LORD HILL-NORTON
I'm sorry to have to report that Lord Hill-Norton died on Sunday (May 16th), aged 89. Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Hill-Norton G.C.B. was a former Chief of the Defence Staff and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, who in his later years became greatly interested in the UFO phenomenon. His long and distinguished naval career included active service on Arctic convoy duty during the Second World War, command of a destroyer during the Suez Crisis, and a later posting in command of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. His interest in UFOs came after his retirement, and he wrote forewords to a number of Timothy Good's books, including Above Top Secret and Unearthly Disclosure. He was particularly interested in the Rendlesham Forest incident, and worked with Georgina Bruni on this. He asked her to draft some questions which he subsequently tabled in Parliament, trying to elicit an official response to what he felt were a number of important defence and national security issues raised by the events. I briefed him on several occasions, which could be quite challenging. Many staff officers and journalists found him difficult, especially if they didn't quickly get to the point. He was passionate about the Royal Navy, UFOs and a wide range of other subjects. When I called on him last summer, on my way back from a holiday, I found him as lively as ever. He had taken an interest in a UFO sighting involving military witnesses on HMS Manchester and had asked me to update him. He told me that despite the frustrations, he intended to remain involved in ufology for as long as he was able. Lord Hill-Norton appeared in several UFO documentaries and was frequently quoted on the subject in the media. Again, he could be quite outspoken and was often highly critical of the Ministry of Defence's policy on the UFO phenomenon. Those list members in the UK will be able to see what I believe was his last TV interview on UFOs next Wednesday evening, on Channel Five's new documentary, The British UFO Files. Lord Hill-Norton was a great friend to ufology, where the active support of someone of his rank was without precedent. He will be sadly missed. Best wishes, Nick Pope UFOINFO would like to thank Nick Pope and UFO UpDates for granting permission to use this article. To keep up to date with follow-up reports and discussions you are advised to subscribe to UFO UpDates by writing to Errol Bruce-Knapp at: ufoupdates@virtuallystrange.net |
