Canberra Crash Coverup

Aircraft in formation for the 1956 Planters Punch det at Changi

On the 16th May 1957 RAF English Electric Canberra Pr.7 (WH790) of 58 Squadron crashed on GCA approach in bad weather at Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, and both occupants were killed.

Flying Officer Terence Ronald George Montgomery and Pilot Officer John Stifford Loomes both lost their lives.

The aircraft was written off approximately 11 miles ESE of Goose Bay.

Why is this relevant to the Nuclear Tests?

The aircraft was carrying radioactive samples from Grapple 1 (15th May 1957), although this was never disclosed to the public. Records obtained by us show that William Penney wrote to Air Chief Marshall Dermot A Boyle, Chief of Air Staff on 21 May 1957:

"I am writing to you to let you know how very much I

and my senior staff regret the loss of the Canberra off

Newfoundland, particularly as the flight concerned was in connection

with the return of our samples from Grapple"

"We are all the more distressed by this loss because of the truly

admirable effort which your Service has made in connection

with these trials"

"I have to write this in confidence because I understand no

connection between the accident and the trial is being released"

The Chief of the Air Staff regretted not being able to pass this information on to the relatives of the crew as it was classified information.

AWRE sent a party to Canada after the crash, but did not inform the Canadian government what the purpose of their visit was.

5th of April 1995 - Parliament

Hansard records show that Mr Llew Smith (Labour Party Politician) asked the following question in Parliament:

"To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will establish

an investigation into the recent allegations published in Newfoundland

that an RAF Canberra aircraft carrying radioactive samples

crashed at Goose bay, Newfoundland in 1957." [17518]

The Secretary of State (Mr Soames) responded:

"I am unaware of these allegations. I can confirm that an

RAF Canberra crashed in the vicinity of Goose bay, Labrador, on 16 May 1957.

An investigation into the incident was conducted at the time,

and I know of no reason to reopen it."

He lied to Parliament, and the Ministry of Defence knew about the crash, knew about the radioactive material and covered it up.

The Hansard record can be read here - https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1995-04-05/debates/c4822ef5-1000-4e0a-b0bc-709e042cc46b/AircraftCrashes

Lies, Deceit and Coverups

William Penny knew about the crash and the radioactive material, Air Chief Marshall Dermot A Boyle, Chief of Air Staff knew about it. The Ministry of Defence knew about it. AWRE knew about it.

Yet the decision was made not to tell the families of the airmen due to security concerns, the real truth is that the UK Government had not told the Canadian government that the aircraft was carrying radioactive material and they did not lodge flight plans in Canada.

The Ministry of Defence is prepared to lie to ensure that the real truths of the nuclear testing program are never released. The file containing the memo from William Penney is no longer available in the National Archives, it has been removed. 38 years later in Parliament, they still deny it.

In this one crash, two men lost their lives because they were carrying out orders to carry radioactive samples, the families were never told of their bravery, their sacrifice is just one example of many who gave their lives for their country.

Yet our politicians and civil servants are incapable of telling the truth, this incident was 65 years ago, but the truth remains buried in secret archives, politicians lying to cover up their actions. How much more hidden truths remain buried in archives in Scotland?

Conclusion

This is a sickening abuse of power, 65 years later the families of these men need to know what really happened on that fateful day, these men are heroes, carrying radioactive material in extremely bad weather conditions so it could be analysed. These men need to be included in the scope for a medal, carrying out duties as part of the testing program, we hope that they will be included as they paid the ultimate sacrifice.

It is time to open up this file and many others to public scrutiny, stop hiding the information, and stop lying to the public. 70 years after the first British Nuclear Test, we need transparency, honesty and an apology, not just for this crew and their families, but for all of the participants of the British Nuclear Tests and the indigenous people it has affected.

This is just one example of a single incident that has been covered up and the truth buried. But we are uncovering the real truth every day and we will not stop until apologies are made. A copy of this report has been sent to Ben Wallace (Secretary of State for Defence) and Johnny Mercer (Veterans Minister) for comment. We will wait and see if they have any dignity and will correct the record and tell the truth or if they will deny the connection and just ignore it and continue to cover it up.

Update

We received a response from Air Historical Branch (RAF):

Dear Mr Owen,

Thank you for your correspondence relating to aircraft Canberra WH790 which has been logged under reference XXXXXXXXXXXXX. You should receive a reply by 25 January 2023.

Yours sincerely,

Air Historical Branch (RAF)

We will update you when we receive a reply.