A total of 29 service personnel died on 2 June 1994 when the helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre en route from Northern Ireland to Scotland in what remains the RAF’s worst peacetime accident.

A Valentine’s Day-themed film released today by the Chinook Justice Campaign features Gaynor Tobias, whose husband John was killed in the crash, and Lynn Bunting, whose husband Dennis also died.

Speaking on camera for the first time, the widows describe the enduring impact of the disaster and the additional pain caused by decades of unanswered questions surrounding the aircraft’s airworthiness and the circumstances of the crash.

The Valentine’s Day film has been released to mark the families’ renewed appeal for public support, as they seek to reach 100,000 signatures on an online petition calling for a full public inquiry into the tragedy.

Also taking part in the short film are Lynn’s daughter Erin, also speaking for the first time, along with Sue Angus, whose husband Gary Sparks was killed, and Lisa Fitzsimons, whose father Brian Fizsimons also died in the crash.

The film begins with the words: “Valentine’s Day is about love. This film, sadly, is about love — and loss. About lives that should never have ended 31 years ago. About a tragedy that was preventable. About love that still endures. And love that deserves answers.”

The film is released in memory of the 29 people who died in the crash, and also pays tribute to David Hill, the campaign’s long-standing technical expert and author of multiple books on the disaster, whose funeral takes place next week in Bristol. 

A spokesperson for the Chinook Justice Campaign said: “These widows should not have to keep reliving their grief just to be heard.

“Reaching 100,000 signatures would send a powerful message to government that the public stands with the families — and that justice for the 29 cannot be delayed any longer.”