A SCOTSWOMAN died in the Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of
Kintyre.
Mrs Anne James, 42, who was born and brought up in Lennoxtown, near
Glasgow, had worked at GCHQ in Cheltenham for almost 24 years.
Prayers were said for the dead woman and her family at St Machan's
Parish Church, Lennoxtown, at the weekend.
This followed confirmation that she was one of six Northern Ireland
Office officials -- including MI5 agents -- who died with 23 others last
Thursday aboard the helicopter on its way to a conference at Fort
George, near Inverness, from Belfast.
The victims were all members of the Tactical Co-ordination Group, the
body which heads the fight against terrorism.
Mrs James is understood to have been seconded to Northern Ireland for
the past 18 months.
News of her death came to light in Lennoxtown on Friday after her
father, Mr Peter MacDonald, told parish priest Father William Conway of
her death.
Mr MacDonald broke the news to Father Conway, shortly before he was
due to celebrate his first mass at St Machan's primary school,
Lennoxtown, where Mrs James had been runner-up to the dux in 1964.
The priest, who joined the parish only two weeks ago, confirmed
yesterday that he told the pupils of the tragedy.
He added: ''I asked them to pray for her and for the people who were
saddened by her death.''
Mrs James, who was divorced and had no children of her own, went from
St Machan's to St Ninian's High School, Kirkintilloch, and then joined
GCHQ.
Her father, a retired tax inspector, said yesterday: 'We don't know
where the funeral is going to be or when.''
The bodies of 14 victims of the crash are expected to be flown back to
Northern Ireland today.
A team of RAF pathologists yesterday completed the formal
identification of all the victims and carried out post-mortem
examinations.
The pathologists were working in a hangar which was converted into a
temporary mortuary at RAF Machrihanish, a few miles north of the
hillside where the 51ft twin-rotor helicopter crashed in thick fog.
A spokesman for the RUC in Belfast said yesterday that the bodies of
10 RUC police officers, two military personnel, and two civilian
personnel were due to be flown back to RAF Aldergrove today on a
Hercules aircraft from RAF Machrihanish.
The coffins will be greeted with full military honours.
Mr Leslie Sharp, Strathclyde Police Chief Constable, yesterday
travelled to the crash site and is expected to be at RAF Machrihanish
when the bodies leave for Belfast.
Flowers have been arriving at the RAF base to be laid at the crash
site near the Mull of Kintyre lighthouse.
Accident investigators were yesterday continuing to photograph parts
of the wreckage at the site.
A police spokesman said poor weather was continuing to hamper the
operation and forecast that work there might continue for several weeks.
The wreckage is expected eventually to be moved to RAF Machrihanish,
RAF Farnborough in Surrey, or RAF Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, to be
reconstructed during the next stage of the investigation.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: ''We can not say when
the board of inquiry team set up by the RAF will finish its work at the
site. It depends on how much they have to sift through.''
The spokesman said an exclusion zone around the crash site would
continue until that part of the investigation was complete.
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