EV-0603 — WhatDoTheyKnow: Ministry of Defence, “1988 Dispossession of Great House Farm, Llandough from the Williams/ Buckler Family”
| EV ID | EV-0603 (wayback WB-0403) |
|---|---|
| Title | 1988 Dispossession of Great House Farm, Llandough from the Williams/ Buckler Family (WhatDoTheyKnow request thread) |
| Authority | Ministry of Defence |
| Dates | Sent 1 May 2026; last message 10 Oct 2026 |
| Type | FOI request thread: 7 messages (3 sent, 4 received), 4 attachments |
| Evidence label | CORRESPONDENCE (public FOI thread, published on WhatDoTheyKnow) |
| Status | refused (WhatDoTheyKnow: Refused) |
| Outcome | s.23(5) neither confirm nor deny for Special Forces; otherwise not held; upheld at internal review, which found the Act's time limit was not met. Parts passed on as a subject access request. |
| Deadlines | Response (20 working days): due 2 Jun 2026, met (29 May 2026); Internal review (40 working days, outer limit): due 14 Aug 2026, missed (10 Oct 2026) |
| References | FOI2026/09019, FOI2026/09190 |
| Links | Thread on WhatDoTheyKnow · Send/receive view · Archived JSON |
| Related | WhatDoTheyKnow correspondence (email copies) · all WhatDoTheyKnow threads |
About this page type → Read the Docs
Timeline: request texts are summarised (full text on WhatDoTheyKnow); replies are summarised, with the full text below.
| # | Date | From | Class | Text or summary | Attachments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 May 2026 | Requester | request | Request for any records of UK Armed Forces involvement (including Special Forces) in the 1988 eviction at Tŷ Mawr (Great House Farm), Llandough: deployments, MACA requests, correspondence with South Wales Police, the Council and the Welsh Office, and after-action reports. | |
| 2 | 29 May 2026 | Ministry of Defence | refusal with exemption cited (s.23(5)); rest not held | Response FOI2026/09019 (letter attached): neither confirm nor deny under s.23(5) for the Special Forces parts; no information held for the rest; pointed to The National Archives. | Ministry of Defence FOI2026/09019 response: s.23(5) neither confirm nor deny (Special Forces); otherwise not held (WB-0408) |
| 3 | 20 Jun 2026 | Requester | internal review request | Internal review requested, and parts of the request asked to be handled as a subject access request. | |
| 4 | 4 Jul 2026 | Ministry of Defence | acknowledgement only | Internal review acknowledged; target 21 July 2026, with 20–40 working days indicated. | |
| 5 | 21 Jul 2026 | Requester | follow-up | Chaser asking when the internal review will be completed. | |
| 6 | 5 Aug 2026 | Ministry of Defence | clarification demand | MoD data-protection team asks for a personal email address and identity documents before handling the subject access part. Two MoD internal emails about the request were attached to this public reply. | Copy of the 1 May 2026 request email, attached by the MoD to its 5 August 2026 reply (WB-0409) MoD internal emails on the internal review and subject access request, attached to the 5 August 2026 public reply (WB-0410) |
| 7 | 10 Oct 2026 | Ministry of Defence | complaint outcome (not held; s.23(5) upheld; late) | Internal review FOI2026/09190 (letter attached): the request was not handled within the time the Act requires; no information held; s.23(5) upheld; parts passed on as a subject access request. | Ministry of Defence internal review FOI2026/09190: not handled within time; not held; s.23(5) upheld (WB-0411) |
Attachments (Wayback Vault):
- Ministry of Defence FOI2026/09019 response: s.23(5) neither confirm nor deny (Special Forces); otherwise not held · WB-0408 · WhatDoTheyKnow copy
- Copy of the 1 May 2026 request email, attached by the MoD to its 5 August 2026 reply · WB-0409 · WhatDoTheyKnow copy
- MoD internal emails on the internal review and subject access request, attached to the 5 August 2026 public reply · WB-0410 · WhatDoTheyKnow copy — Direct-dial phone numbers redacted in this copy.
- Ministry of Defence internal review FOI2026/09190: not handled within time; not held; s.23(5) upheld · WB-0411 · WhatDoTheyKnow copy
Reply 2, 29 May 2026: full text as published
Dear [requester], Please find attached our response to your recent FOI request. Kind regards, Defence Business Services Records Review – FOI Team
Reply 4, 4 Jul 2026: full text as published
Dear [requester], Receipt is acknowledged of your email of 9 June 2026 requesting an internal review of your request, our reference FOI2026/09019. The Department's target for completing internal reviews is 20 working days from date of receipt. We therefore aim to have a response with you on or before 21 July 2026. However, in the interests of providing you with a realistic indication of when you should expect a response, the majority are currently taking longer depending on their complexity, but we will aim to complete the review between 20 and 40 working days. The review will involve an independent assessment of the processing of the requests and the outcome. Yours sincerely, MOD Information Rights Compliance Team
Reply 6, 5 Aug 2026: full text as published
OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE - PERSONAL Good morning Thank you for your email. We have been passed on your enquiry and to allow us to proceed can I ask you to provide your personal email address along with Valid Identification. Please see guidance below. The Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation require us to verify the identity of an individual before releasing any information. As such, to allow us to proceed with your request please forward a copy of either: A. Your photographic Driving Licence showing your current address Or B. Your current signed passport AND a utility bill or official correspondence which shows your current address and is dated within the last three months. If your current name differs from the name under which you served, please provide documentary proof of your name change, such as a copy of a marriage certificate, divorce decree or a copy of your deed poll showing the change. Upon receipt of the above we will begin processing your request. Kind Regards, [name] AO |Disclosures Triage MP 660 | Support Branch | HQ Military Secretary | 65 Brown Street | Glasgow G2 8EX [1][email address] OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE - PERSONAL
Reply 7, 10 Oct 2026: full text as published
Dear [requester], Please find attached a response to your request for internal review. Yours sincerely, MOD Information Rights Compliance Team
Page version & change log
Current version: 1.0.0
| Version | Date (UTC) | Editor (human or agent name) | Change | Source / evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0.0 | 2026-10-21T18:34Z | Cedwyn editors | Page created: WhatDoTheyKnow thread archived (7 messages, 4 attachments). | Editorial review; WhatDoTheyKnow thread and Wayback items linked above |
Agents and editors: follow the Editing Protocol.
Cited on
5 pages link here.
- Disclosure record — every email request (EV-0295 to EV-0512)
- Evidence Register
- WhatDoTheyKnow FOI requests — correspondence with David Buckler (email)
- EV-0603 — WhatDoTheyKnow: Ministry of Defence, “1988 Dispossession of Great House Farm, Llandough from the Williams/ Buckler Family”
- Master Change Log — Evidence Integrity Corrections (October 2026)