service: Sidney Reilly, Codename ST1.” A former aide to Britain’s Secretary of State for Defense, he conducted extensive research into Reilly’s life using primary source documents, concluding that Reilly was an MI6 agent, plotter, con man, bigamist, and murderer.
Andrew Lycett: Author of “Ian Fleming, The Man Behind James Bond.” He also identifies Reilly as a model for Fleming’s character.
Hayden B. Peake: Curator of the CIA’s Historical Intelligence Collection. He provides a concise summary of the generally accepted facts about Reilly’s life.

Sidney George Reilly – “Reilly Ace of Spies” MI5 British Intelligence & Royal Air Force Files

MI5 Files

The MI5 files contain 171 pages of documents dating from 1916 to 1944. The British, so-called ‘Ace of Spies’, worked for British Intelligence in the Soviet Union after the Bolshevik Revolution. Reilly was lured back into the USSR in 1925, arrested and executed. The file reveals that Reilly was a Russian-born Jew who was engaged in business activity in New York in 1915, when he came under suspicion from the Russians as being a German spy.

Royal Air Force/Air Ministry: Department of the Master-General of Personnel: Officers’ Service Records

An Air Ministry document made up of a two page service record noting the various British intelligence entities he was employed by, and a notation that he was awarded the Military Cross on December 2, 1919.

About Sidney George Reilly:

His persona whether real, imagined, fabricated, or exaggerated is said to be the inspiration that guided Ian Flemming’s creation of his character James Bond Agent 007. Although he claimed to have been born in Ireland, Sidney George Reilly, (1873 – 1925), was born Shlomo (Salomon) Rosenblum on March 24, 1873, he would later change his name, in the Jewish Kherson gubernia of Tsarist Russia, according to Andrew Cook, author of “Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly .” Like many details of his life, this is disputed by some and there are alternative theories about his birth. Some sources say Reilly was born Georgi Rosenblum in Odessa, then a Black Sea port of the Russian Empire (now Ukraine), on 24 March 1873 or 1874.

According to author Robin Bruce Lockhart, the son of British spy R. H. Bruce Lockhart, Reilly worked for Scotland Yard, the British Secret Service Bureau and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Lockhart’s father is responsible for much of the information commonly known about Reilly. The Senior Lockhart was an associate of Reilly, who after Reilly’s death wrote about their efforts to overthrow the Bolshevik regime in 1918. The London Evening Standard in 1931 began printing a serial based on exploits attributed to Reilly called, “Master Spy.” According to Andrew Lycett, author of “Ian Fleming, The Man Behind James Bond,” Fleming used Reilly as a model for James Bond.

Andrew Cook, a former aide to Britain’s Secretary of State for Defense George Robertson, for his book “On His Majesty’s Secret Service: Sidney Reilly, Codename ST1.” examined passport and birth records, academic transcripts, immigration documents, marriage certificates, military records, business records, Russian intelligence files, and other primary source official documents. He concluded that Reilly had been an MI6 agent in Russia who plotted to overthrow the Bolshevik government, but he was also a con man, bigamist, and murderer.

According to Hayden B. Peake, curator of CIA’s Historical Intelligence Collection, “What is generally accepted about Reilly’s life can be summarized in a few sentences. He was born Solomon Rosenblum in Polish-Russia, raised near Odessa, and educated to some extent in Europe. Passport records show he arrived in England from France in 1895 and went on to have business dealings in Russia, the Far East, Europe, and New York. He joined the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in Canada in October 1917. In March 1918, he became a British SIS agent and was sent to Russia where he became involved in the so-called Lockhart Plot, a failed attempt to overthrow the communist government. Sought by the Cheka, Reilly escaped to London. In 1925, after several trips to Russia for the SIS, Reilly, now on his own, returned one more time to the Soviet Union, as part of the TRUST operation, hoping to assist in overthrowing the communists. He was captured, interrogated, and shot.”