Ronald Maddison
Encyclopedia
Leading Aircraftman
Ronald George Maddison (c.1933 – 6 May 1953) was a twenty-year-old Royal Air Force
engineer who died while acting as a volunteer human "guinea pig" while testing nerve agent
s at Porton Down
, in Wiltshire
, England
. After substantial controversy, his death was the subject of an inquest 51 years after the event.
, County Durham
, died within 45 minutes of having twenty drops (200 mg) of sarin
placed onto a cloth draped on his arm during an experiment at Porton Down. Five subjects entered a sealed gas chamber at 10:17 a.m. All were fitted with respirators. Within twenty minutes, Maddison began to complain that he did not feel well. Three minutes later, Maddison collapsed and began gasping for breath, at which point the scientists removed him from the chamber and took off his gas mask. They injected him with atropine after they witnessed an asthma-like attack and convulsions. Maddison also complained of going deaf. An ambulance took him to a local medical facility. The sarin's effects blocked the flow of air into Maddison's lungs, ultimately starving his brain and tissues of oxygen. On 16 May, at an inquest ordered by the British Home Office, his death was declared accidental.
Maddison's death, along with allegations that other British chemical-weapons test volunteers (who were used as subjects between 1939 and 1989) were not properly informed
and may have been misled about the experiments and their risks, was the subject of a police investigation, Operation Antler
, in 1999–2004.
Servicemen were offered about 15 shilling
s and a three-day leave pass for taking part in the experiments. Ronald had planned to use the money to purchase an engagement ring for his girlfriend, Mary Pyle. On 8 and 16 May 1953, an inquest was held in secret
before the Wiltshire Coroner
, Harold Dale, who returned a verdict
of misadventure
. The Ministry of Defence
apparently paid Maddison's father £40 for funeral
expenses.
A new inquest opened on 5 May 2004. On 15 November 2004, this inquest reached the conclusion that Ronald Maddison died because of unlawful acts.
On 25 May 2006, it was announced that the remaining relatives of Ronald Maddison would receive £100,000 in compensation from the Ministry of Defence.
Leading Aircraftman
Leading aircraftman Leading aircraftman (LAC) Leading aircraftman (LAC) (or leading aircraftwoman (LACW) is a rank in some air forces, between aircraftman and senior aircraftman and having a NATO rank code of OR-2. The rank badge is a horizontal two-bladed propeller....
Ronald George Maddison (c.1933 – 6 May 1953) was a twenty-year-old Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
engineer who died while acting as a volunteer human "guinea pig" while testing nerve agent
Nerve agent
Nerve agents are a class of phosphorus-containing organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanism by which nerves transfer messages to organs...
s at Porton Down
Porton Down
Porton Down is a United Kingdom government and military science park. It is situated slightly northeast of Porton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, England. To the northwest lies the MoD Boscombe Down test range facility which is operated by QinetiQ...
, in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After substantial controversy, his death was the subject of an inquest 51 years after the event.
Sarin test and death
Maddison, from ConsettConsett
Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England, about southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is home to 27,394 .Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. In 1841, it was a village community of only 145, but it was about to become a boom town: below the ground was coking coal and...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, died within 45 minutes of having twenty drops (200 mg) of sarin
Sarin
Sarin, or GB, is an organophosphorus compound with the formula [2CHO]CH3PF. It is a colorless, odorless liquid, which is used as a chemical weapon. It has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction in UN Resolution 687...
placed onto a cloth draped on his arm during an experiment at Porton Down. Five subjects entered a sealed gas chamber at 10:17 a.m. All were fitted with respirators. Within twenty minutes, Maddison began to complain that he did not feel well. Three minutes later, Maddison collapsed and began gasping for breath, at which point the scientists removed him from the chamber and took off his gas mask. They injected him with atropine after they witnessed an asthma-like attack and convulsions. Maddison also complained of going deaf. An ambulance took him to a local medical facility. The sarin's effects blocked the flow of air into Maddison's lungs, ultimately starving his brain and tissues of oxygen. On 16 May, at an inquest ordered by the British Home Office, his death was declared accidental.
Maddison's death, along with allegations that other British chemical-weapons test volunteers (who were used as subjects between 1939 and 1989) were not properly informed
Informed consent
Informed consent is a phrase often used in law to indicate that the consent a person gives meets certain minimum standards. As a literal matter, in the absence of fraud, it is redundant. An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the...
and may have been misled about the experiments and their risks, was the subject of a police investigation, Operation Antler
Operation Antler (Porton Down investigation)
In July 1999 the UK Wiltshire Constabulary opened an investigation into allegations of malfeasance at Porton Down Chemical and Biological Research Establishment...
, in 1999–2004.
Servicemen were offered about 15 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s and a three-day leave pass for taking part in the experiments. Ronald had planned to use the money to purchase an engagement ring for his girlfriend, Mary Pyle. On 8 and 16 May 1953, an inquest was held in secret
In camera
In camera is a legal term meaning "in private". It is also sometimes termed in chambers or in curia.In camera describes court cases that the public and press are not admitted to...
before the Wiltshire Coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
, Harold Dale, who returned a verdict
Verdict
In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. The term, from the Latin veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from Middle English verdit, from Anglo-Norman: a compound of ver and dit In law, a verdict...
of misadventure
Misadventure
Misadventure can refer to:* Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures, a 2005 video game* The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, a 1964 Walt Disney film* The Misadventures of P.B...
. The Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
apparently paid Maddison's father £40 for funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
expenses.
A new inquest opened on 5 May 2004. On 15 November 2004, this inquest reached the conclusion that Ronald Maddison died because of unlawful acts.
On 25 May 2006, it was announced that the remaining relatives of Ronald Maddison would receive £100,000 in compensation from the Ministry of Defence.
Books
- Tucker, Jonathan B. War Of Nerves: Chemical Warfare from World War I to Al-Qaeda (1st edition, 2006). Pantheon Books, New York. ISBN 0-375-42229-3.
External links
- BBC News article: "Nerve gas death was 'unlawful'"
- Guardian newspaper article: "Final agony of RAF volunteer killed by sarin—in Britain"