In his earlier investigative days, Russ Kellett was very keen and pursued many lines of enquiry. Early in 2000, just months after Dodd's book was published and the new crash scenario invented, Russ was 'encouraged' to contact Holyhead Coastguard Station. Now, Russ had already been advised in his revised documentation of a naval engagement of submerged UFOs (or USOs if you prefer), close to Puffin Island.
Click on image above to read about the alleged naval engagement
Armed with this knowledge, he approached Holyhead Coastguard Station (HHCG) with a request for information about anything unusual recorded on the night of the 23rd of January 1974. Peculiarly, he doesn't seem to have contacted other coastguard stations around the Irish Sea or even the Irish Navy which at the time doubled as the coastguard in the Republic of Ireland. He seemed to concentrate solely on Holyhead. He has said this is because it was the nearest to the alleged naval operation near Puffin Island. However, I don't believe that was the reason. I believe he was 'led' to HHCG.
He has claimed he first approached HHCG station using a friend's name and address and didn't mention UFOs, but this latter in part judging by correspondence still held officially, is seemingly untrue.
In due course, he receives back a letter from HHCG station which he has promoted ever since which he claims 'proves' that a naval exercise was taking place in the Irish Sea that night.
The HHCG even gave the exercise a name, 'photoflash'. (See Appendix Four)
The letter itself has been under intensive examination by several people and whilst it was genuinely written and indeed signed by a member of the HHCG staff, the content within is apparently false. This is still ongoing but, of course subject to change as new information emerges.
The letter dated April 2nd 2000, proves nothing and seems to be based on information the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's own record keeping protocols states it couldn't possibly have. (The MCA oversees the UK Coastguard). So, if the information in that letter couldn't have been accessed as claimed, then the content is a lie. Yet, for fifteen years, the HHCG has put this very same letter out to enquirers of this alleged 'photoflash' exercise event, actively promoting the lie as a real event. Russ has promoted the naval engagement/UFO crash etc as a real event.
But why do that? Why do that indeed?
Only HHCG ever produced any document alluding to the so-called 'photoflash' exercise in the Irish Sea. In 1974, there were coastguard stations at Holyhead, Liverpool, Formby, the Isle of Man and right up almost to the Scottish border.
They all kept logs, and newspaper articles from the time referred to communications between Police and coastguards discussing the meteor light show and earth tremor that night but strangely, correspondence from HHCG to enquirers never includes any reference to such geological, and celestial events even though it is inconceivable they weren't recorded in log books on the night.
(See Appendix Four for the news cuttings of events of 23rd January 1974 reported in the media including those regarding Holyhead Coastguard - Ed.)
HHCG does however offer up a letter full of fake info' on a non-existent event and is seemingly the only coastguard station to do so.
This clearly suggests conspiracy between someone in HHCG station and John Williams or someone behind him to guarantee Russ Kellett received a letter seemingly corroborating the scenario of a naval flotilla hunting submerged UFOs. It was no accident that Russ approached HHCG and not any others. They should all have had the same records which would have corroborated the HHCG log book record claim of the exercise.
Even the letter itself sent to Russ references the event being operated from 'Jerby Range' in the Isle of Man and that coastguards (plural) had been advised of the event.
It was of course cause for concern that the letter was not only formatted incorrectly, was quite illiterate and used an unusual and incorrect typeface, but it spelt Jurby wrong. Jurby is the correct spelling and it is astounding that an Irish Sea coastguard would use the incorrect 'Jerby'. It would be like a HHCG employee mis-spelling Liverpool. It is preposterous.
My own pet theory is that the letter was written deliberately in that way so if challenged in the future, the HHCG or MCA could dismiss it as some sort of practical joke and extricate themselves from accusations of corruption. But, I think that has gone too far now judging by the number of times it has been sent to enquirers over the years, even under the Freedom of Information Act, and the fact it was removed from official records to be hidden away in a scrapbook, yet for such a curious record of anectodal items of interest, it is brought out and used officially to promote this farce hoax.
It is either an official document or it is not!
Readers may not be surprised to learn that soon after the letter was received by Russ Kellett, its reference copy was seemingly removed from any official file even though authored by a HHCG staff member in an official capacity, and was placed elsewhere and more latterly in the station's scrapbook of all places. This may account for Russ's later claim that when trying to obtain another copy, the letter original couldn't be found where it should have correctly been! This suggests that it was always known the letter content was bogus and could not be held officially.
HHCG station must surely be the only Government Agency that has ever used a document worthy of nothing more than inclusion in a scrapbook of curious and interesting things as an official document?
Since then and to a recent enquiry (Jan' 2015), HHCG station has confirmed that the letter was held in the station's scrap book rather than any official file. I have that in writing in a FOI response from the station manager at Holyhead, a Mr Raymond Carson.
(See Appendix Five)