Hi there, My name is David Mear my mother was Violet Gent niece of William (Bill) Gent who is still to this day down there in Peter Fords old "Alabaster Mine".

The RAF Fauld Bomb Disposal Team aided by an Italian POW caused the explosion, but Peter Fords Mine took the brunt and although there were 35 bodies came out there are a lot more still down there.

My Mother 18 at the time told me a great deal about the explosion of which much as been written but nothing much of the truth has ever got out! The mine made the history books in differing versions. The biggest sin is that many glory hunting men of many different mine rescue teams got themselves covered in medals and glory mainly by elaborating their stories to such an extent that the truth has long since been forgotten and covered up by officialdom.

I am not going to write a long story mainly because being a dyslexic person I cannot write down everything I know. But there are genuine stories to be told that have never been told!

• The Farmers wife her husband and the visiting Insurance collector are still down there
• The man who ran out into the rain because he could see what was about to happen, he survived and was gagged by the RAF at the time. His story is known by locals but no one dare ever to tell it
• The paper boy who wagged off school to help on the farm is still down there, again the story was gagged by the Education Dept.
• The service men who were given compassionate leave to help dig for relatives because they worked in the mine before the war, my granddad was such a man and was digging for 18 days, he only had 14 days leave but his brother Bill Gent was still in there and still is.

My Grandad was one of only 3 men who ever got into the real accident site as they were told to call it! Their story has been gagged for the last 66 years, why was all this information withheld? I am 62 and have kept the real story safe all my life. I am unable to write it all down because of my illness and my dyslexia. I have spoke to all those who have now gone to a better place we hope all men and their wives and sisters who were really there not just for a few hours and went away telling tales of their bravery and great tasks, the RAF were only too pleased to award them in the hope their stories and medals would convince everyone there was not another story to be told and so it never has been!

Oh yes "The Day it Rained Cows" is famous as are the many, many other stories told by those who want to make money or dare not tell the whole truth even if they ever did knew it!

David Mear