The  Files
The History of U.N.I.T.
1968
Following UNIT's formation, Lethbridge-Stewart, the new commanding officer in the UK, set about recruiting personnel who he felt were appropriate for UNIT, whilst mapping out a general structure which would ensure the taskforce's effectiveness.
One area of this initial structuring particularly stands out. The Paranormal Division was created during 1968 and was disbanded early in 1969 after an event known as The Happening. The Paranormal Division was headed up by Lieutenant Hamlet Macbeth, and undertook the task of investigating so-called Fortean events. This division's staff apparently contained six psychics.
The Happening was a massive psychic event that occurred in St John's Wood, London on the 21st of December 1968. Unfortunately, the various accounts of this event are incoherent and fragmented, making it impossible to draw any conclusions about the order of events, let alone the reasons behind it. After this event, Macbeth left UNIT and has been helpful in handing on items of information which have gone into this document.
Just Before Christmas 1968, an unexplained incident took place in the small village of Crook Marsham, Yorkshire. Officially explained away as poison gas, the incident caused the deaths of more than half the residents of the village, among them actor Edmund Trevithick, famous for his role in the 50's BBC serial Nightshade.
A particularly unusual feature of this event is that the survivors were found all together in the Parish Church, with the sole exception of three or four people who were at a radio telescope installation just outside the village.
According to the official reports, the gas came from underneath the telescope compound and drifted into the village, causing hallucinations and deaths. Unofficial reports mention the presence of the Scottish Doctor and a 17 year old girl called Ace.
It is clear that UNIT were involved in the mop up operation and that extensive D-notices were issued, including some relating to an incident occurring in 1644, during the English civil war.
Almost immediately after the incident, the radio telescope outside the town was closed down and arrangements were made for it to be dismantled due to geological instabilities, which had apparently come to light during the incident.
As to speculation about what actually occurred, it is quite likely that there was something underneath the telescope which was kept effectively under wraps by the government, but its exact nature remains unknown.
The most probable explanation is some ultra-top-secret research or military installation, which accidentally released a poisonous chemical into the atmosphere and for which the telescope was a cover story.
However, there seems to be no reason why the government would impound historical records dating back to 1644 purely on the basis of this incident. Perhaps the records contained some information that the authorities could have used to prevent the deaths. However, this seems incredibly unlikely.
Last Page: UNIT's formation Next Page: 1969
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