Official Secrets Act

Never heard of that Paul – it would be more normal to re sign it to remind you to be a good boy LOL

When I left my employment in the Civil Service in Whitehall at the age of 20 I was asked to unsign the Official Secrets Act.
Needless to say I never did but what the hell was that all about?

I am not going to speculate sir !
It was at/after the end of the war so may or may not have been still on the staff – Bennett himself was unpopular with most of the RAF hierarchy !

rgds baz

PS – I have just posted a crew photo on Historic !

Conspiracy theory – AVM Bennett was reputedly not the easiest man to get along with, so did he step on the AVM’s toes once too often and the result being the ultimate ignomy?

He might have done Paul but by late 1945 he was a very experienced officer and also was on AVM Bennett’s staff…so I would have thought it less likely – but anything is possible I suppose !

Probably paid his Mess Bill with a duff cheque!

Baz,if you find out what the Nav did to get court martialled let us know .

Unlikely for a while unfortunately,it could just be to protect certain people/reputations or the good name of the RAF but certainly fairly unusual for a decorated staff officer to be cashiered.
Edgar very kindly looked it up for us at Kew.
What was interesting/scary was whilst having a dig through the available online records I found out that a chap I knew in the RAF had been court martialled for murrderrr !

You do know that if we tell you, we’ll have to kill you afterwards….

Baz,if you find out what the Nav did to get court martialled let us know .

You weren’t exaggerating Baz!!;)

the Navigator I referred to in post 11

Sqn.-Ldr. L. R. Hastings, D.F.C
Leslie Reginald Hastings 124562

P/O – 1377848 LAC Leslie Reginald HASTINGS (124562) 20th June 1942
F/O 20th Dec. 1942
F/L 3rd April 1944

Distinguished Flying Cross. 7 September 1943
Flying Officer Leslie Reginald HASTINGS (124562) Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 49 Squadron.

Mentioned in Despatches 1st January, 1945
Acting Squadron Leader L. R. HASTINGS, D.F.C. (124562), RA.F.V.R.

Mentioned in Despatches 8 June 1945
Acting Squadron Leader L. R. HASTINGS, D.F.C. (124562), R.A.F.V.R

Cashiered by sentence of General Court-Martial F/L. L. R. HASTINGS, D.F.C. (124562). 26th Feb. 1946

Not that many times really Charlie – I have been told a million times not to exaggerate ; ) !

I would guess We signed as Apprentices and again when we graduated to ‘Mans service’,next time would be when leaving the RAF.
Signed again when joining Hawker Squiddeley at Dunsfold and poss when made repugnant from there as well.
I signed again when starting my current job ‘somewhere in wiltshire’.

And I am sure I have signed a couple of times more in between !

They just want to be sure to be sure LOL

Interesting baz. I didn’t know you had to re sign with a new appointment. So effectively that would nullify each preceding signing. I thought I had signed once for life.

Who knows how many times I have signed the ‘Act’ – the only time I have worked military aircraft and not signed is when I worked with Airwork for the Zimbabwe Air Force and even there I might have signed some sort of confidentiality clause – cannot remember – too much alcohol under the bridge ; )

The “30 years” is actually the minimum, though there’s talk of it being reduced; I looked for a 1946 file, on behalf of someone, and found that it had a 75 year tag on it, and there are files (can’t remember them, now) with 100 & 150 year tags.

Thanks again for doing that for me Edgar…intriguing case that — a ww2 operational navigator (temp sqn ldr DFC),court martialled and cashiered in 1946 – originally asked about by David Layne on RAF Commands and Key.This officer had ended up on Bennetts staff as group Nav officer so was obviously good at his job – would love to find out more !!

I think there are a few more categories than that.

And the irony is that the Russians (Soviets as were) Chinese and others probably knew/know more than most of us did/do.

Like others here I am sure, I was obliged to sign many years ago working in a government department but I see little relevance now in most of what I was privy to then.

It would seem that there are (at least) two types of secret.

1) Those type involving advanced technology and weaponry. Payloads, Range, Speed etc.

2) “Secrets”, which if revealed, would embarrass Individuals, Royalty, “Top Brass”, members of the aristocracy
(and their families), or the Nation as a whole.

Even down South, we have to respect official secrets, which is one reason why the truth about the Helderberg disaster will probably not be known for many years to come, if ever. The die-hards are hanging on.

Yes, but in the same context there are files from WW2 that still haven’t been released even after the 30 yr rule? is up.

The “30 years” is actually the minimum, though there’s talk of it being reduced; I looked for a 1946 file, on behalf of someone, and found that it had a 75 year tag on it, and there are files (can’t remember them, now) with 100 & 150 year tags.
During the 1970s an employee of the NGTE, at Farnborough, wanted to write the history of Whittle, but found that the technology was still secret, so she couldn’t access it. She went to the Science Museum, and found everything she needed in the children’s section.

Trump – historically whistleblowers have always done exactly that and still do, although there would be disagreement about whether or not what they were divulging was wrong.