Page 9 - CAMPAIGN Spring 2021

McRoth, ‘editor’ of “X,Y & Z Files” and “Fallout – Living Under the Shadow of the Bomb”, is Mr Owen. The Trustees have been accused by former Trustees of divulging the contents of a confidential Trustee meeting where Mr Owen revealed himself as the author; this is a false allegation.
While we have no problem with Mr Owen using a nom de plume, whilst he was Chairman and a Trustee of the BNTVA, there are certain formalities that must be adhered to. We are clear, having listened to the recorded meeting, that the “X, Y & Z Files” book was published and for sale on Amazon before Mr Owen informed the Trustees that he was the author. There was no appropriate disclosure, discussion or vote, contrary to what Mr Owen maintained in his recent blog of 17 February on Labrats International CIC. As Trustees, we do not feel that the proper formalities and legal requirements have been met in any reasonable manner.
Moreover, we believe that due to the lack of adherence to the Constitution, Mr Owen exposed the BNTVA to potential litigation by persons identifiable in the book. We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to these individuals. We also apologise to our membership for Mr Owen’s hugely misleading statement to members of the 2018 All Tests’ Reunion regarding the provenance of the book, stating that it was a ‘game changer’ which could evidence our campaign against the UK Government. Please be assured that the BNTVA would only use the testimonies of actual nuclear test veterans to pursue its aims, and not a story that cannot be corroborated.
The board of Trustees also wishes
to distance itself from “Fallout - Living in the Shadow of the Bomb”. Readers, both veterans and descendants, have informed the BNTVA on multiple occasions, that they are negatively affected by this book, have suffered from sleepless nights, emotional distress and anxiety due to the content. This book has struck a chord with many associated with the British nuclear tests. The majority of content corresponds with taking one’s own life, attempts of taking one’s own life, graphic descriptions of dark thoughts, plans to kill family members, and terminal illness. As a Charity which deals with alleviating welfare issues, we face a juxtaposition, and, again, divorce ourselves from this book. If, for any reason, you have been affected by this book, please contact the BNTVA or the Samaritans on 116 123.
The above occurrences resulted in us making contact with the Charity Commission, our regulator. The Charity Commission advised us to file a Serious Incident Report, which we submitted in October 2020. We have been working constructively with the Charity Commission since this time to rectify a number of failures by these individuals, including filing reports with the Information Commissioner’s Office about particular data breaches on digital platforms; these are ongoing. Since reporting these breaches, the Charity Commission has endorsed our actions.
The Trustees wish to reiterate that we will do all that we can to support the membership in the future, regardless of the actions of former Trustees.
CAMPAIGN SPRING 2021
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BNTVA Coffin Drape
For those who are recently bereaved, the BNTVA offers a coffin drape with the BNTVA crest at no cost to those who require it.
The drape is sent directly from the BNTVA to the undertaker for use during the funeral, and then the undertaker returns the drape to the BNTVA. Please contact 0208 144 3080 if you require this service, or if you feel you need any bereavement support.
We are here to help.
We would like to thank Michelle Harding, descendant, for giving her permission for us to share this photograph of the funeral of her father, Michael Peter White RN, HMS Narvik.