OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT

Evening Star, Issue 21905, 17 December 1934, Page 3

OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT

ALLEGED BREACH WOOLWICH ARSENAL EMPLOYEE CHARGED Tress Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, December 15. Burges was committed for trial at the Old Bailey. He pleaded not guilty and reserved his defence. Evidence was given that : Burges approached Imperial Chemical Industries and revealed technical information. It was stated that Burges received the Military Cross during the war and was a retired major, with an excellent war record. The prosecution said that Imperial Chemicals communicated with tne War Office, and thereafter acted on its instructions in dealings with Burges, who allegedly handed secret documents to an ex-police officer and then_ arranged to hand over other secret information in Parliament Square, when lie was arrested. . Arthur Grimwood, , director of Imperial Chemicals, gave evidence that Burges, giving the nanie of George Vincent, sent a letter regarding information which the firm requested from the Government, hut had been partly refused. Burges later brought documents and suggested they were worth £IOO. An official at the arsenal said Burges was employed there for eleven years at a salary of_£274. A detective gave evidence that, when charged, Burges said: “I did this owing to financial difficulties, and I have now made things ten times worse. I will do anything to help you. I do not want to bring in the sob stuff.” [William Burges, a middle-aged man, described as a second-grade computer at Woolwich Arsenal, was remanded at Bow street when charged under the Official Secrets Act with obtaining, on December 4, certain sketches and documents, information which might, be useful to an enemy, and communicating them to an unauthorised person. He was also charged with obtaining similar articles and attempting to communicate them to an unauthorised person.]