Brigadier-General Sir Eric Edward Boketon Holt-Wilson CMG DSO (26 August 1875 – 26 March 1950) was a British Army officer who left the army to join the nascent British Security Service (MI5), which developed in time to deal with espionage during World War I.

He became the Service's deputy to Sir Vernon Kell, serving through to the beginning of World War II.

[11] His war service in South Africa was excellent and he was mentioned in despatches twice: on 8 February and 10 September 1901.

"[13][14] Rising public fears in Great Britain of German espionage precipitated the creation of a new government intelligence agency formed by Vernon Kell in 1909.

[15] In 1912 Holt-Wilson went to work for Vernon Kell, then the Director of what was termed the Home Section of the Secret Service Bureau with responsibility for investigating espionage, sabotage and subversion in Britain.