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Dr David Clarke<br />
-Deputy Departmental Record Office<br />
Ministry of Defence<br />
3-5 Great Scotland Yard<br />
London SWlA 2HW<br />
8 March2001<br />
Your ref: D INFO(EXP)R/3/7 /8<br />
Dear-<br />
Thank you for your letter of27 February 2001 replying to my question with regards to<br />
the absence of Forms 541 from RAF records during 1956. Far from being disappointing, I<br />
found your reply helpful and the information you provided will allow me to channel my<br />
research into more fruitful avenues.<br />
Whilst the information you provided explains the absence of daily records for Squadrons<br />
and RAF stations for the period I am researching, it does not account for the absence of<br />
records for the Neatishead GCI radar station relating to this period.<br />
According to the testimony of the retired senior RAF Fighter Controller who was on duty<br />
during the night of August 13-14, 1956, he personally completed a detailed logbook<br />
record relating to the scramble and attempted interception of an unknown target detected<br />
by the USAF GCA radar at Lakenheath.<br />
He informs me that a representative from Fighter Command at Stanmore visited shortly<br />
after these events and removed the Neatishead GCI station logbook for scrutiny by the<br />
Air Ministry. As the incident recorded by the logbook involved both a radar tracking and<br />
the 'scramble' of two aircraft from the Battle Flight, it would seem improbable that the<br />
GCI logbook would have been destroyed.<br />
I am informed by a senior MOD source that records such as the GCI log relating to an<br />
event as important as this would not have been destroyed and even if this was the case, a<br />
record would have had to be made recording who ordered and authorised such<br />
destruction, and for what reason.<br />
Despite extensive searches of the PRO records I have been unable to locate a file··relating<br />
to Neatishead GCI covering the relevant period in 1956. Records do exist for Sector<br />
Operations Eastern Sector and the 271 Signals Unit, Neatishead, but these do not contain<br />
the GCI station records. As public records outside the 30 year rule these should be<br />
available for scrutiny at the Public Record Office.
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