The UNIT Chronology

"The UNIT Chronology" was a section of UNIT Exposed, which was Andrew Dylan's final piece about the United Nations in The Metropolitan. (PROSE: An Army of Shadows)

Italicised titles refer to UNIT documents censored by D Notices in Britain and only revealed thanks to research of published CIA material in the United States. Interested readers should note that although every attempt has been made to verify the dates of the listed incidents, The Metropolitan's access to government documentation has been limited in the extreme; because of this no exact dates can be published at this time. Even as we went to press more information on the history of UNIT was coming to light and we welcome corrections to our research for future publication.

• 1926 The Yeti Affair (TV: The Abominable Snowmen)

• 1943 The Ultima Project (TV: The Curse of Fenric)

• 1959 The Delta Briefing (TV: Delta and the Bannermen)

• 1961 The Intrusion Counter Measures Group [sic] (TV: Revelation of the Daleks)

• Late 1963 The Shoreditch Incident (TV: Revelation of the Daleks)

• 1964 ICMG called into investigate the death of the industrialist, Forrester [sic]. (TV: Planet of Giants)

• 12th July 1966 onwards The C-Day Incident (TV: The War Machines)

• 20th July 1966 onwards The Chameleon Affair (TV: The Faceless Ones)

• 1967 ICMG called in to investigate events at the Euro-Gas refinery. (TV: Fury from the Deep)

• 1971 The Underground Animals (TV: The Web of Fear)

• Early 1975 The Invasion (TV: The Invasion)

• 1975 Reports of an alien at the Ashbridge Cottage Hospital appear in the national press, disclaimed by then UNIT leader Brigadier Alister Gordon Lethbridge Stewart [sic]. (TV: Spearhead from Space)
  • The Wenley Moor Incident (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians)
  • The Mars Probe 7 Affair (TV: The Ambassadors of Death)

• Project Inferno (TV: Inferno)

• 1976 "The Master's Gang Incidents"
  • UNIT foils plot to kill people with radio activated plastic daffodils! (TV: Terror of the Autons)
  • The Mind of Evil (TV: The Mind of Evil)
  • The Axonite Incident (TV: The Claws of Axos)
  • Devil's End (TV: The Dæmons)
  • September 1976 Day of the Daleks (TV: Day of the Daleks)

• 1977 The Sea Devils (TV: The Sea Devils)
  • The Time Monster (TV: The Time Monster)
  • Terrorists blamed for destruction of government sponsored research facility at Fetch Priory, run by Dr Fendelman and part funded by International Electromatics. (TV: Image of the Fendahl)

• 1979 Eminent archaeologist Professor Amelia Rumford presents her surprise paper on Silicon Life Forms and Habitats to the Royal Scientific Club. (TV: The Stones of Blood)

• 1979 The Green Death (TV: The Green Death)

• 1980 Scientists disappear from the Brains Trust. (TV: The Time Warrior)
  • The 'Dinosaur' Invasion (TV: Invasion of the Dinosaurs)
  • The Think Tank incident (TV: Robot)
  • The Pharos Encounter (TV: Logopolis)
  • The Zygon Gambit (TV: Terror of the Zygons)
  • The Android Invasion (TV: The Android Invasion)
  • The Seeds of Doom (TV: The Seeds of Doom)

• 1981 Brigadier Alistair Gordon-Lethbridge [sic] Stewart retires from the armed forces to take up teaching at Brendon School, Colonel Crichton appointed new commander of British forces. (TV: Mawdryn Undead)
  • The Hand of Fear (TV: The Hand of Fear)

• 1982 UNIT powers limited by agreement of the UN Security Council and previous wide-ranging powers of curfew and arrest withdrawn. (PROSE: An Army of Shadows)

• 1983 Part of Amsterdam sealed off by UNIT team after terrorist-explosion. Dutch government protests at action and investigation ordered. (TV: Arc of Infinity)
  • A UNIT Reunion at their old country coincidentally marks beginning of withdrawal of funding for the organisation by the United Nations. (PROSE: An Army of Shadows)

• 1984 Following UNIT's appeal to cordon off the village of Little Hodcombe after what was described in the popular press as a "Mass Ghost Sighting!" the organisation is ridiculed and Crichton resigns under a cloud. (TV: The Awakening)
  • UNIT national forces apparently disbanded as US funding withdrawn. (PROSE: An Army of Shadows)

• 1985 Heightened UFO reports over Spain, France and Southern Britain are dismissed as hoaxes by authorities. (TV: The Two Doctors, City of Death)

• 1986 The Bogus Planet (TV: The Tenth Planet)
  • UNIT surveillance operations on known terrorists (such as Gustav Litten) gains increased funding by secret UN resolution. Several government officials of different countries resign in protest. (TV: Resurrection of the Daleks)

• 1988 Wild 'Giant Cat' hunted by UNIT team without success in Perivale in North West London. (TV: Survival)
  • UNIT's Geneva Headquarters major refurbishment begins; Bambera working undercover in Eastern Bloc. The organisation's disarmament duties are given highest priority. (PROSE: An Army of Shadows)

• 1991 Brigadier Winifred Bambera sighted as part of UN investigation team in Iraq following the Gulf War. Disarmament duties code-named "Dull Sword." (PROSE: An Army of Shadows)

Behind the scenes

This section of An Army of Shadows is one of many attempts to work out the UNIT dating controversy. However, this one intentionally skirts any timeline issues by explicitly establishing that "no exact dates" could be published.