HG Lawrenson

This article is part of the Undercover Research Portal at Powerbase - investigating corporate and police spying on activists

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Part of a series on undercover police management
HG 'Bert' Lawrenson
Alias:	n/a
Deployment:	before 1963 - circa 1970
Unit:	C Squad
Targets:	n/a

HG "Bert" Lawrenson is a former senior officer in the Metropolitan Police Special Branch.

1963

His first known appearance is as a Special Branch Detective Inspector in 1963. Activist group 'Spies for Peace' had released top secret details of the governments plans for 'Regional Seats of Government', which was picked up by the wider peace movement. As part of an effort to prevent further publicising of the details, the state issued various warnings. These included a visit from Special Branch, in the form of Detective Inspectors Wood and Lawrenson, to Peace News due that newspaper's plans to publish the details. Despite this, Peace News put the story on it's front page.'

With C Squad

According to some sources, Lawrenson was a Superintendent in charge of C Squad in 1960s and early 1970s - having succeeded Harold Suttling in that role. Dates are as yet uncertain, but he certainly held the rank of Superintendent by late 1967 and subsequent years.

As a superintendent in C Squad his role would have overseen Special Branch's intelligence gathering on political groups - its remit variously including Communists and Subversives/ Public Order / Domestic Extremism. As such he was deputy to its then head Chief Superintendent Arthur Cunningham, something which is born out by his presence in Special Branch reports on the Vietnam War protests of 1968 and 1969.

The reports also indicate he was in receipt of material obtained by the undercovers of the Special Demonstration Squad, and almost certainly aware of its existence, given its founder DCI Conrad Dixon - who had worked on left wing groups for Special Branch prior to founding the SDS in July 1968.

As a note of caution on interpreting the material, at the time B Squad and C squad appear to have covered some of the same ground and its notable that some of the reports in the Inquiry for 1968 and 1969 note they are for the attention of Superintendent B Squad. As far as is understood at the moment, its only in late 1969 that B Squad starts to focus on Irish matters. However, other statements support the contention that C Squad was focused on Communists and related matters at the time.

Vietnam War protests

The 29 August 1968 Note to File from F.4 Division, Home Office

1968 saw a mass movement against the Vietnam War, including large scale demonstrations in London. Special Branch played a key role in the police response to this, including setting up undercover unit, the Special Demonstration Squad in September that year, targeting the large scale 27 October mobilisation.

In March 1968 Lawrenson authors a report on a recent demonstration against the Vietnam War by Youth Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

While throughout 1968 and 1969 Lawrenson's name appears on a number of reports submitted by DI Conrad Dixon into the activities of the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign; in these he is often given as Acting Detective Chief Superintendent in place (or on behalf of) of the regular co-signer, DCS Arthur Cunningham.

For example, in early October 1968, he signs a report of Conrad Dixon, on behalf of his Chief Superintendent, regarding the decision by CND not to support the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign's demonstration of 27 October and about the internal mood within the VSC.

Six months later, in March 1969, he also signs a report into the Committee for Solidarity with Vietnam demonstration on 9 March 1969 for of the Chief Superintendent. While a week later, now as Acting Chief Superintendent, he again signs a report on an upcoming Vietnam Solidarity Campaign demonstration.

Economic League

Section from statement of spycop HN336 noting Supt. Bert Lawrenson joining the Economic League.

SDS undercover officer HN336, known as Dick Epps: mentioned Lawrenson in his witness statement:

Shortly after I joined the branch, the then Chief Superintendent of C Squad, I think his name was Lawrenson, retired and he joined the staff of the Economic League, and I was aware of that.

Reference to 'the branch' is thought to be a mistake for the Special Demonstration Squad, which HN336 joined in early 1969. He also served time on the Special Branch Industrial Section and appeared as 'Dan' in True Spies.

A search of the Police and Constabulary Almanac shows that Bert Lawrenson indeed left, as he is last recorded as a Metropolitan police officer in 1969, as an Acting Chief Superintendent.

Given his role in C Squad, Lawrenson's move to blacklisting organisation the Economic League is concerning. He would have seen numerous intelligence reports on people who were being systematically targeted for their political beliefs. His understanding of Special Branch officers and structures would also provide knowledge and contacts useful for the Economic League.

Lawrenson indeed had direct awareness of the newly founded SDS, a Home Office file dated 29 August 1968 shows. This Note for File regarding a meeting where mention is made of a new 'special squad' set up in Special Branch is authored by someone within the F.4 Division, which in 1968 oversaw security liaison, subversive activities and public order, among other things. The Note records that Supt. Lawrenson had invited the author to a 'meeting with Senior Superintendent Cunningham and Chief Inspector Dickson [sic]. We reviewed our joint coverage of London University and various polytechnics'. It goes on to say:

Briefly, Special Branch have set up a special squad under Dickson, bearded and unwashed males and scruffy female, who are participating in demonstrations where they make contact with students and then hope to turn them and use them as short term informers. They are meeting with some success.

This identifies Lawrenson, Dixon and Cunningham as working close together in August 1968 and Lawrenson knowing of the SDS from the very start.

Nevertheless, the Metropolitan Police's investigation into sharing of police files with blacklist firms makes no mention of Lawrenson.

Other details

Lawrenson on frontpage of the Morning Star, 18 November 2020.

He is probably the Herbert Guy Lawrenson, born 12 July 1915, Warrington; died 10 Sept 1995, Ruislip. If he is correctly identified as the person born 1915, he would have been at police retirement age around 1970.

Undercover Policing Inquiry

Following the mention of Lawrenson in the statement of HN336 / 'Dick Epps', the significance of the mention was realised by campaigners. It was used by Dave Smith of the Blacklist Support Group in his Opening Statement. This in turn lead to stories in the mainstream press, including the front cover of the print edition of the Morning Star of 18 November 2020.