MI5 (then M.O.5) initially used Boy Scouts as in-house messengers in 1914 but switched to Girl Guides after finding the boys disruptive. Ninety Guides, aged 14–16, worked for the agency between 1915 and 1920.
MI5 began using Boy Scouts as messengers in October 1914 but found them “very troublesome” and replaced them with Girl Guides.
Guides signed contracts pledging not to read carried papers, worked roughly 9 a.m.–7 p.m. for 50 hours a week, and also maintained inkpots and typewriters.
MI5 (known as M.O.5 until 1916) used civilian messengers for internal communications during World War I. In October 1914 the agency recruited Boy Scouts to carry messages between officers. That arrangement did not last.
An MI5 internal report covering 1900–1919 says the boys were "very troublesome." Long periods of inactivity led them into "mischief," and the agency encouraged many to take up outdoor duties better suited to their energy. To keep in-house messenger roles staffed, MI5 replaced the Boy Scouts with Girl Guides. The report states the results were "most satisfactory," calling the girls more "amenable" and their mischief less distressing to supervisors.
Who the Guides were and what they did
According to the Girl Guides organization and historical accounts, 90 Girl Guides, aged 14 to 16, worked for MI5. Their duties included carrying internal messages, keeping inkpots filled, cleaning and repairing typewriters, and other clerical tasks. They worked long hours: a typical day began at 9 a.m. and finished at 7 p.m., totaling about 50 hours a week, with only a short lunch break.
The Guides' record extended beyond routine internal tasks. The War Office took Girl Guides with the British delegation to France for the Paris Peace Conference in June 1919. British Guides ran errands at the Palace of Versailles, and sixteen Ranger Guides were invited to witness the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
In 2023 the Girl Guides in the U.K. issued a custom badge commemorating the Guides who worked for MI5 during the First World War.
MI5 did employ Boy Scouts as messengers in 1914 but replaced them with Girl Guides by 1915 after internal assessments found the boys difficult to manage. The Guides performed sustained clerical and messenger duties, were formally contracted and paid, and were considered reliable enough to support British diplomatic work at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.
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