Hundred seventh edition of the N&O column / Spooks newsletter

(Date: Thu Aug 3, 2006 1:29 pm (PST))

Intelligence news

David Bingham, Naval Spy from a very different perspective....

by Paul Beaumont

In N&O 29 a short piece appeared entitled, 'David Bingham, Naval Spy'. This piece outlined the activities of a Royal Naval officer, Sub-Lieutenant David Bingham who served, as a weapons electronics officer, aboard HMS Rothesay, a modified Type 12 Anti-Air Frigate, F107.

As far as the records available at the time showed it appeared that Bingham's wife Maureen had approached the Russian Embassy and offered her husband's services as a spy. The newspapers from where our information was gleaned stated that Mrs Bingham as a comfort shopper and the family had descended into debt because of that. We knew nothing else. On 25th May I received a forwarded email which read,

> To whom it may concern.
> Can the above mentioned person please contact Maureen Bingham, wife
> of the KGB Spy, at the following contact details:
<Address and telephone number censored>
> I thank you in advance.
>
> Yours sincerely,
> Maureen Bignham
>
> ps: please do not reply to this message.

And contact Mrs Bingham, by telephone, I did!

I spoke with a lady who immediately asked me if I was responsible for writing the original piece - not so I replied, I had merely paraphrased from newspaper reports. Mrs Bingham stated that she was not surprised as what I had written was not accurate and carried all the traits of coming from newspapers, which in her view, never tell the truth. Then followed an hour long, but interesting, telephone conversation about David Bingham's activities as a Naval Spy and Mrs Bingham's part in the spying activity.

Interestingly Mrs Bingham stated out of hand that her late husband was actually the opposite as described and that far from being her that initiated the spying [and indeed the debts] his own need for money was the reason that David Bingham had sent her to the Russian Embassy.

For all his activities Bingham received a gaol sentence of 21 years, whilst Mrs Bingham received two years. Bingham actually served only seven years and upon release changed his name to Brough and married a first cousin.

In February 1997 Bingham/Brough lost control of the car that he was driving, in Stratford-upon-Avon, crashing into a tree. Bingham/Brough died as a result of the accident, along with his dog, which was also present in the car. The crash occurred during severe gales which were sweeping the country. He was 56.

Mrs Bingham stated to me that the situation with her marriage was that upon working his way through the ranks to gain a Commission [no mean feat that] there was precious money left to run the family home in the way in which she would have liked. The children, it is claimed, went without because of the poor pay her husband attracted as a Sub Lt against the cost of uniform and upkeep.

Mrs Bingham also stated that their marriage was rather 'fiery' due to the strain of this debt and also stated private matters which had some bearing on her job as a Nurse and which led her husband to spy as he did.

The reason Mrs Bingham contacted me as the author of the original piece was because she wanted to set the matter straight; she felt that any of her Grandchildren researching the original accounts might think she was the motivating factor in Bingham's spying and wanted to be able to make her point. That she had read the N&O 29 article shows her interest in these matters 'spy'.

At one stage David Bingham served part of his sentence making friends with a known person and there we have a link. We mention no names save say the person who sent the following was also found guilty of spying:

>'I spoke this afternoon with my friend who knew Bingham during his
>prison sentence. My friend is still in prison at HMP <censored>, but
>he said he remembered David Bingham well, and was friendly with him
>during that time and after he was released. He said he remembered
>that Bingham had gone to live in Stratford on Avon and took up
>social work.
>What my friend was very definite about was that Bingham was a
>thoroughly nice person, and was well-respected by the other
>prisoners, and even the prison staff liked him and I trust my
>friend's judgement about character.'

So there we have it, a statement from David Bingham's first wife Maureen and the statement from one who was a friend made during prison.

Whilst the reader can merely suppose what David Bingham was truly like or what the true reason for Bingham's actions really were only two persons really know, Mrs Maureen Bingham and obviously Sub Lt Bingham, sadly deceased.