Mull of Kintyre Chinook disaster.

[Jock2413 Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jock2413]

Let us pause for a moment today and remember the largest loss of life suffered by the security forces in one incident during Op Banner.

Col Christopher Biles OBE Staff (Ex D&D)
Lt Col George Williams MBE QGM MiD IC
Lt Col Richard Gregory-Smith IC
Maj Richard Allen RGBWR
Maj Christopher Dockerty PWORY
Maj Anthony Hornby MBE QLR
Maj Roy Pugh MBE IC
Maj Gary Sparks RA
Maj John Tobias MBE IC

Flt Lt Richard Cook RAF
Flt Lt Jonathan Tapper RAF
MAc Graham Forbes RAF
Sgt Kevin Hardie RAF.

Assistant Chief Constable John Fitzsimmons MBE
Detective Chief Superintendent Desmond Conroy QGM BEM
Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Neilly
Detective Superintendent Philip Davidson
Detective Superintendent Robert Foster
Detective Superintendent William Gwilliam
Detective Superintendent John Phoenix Ex Para Reg
Detective Chief Inspector Dennis Bunting
Detective Inspector Stephen Davidson
Detective Inspector Kevin Magee

The following were all members of British Security Services:

Martin Dalton
John Deverell CB MBE
Charles Fitzsimmons
John Haynes MBE MiD Maj (rtd) IC
Anne MacDonald
Michael Maltby.

Rest easy all.

[Guest Close Guest]

[Guest Close Guest]

RIP all. Ever Remembered

[On1on Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close On1on]

[bigal Association Member of WUSA Find all posts View Profile Close bigal]

[Jock2413 Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jock2413]

The cream of British Intelligence in Northern Ireland. The question to ask is why were they all together in the same aircraft. Yes, they were all going to the same meeting, but surely with the risk of terrorist attack or as happened, a fatal accident, it was unwise to put all your eggs in the same basket so to speak.

[On1on Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close On1on]

Laid to rest in West Tanfield, Yorkshire.

[Jock2413 Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jock2413]

We have some of them and working on getting the rest. Got a lead on Lt Col Williams. This man was a real hero, made an MBE, awarded the QGM and was Mentioned in Despatches so he was no desk jockey.

[Guest Close Guest]

[Guest Close Guest]

R.I.P. all + 10

[Lynx7 Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lynx7]

According to the pilot who did the RIC Flight over the crash site, there was a reason for going to Scotland but it had little to do with intelligence.

[Guest Close Guest]

Major R Allen RGBW.jpg
Major Richard Allen is located in Tidworth Military Cemetery.
I knew him as OC A coy 1WFR- he was DERR attached to us in Cyprus and he left when we returned to Tidworth in 1993.
1WFR was South Armargh 6 months tour (ARB) when the chinook crashed. I believe he was cremated and the "military rules" don't allow for a full head stone if the individual has been cremated.
The location of his stone is on the left hand side (near to the entrance) of the cemetery. There is a small section for cremations. 3rd row right hand side, last stone - nearest to the road.

Here's a bit of more about him..
http://www.farmersboys.com/Roll_of_H...en_Richard.htm

Bravo 14b

[Guest Close Guest]

[damoclese Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close damoclese]

Without wishing to sound at all disrespectful for any of the Chinook victims, from the pictures of the crash scene I think they were all cremated at the scene by the resultant fireball. If so that fact alone could prove difficult in tracking down resting places.

[Jock2413 Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jock2413]

I got Maj Allen's stone a few years ago along with several others from earlier in the conflict that are laid to rest in Tidworth Military Cemetery.
I think the flat stone for cremations only applies to Military Cemeteries as I have a few others from this disaster who have normal MoD stones.
Locating cremation markers in public cemeteries is a bit of a nightmare because you have to pay for them, then pay for a renewal every 5 years or so. So a marker/tree with a plaque that was there say 20 years ago, may no longer be there because the renewal fee wasn't paid for whatever reason. Tragic I know, but a fact of life. Parents pass away, siblings move abroad etc.
There was a case a while back where the location was found but the marker had been removed. Enquiries revealed that the bill had not been paid. The appropriate Unit Veterans Association was contacted and the money was paid and the marker plaque replaced. I know most if not all of you will say that the fallen lad had paid the bill with his life, but most cemeteries are private companies and as they say in the commercial world "nothing for nothing"
But that's just one case out of how many out there.