Sir John Arnold Wallinger | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Arnold Wallinger 25 October 1869 |
| Died | 7 January 1931 (aged 71) |
| Occupation(s) | Imperial policeman Counter-intelligence officer |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire Distinguished Service Order King's Police Medal |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom British India |
| Service branch | Indian Imperial Police Metropolitan Police Indian Political Intelligence Office British Army |
| Service years | 1896–1926 |
| Rank | Superintendent Major (temporary) Deputy Inspector General of Police |
| Operations | World War I Hindu-German Conspiracy |
Major Sir John Arnold Wallinger KBE, DSO, CIE, KPM (25 October 1869 – 7 January 1931) was a British Indian intelligence officer who led the Indian Political Intelligence Office from 1909 to 1916. As a colonial policeman and counter-intelligence officer he became a specialist in countering those opposed to British rule in India, operating both in India and in England.
During the First World War he was engaged in combating the Hindu–German Conspiracy. During this period he employed the novelist W. Somerset Maugham as an intelligence agent in Geneva. Wallinger is perhaps best known as the principal inspiration for the character of "R.", the fictional British spymaster who employs Ashenden in Maugham's stories.
- ^ "Wallinger, Sir John Arnold". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/67772. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)