§ Mr. Crawshawasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received the results of the inquiry into the accident on the River Trent on 28th September 1975 during a military exercise by 131 Independent Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers (5); and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThe proceedings of the Army board of inquiry on this tragic accident have now been received and studied.
I deeply regret that 10 men lost their lives when the assault boat in which they were taking part in a military exercise went over the weir at Cromwell Lock in the early hours of 28th September 1975 and capsized. The immediate cause of the accident was a failure in map reading on the part of the section concerned, which did not identify Cromwell Lock in time to avoid the hazard, and the unfortunate coincidence that the lock 629W was not illuminated due to a failure of the electricity supply. The mistake in map reading was, I believe, a human error, which could have been made in the prevailing night conditions by any reasonably competent map reader.
I am satisfied that the section contained sufficient qualified men to participate in an exercise of this sort and that their equipment was serviceable at the time of the accident. I have reviewed the instructions for amphibious training and watermanship in the Army and am satisfied that they are generally adequate and that there was no neglect of duty in the planning and conduct of this exercise.
Steps have already been taken to draw the attention of all Regular and TAVR units and Army cadet forces to the existing safety regulations. These instructions will now be incorporated in a single comprehensive manual. Meanwhile, an additional directive has been issued covering particular hazards and containing among other things specific instructions on checks on map reading. An element of danger is inseparable from military training of this sort, but I believe that the action that has been taken should minimise the risk of similar accidents, and I have accordingly lifted the temporary ban I imposed last year on all forms of watermanship training in the TAVR and Army cadet forces.