Earlier this week, Tony Ortega announced the sad passing of former Scientologist Neville Chamberlin on The Underground Bunker. He was one of the first members of the elite ‘Sea Organisation’ in the 1960s and later rose the ranks, becoming one of Scientology’s top auditors and delivering sessions to the likes of UK executives Jane Kember, Herbie Parkhouse, David Gaiman and even L. Ron Hubbard himself.

With the birth of the internet he began speaking of his experiences at the highest ranks of Scientology under the pseudonym ‘Dart Smohen’ and became an instant target for Scientology’s attack wing, then called the Guardian’s Office (now known as the Office of Special Affairs, or OSA).

Nonetheless, he persevered in exposing the truth about what life was like behind the scenes during Hubbard’s time in the UK and never lost his typically British sense of charm and wit. His wife Danielle wrote a wonderful piece on Tony’s blog about his life and we thought it would be fitting to remember him by sharing some memories from those who knew him over the years.

Our heart goes out to Danielle and their family. Nev will forever be remembered for his good nature, his loyalty and his tales, quite literally from the high seas.

I was only 11 when I first met Neville. He was the first Sea Project/Org member I met. He was on mission to St Hill and went out of his way to find myself and my siblings to give us a message of love from our mother, who was in the Sea Project with Neville renovating the Avon River. 

He was a great story teller and knew how to add flavor to make it more interesting.

Neville was known as rebel executive, a man of his word, he did what he thought best, and got things done despite knowing what the consequences might be while also being fun loving. 

We stayed in touch over the last 50 plus years. I even interviewed him on Scientology: Peeling the Onion where he was able to tell stories of his personal experience and give us all many more laughs. 

Nev, we will all miss you and your wonderful sense of humor.

Janis Gilham Grady

I first met Nev when decorating his mum’s house in 1976. He gave me a piece of sausage, asked if I liked it and proceeded to tell me it was Polish horsemeat. Nev was mischievous, to say the least. His parents must have been too, naming him after Britain’s least popular prime minister.

Our paths did not cross again until 1983. I’d left the Scientology mother cult and, in my quest to find out why the ‘Church’ had imploded, was questioning everyone about their experiences. Nev was the first to describe ‘overboarding’ to me. At first, he dismissed it as an unpleasant but passing aberration. In our second conversation, at the Monsoon restaurant in East Grinstead, his face fell when he admitted that it was terrifying being hurled, blind-folded with ankles roped from 25 feet above the water into the sewage of Corfu harbour.

Nev delighted in the Suppressive Person declare and Writ of Expulsion issued against him, which says in part:

“When Neville first entered the Church he had behind him a trail of criminal acts which kept him from realizing the miraculous gains of Scientology Tech from the very beginning. His horrendous criminal acts per his own (out of session) write ups extend as far back as 1965 and span the entire scale of criminality from assault and battery, brutal violence, theft, armed robbery, drug pushing, smuggling, seducing minors, illegal gambling, car theft, arson, accessory to illegal abortions, embezzlement, using false credentials, pimping, violence for hire, forgery and fraud – all per his own statements.”

Nev explained that he ‘entered the Church’ at the age of twelve. This was when his parents took him to meet their new friend, L. Ron Hubbard at St Hill Manor. By making a legal complaint, Nev forced Scientology to withdraw this ridiculous statement. He told me he’d been locked up by Guardian Jane Kember and ordered to write up his ‘overts’ and ‘withholds’, so concocted the list of the crimes of his infancy.

Kember would later go to prison for another instance of false imprisonment. After her release, Nev was instrumental in discovering that she was publishing scurrilous attacks on independent Scientologists under the soubriquet Mark Martini as part of her re-entry programme to the mother cult.

In 1967, at the age of 20, Nev was one of the 19 original members of the Sea Project which soon morphed into the Sea Organization. He was proud that Hubbard had coined the term ‘doing a Nev’ to mean following the letter of an order without coming close to its spirit.

Nev was into his third bankruptcy when I interviewed him in 1984. He was a jovial salesman with a barrage of questionable schemes forever on the boil. He gave me ammunition by admitting he’d bought handmade Lobb’s shoes while maxing out his credit cards prior to filing for bankruptcy but never wore them because they pinched. Whenever he had the better of me in some joke, I’d remind him of those shoes.

I always enjoyed my time with Nev and have fond memories of him. He made fun of the world, and he made the world fun.

Jon Atack

I first met Neville Chamberlin soon after I joined the Scientology Sea Org at Saint Hill, East Grinstead, in September 1973. I was a brand-new recruit on the basic training course, and Neville was the old hand doing a retread for being in trouble. Neville had been in the Sea Org since its foundation in 1966, and had worked closely with the Founder Ron Hubbard for several years. It was through Neville that I got to know about Hubbard. Being in trouble seemed to be pretty much a way of life for Nev; he was always very much his own man, didn’t conform, and tended to go out on a limb. Above all else, he had a great sense of humour and was always good company.

But Neville was also a highly intelligent man, who took a keen interest in what was going on in the world around him. Widely liked, he had a broad network of contacts around the world. It was through Nev in the early 1980s that I learned about developments within the Church of Scientology and an independent movement within the Sea Org. Highly to his credit, I would say that Nev played a pivotal role in facilitating the important
changes that followed.

We fell out finally over his predilection for Whisky and mine for Cannabis! But he was a quite unique character in my time, and a valuable influence on my life.

Robin Scott

Neville was an impish rogue. He always had a twinkle in his eye and he pulled off unlikely feats that helped AOSHUK do its thing. Even Jane Kember who looked at him askance (and at most other SO members askance as well) understood that I defended Neville because he helped keep on the lights. It was as if Saint Hill was one more sandbox in which he could play and enjoy life. I believe we first met in another sandbox – a Royal Scotsman lifeboat – when the prevailing tides kept us from completing our practice mission to find three floating objects and return to the ship. 

Instead we were washed ashore onto the Spanish coast in a restricted military area. Yep, Neville did his best to claim that we nevertheless had a successful mission when we finally returned. Nope, he didn’t win that argument. Many years after we all had left that world, I was delighted to learn that Neville and Danielle were making a life together and, from what I could see, a very happy one. Thank you Danielle for helping our friend navigate the rougher waters of the last year or two. He is safely in his next port.

Ira Chaleff

I have fond memories of Neville Chamberlin, a former auditor (counsellor) of mine at Saint Hill. This was in early 1970s.

Neville was a renegade, a rebel, a non conformist. There was no way he could fit in with a tight rules and regulations high authoritarian cult and it is amazing he survived 30 years !

His SP Declare is so sleazy and full of hyperbole and venom that it seems like a satircal parody but it is not. It reads like a revenge SP declare, after all Neville had local  East Grinstead police escort him to pick up his belongings,  when he was exiting the Sea org, which when translated meant he wasnot safe going back to that place  without law enforcement to safeguard him !   

Neville you mischievous cheeky gangsta…FLY HIGH and continue to laugh at how you played the game, YOUR WAY !

Love to you and Danielle

Karen de la Carriere

I was supervisor of class 1V of the Briefing Course in 1966 for a short time while the normal supervisor took his vacation and Neville was one of the students.

He had a coach, Haviva Cass ( sic ) and they were doing the dating drill. For some reason his coach was ARC broken with him and would not ask for a check out although Neville insisted that he was ready.

I noticed them arguing and of course went over to see what was going on. Some details are now lost with time but the upshot of it all was that I allowed Neville to try and get the date that Haviva had written down.

I have to say that Neville was confronted with a very dirty, tight needle. Understandably so considering his coach was so upset with him. But on that day I saw the best e-meter handling I’ve ever seen as Neville went straight to the date without a miss. I was very impressed needless to say because I knew that I could not have done it and I was a good meter reader myself.

Barry Stephenson

I was deeply saddened to hear of Neville’s passing. Though Nev and I never had the opportunity to work together in Scientology or the Sea Organization, Nev was a good friend and shipmate to me and others who were there with him.

I first knew Neville in late 1967 or early 1968 when he arrived as a new Sea Org recruit on the Royal Scotman. Hubbard had just purchased the big ship, docked her in Southampton to complete cleaning her out and testing her main engines and other motors and pumps, generators in the engine room, and get her ready for her upcoming voyage south to the Mediterranean and Valencia. 

Many new recruits came on board in Southampton of all ages at that time. I always liked Neville because he was so sure of himself and his abilities. Nev also genuinely liked himself, something I admired about him. Neville loved having fun; he was also a tough, rowdy guy, ready for adventure any time of day or night. He was also cheerful, loyal, and honest, and mixed well with the other deck and engine room crews. Nev and Joe van Staden were the best at letting rip and swearing when the opportunity arose. He mixed in perfectly with other deck and engine room crew, and I was always hearing of some misadventure he had gotten into.

One such event occurred after Hubbard assigned the Royal Scotman an ethics condition of Liability. The Harbor Authorities asked the Royal Scotman to move to another berth to make way for an incoming vessel. While moving, a storm arose—storms at that time of year around Valencia are common, and always severe—and the Scotman crew, mostly new and woefully untrained, couldn’t manage the situation. The big ship dragged her anchor, hit submerged rocks, and broke her propeller. Hubbard, who was on board the Avon River at the time, was livid.

I did not see the event occur being in Alicante on LRH orders to find and establish a location to which the Advanced Organization students on board the RS could move and continue their study/auditing on Hubbard’s newly released OT 3.

I heard about the debacle later, and how Neville and one other, if I recall correctly, somehow got a lifeboat lowered, and managed to get Hubbard into the lifeboat and over to the Scotman, despite the raging wind, waves thrashing and pounding on the harbor wall and nearby rocks so that Hubbard could take command of the stricken vessel and get her off the rocks and re-anchored safely. 

Nev’s action took real guts and courage.

Nev, I can see you joining up with all the other wonderful people we have loved and worked with in Scientology and the Sea Organization who have left us. I wish you tons of happiness, more fun than you know what to do with, and opportunities to be as rowdy as you want!

Enjoy the heck out of your newfound freedom, my friend!

With my love and hugs, and very happy memories.

Hana Whitfield