The panic began just before bedtime when a member of the BNP surfing the internet noticed their entire personal details had appeared online.

“Jesus H. Christ!” the far-Right supporter wrote to the message board of a sympathetic blog at 23.19 on Monday. “It’s true, I’ve just seen my details. Who in the BNP has done this?”

By last night, the internet was buzzing with nervous nationalists and gleeful anti-fascists exchanging taunts about the extraordinary breach of the party’s security.

The membership list provides a rare glimpse into the true nature of the bedrock support for the BNP, which believes it is on the brink of winning its first seat in the European elections next year.

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Many members have a fascination with mystical ideas of England, giving their own homes or email addresses names associated with paganism, Viking and Saxon history. One couple call their farmhouse New Dawn. Another member gives himself the email name “Iceni”.

There are 16 serving and more than 50 former soldiers, along with a score of ex-police officers and a sizeable crop of driving instructors. The list also includes civil servants and estate agents. One is a witch. Another is a vicar.

There is a lecturer in human rights and data protection and a “lapsed Mensa member”.

The BNP’s purported database includes personal notes on members who have skills which might prove useful. “Public speaker ... HGV licence ... musician” are recorded. Language skills are outlined.

Some of the information is inaccurate, whether by error or design. One possibility is that simple codes have been used to mangle numbers. For example, the mobile for a top English scientist, said to require discretion because of his job, was answered yesterday by an angry Glaswegian who launched into a four-letter torrent of abuse.

However, The Times was able to use the list to contact numerous BNP members who had kept their identities secret until now. Their email addresses, mobile and home telephone numbers were correct.

There are signs that the party is careful about possible damage to its image. One man, described as being part of “BNP security”, has a warning sign stating “convictions — monitor”.

Hobbies, also meticulously listed for some members, include birdwatching, steam railways, line-dancing, model-making, die-cast collection, military aviation history, cycling and learning to fly.

Many children’s details are included because the party offers family membership for £40 a year.

The party leader Nick Griffin’s name, address and home telephone number are also disclosed.

Some have lost patience with awaiting that New Dawn and have given up on Britain entirely. There are addresses from the United States, Saudi Arabia and the Irish Republic. “Emigrated to Australia”, reads one entry.

Harry Baxter, 90, a former Army Major and veteran of Dunkirk and Alamein, said he would be contacting his solicitor. “You can rub me off and count me out,” he told The Times. “I do not have anything to do with them now, but that’s beside the point. It has nothing to do with anybody. It is no one’s business. There must be some way of stopping it, and finding out who has done it."

Fear and loathing began appearing on the blogs from early yesterday.

“Holy s***,” one member posted to North West Nationalists at 1.30am. “Just what the f*** is going on? Did it get out over the weekend, was it stolen by reds, hacked or what?”

2.01 “The most shocking thing is some of the comments by the names! God help anyone who is in the army, the service, health care, police officer or a teacher. You’re all f*****! For some reason too, a lot of the unmarried women have their ages by their names, is this for the benefit of a certain person or persons?”

2.01 “Me [too] I’m on the list, I could be chucked out of the army. What is going on? P*** up in a brewery comes to mind. Who controls the membership list? Clearly old Griffo doesn’t give a s***! I want some answers, NOW”

11.11 “You have to laugh. All those redirection points, hush-hush meetings, and the BNP goes and loses the most valuable piece of information it has. Each one of those names translates into money. Who wants to renew now, knowing the BNP will just give your details up to a bunch of communist loonies, who damage cars, property, throw bombs, and threaten the lives of children?

“Oh yes, the reds paint nasty pictures of BNP members, but amongst their ranks, particularly in Manchester, are some of the most scum that ever walked. The membership should demand Griffin stand down over this breach, other leader would. He has put thousands of members at risk, and proved unfit to lead.”

12.09 “This is a DISASTER for the BNP, both on a PR front and a security level. Heads should roll and I’m afraid that the buck has to stop with the chairman. He has been good for the BNP but this is a blunder too far.

“If he won’t resign or says the error was someone elses then he should sack all of those involoved in the compilation and storage of members details, All of them.”

12.49 “This means many of us could lose our jobs, add this info to it and its a dead cert. I’m really upset, how could they do this?”

dkennedy@thetimes.co.uk

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