ABSTRACT
One aspect of British intelligence operations that differed dramatically from the Lord Raglan/Charles Cattley period was the establishment of a secondary centre for intelligence gathering. Responsibility for intelligence operations in the eastern Crimea had always fallen upon the Secret Intelligence Department. Like Secret Intelligence Department, the Intelligence Department, Kertch produced a continuous stream of reports and Robert Vivian regularly briefed Codrington on its most current intelligence estimates, reporting both changes and the absence of changes alike. The intelligence summary for 12 December reinforced earlier reports that the Russians were withdrawing most of their forces from the Kertchine Peninsula. As 1856 progressed, fewer intelligence reports were written, but they did correctly identify one important point: the Russians were quitting the Crimea. The establishment of Kertch as a secondary centre for intelligence operations provided Codrington with another perspective from which to understand the enemy.
