Mair Thomas : Life at Bletchley Park
lowing an incident in 1938 concerning details of RAF readiness and deficiencies uncovered by Winston Churchill ’ s future son-in-law , Duncan Sandys , the act was amended again to specify the sharing of information and the correct ranks that needed notification before information was furnished . 32 It also added a disclaimer which combined the 1911 , 1920 , and 1939 acts into a single act : “ This Act may be cited as the Official Secrets Act , 1939 , and this Act and the Official Secrets Acts , 1911 and 1920 , shall be construed as one , and may be cited together as the Official Secrets Acts , 1911 to 1939 .” It also extended the act to include Northern Ireland . 33
The Secrecy Act carried great significance to the women of BP . Many of the women interviewed by both Tessa Dunlop and Michael Smith for their books placed extreme importance on the signing of the act and their ability to keep BP secret decades after the war ended . According to Dunlop , none of the women featured in her book “ has forgotten her introduction ” to the OSA . 34 Although the OSA clearly defines punishment for crimes against the state , many of the women remember threats of treason and execution . From an interview with Gwen Watkins ( née Davies ), Dunlop writes of Gwen ’ s version of signing the OSA :
Death threats like these were not uncommon . The wing commander who oversaw Gwen ’ s induction made a lasting impression on the eighteen-year-old recruit when he finished his sermon on secrecy with a florid threat , If she disclosed any information she ‘ would be liable to the extremest penalties of the law , and I ’ m not sure whether , at the moment , that ’ s hanging or shooting by firing squad .’
Another woman interviewed by Dunlop , Ruth Bourne ( née Henry ) recalls the threat of a prison sentence at the very least , if she broke the OSA . Dunlop quotes Ruth ’ s memory as :
I realize whatever we are doing , it is so secret that if you say anything you have to go to prison , “ at least .” I didn ’ t know what at least meant . I thought what could be worse — chop off your head , hang you or deport you ? I suppose everyone else thought the same .
Most of the women recruited early in the war years were from “ relatively well-to-do families ” and deemed trustworthy . They had connections to someone working at the GC & CS or a higher government office .
35 Very few of those early recruits interviewed by Michael Smith placed a high significance on signing the OSA in their recollection compared to those recruited later , as mentioned in Dunlop ’ s book . Although all of the men and women associated with BP signed the OSA , those who were recruited through universities and crossword puzzle contests seem to have had a different experience placed upon
the need for silence regarding their work than those with connections from the upper- to upper-middle-class families . Timing also seemed to play a part in the significance placed on the secrecy of the employees when informed of the
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