Cromwell Weir tragedy: Service remembers dead soldiers
- Published
An RAF helicopter was involved in the recovery operation following the accident
Ten soldiers, who died when their boat went over a river weir in bad weather 40 years ago, have been commemorated at a service.
The Royal Engineers regiment sappers, of Grangemouth, Falkirk, were on night-time exercise when the vessel capsized at Cromwell Weir, on the River Trent.
One man survived, in what remains the 131 Independent Parachute Squadron's largest peacetime tragedy.
About 100 people attended the memorial service at the lock, near Newark.
'Shock and sadness'
The sappers were taking part in the Trent Chase, an 80-mile night exercise from Stoke to Hull, on 28 September 1975.
They unwittingly went over the weir, known locally as the Devil's Cauldron, when conditions were also worsened by a high tide.
John Lee, president of the Airborne Engineers' Association, organised the service to remember the soldiers.
The granite memorial with all the names of the soldiers can be found at Cromwell Lock
The former Lt Col, who took part in the exercise that evening, said he knew some of the men who died.
He said: "[My memories] are one of complete shock and sadness. Half of the troop had been wiped out overnight."
He said the only survivor, Sapper Pat Harkin, was a "strong swimmer" who managed to hold on to the upturned boat.
A retired police officer, who did not want to be named, arrived at the scene after electricity board staff, who were fixing navigation lights on the weir, raised the alarm.
By the time he arrived, the officer said it was pitch black and he could hear just one man shouting from the water.
The officer, then aged 20, along with another member of the force, managed to save him after they rowed out in a small boat.
The men were from the 300 Troop 131 Independent Parachute Squadron of the Royal Engineers (Territorial Army)
The sole survivor was Sapper Pat Harkin (Died in November 2012)
Sapper Raymond Buchanan, 20
Sapper Norman Bennet, 20
Sapper James Black, 18
Sapper Stuart Evenden, 22
Sapper Peter Evenden, 19
Sapper Ian Mercer, 17
Sapper Alexander O'Brien, 18
Sapper Terry Smith, 20
Sapper Ronald Temprell, 26
Sapper Joseph Walker, 21