Official Secrets Act

The Official Secrets Act was enacted in 1939. It was an act of the Parliament in the United Kingdom that was revised from two previous acts in 1888 and 1911. The Official Secrets Act gave the British government the power to prosecute individuals who released confidential security matters to the public, who spied for enemy nations, or who used confidential information to cause harm to the British state. The work done by radar personnel required that they have access to official secrets, such as the location of radar stations and the operation of radar technology, and so people working in radar divisions of the RAF and the RCAF had to swear an oath of secrecy in order do their jobs and fulfill their duties effectively. People who swore an oath of secrecy could not speak about their wartime service until the oath was lifted in 1991. As a result, very little is known about the activities of radar personanel during he war. The Secrets of Radar Museum is dedicated to preserving the history radar technology and its role inthe Second World War and this oral history project is an important part of that mission.