Caz, you are right, they should not have been there. The problem arises when you ask yourself the question why were they there.
Furthermore, I'm not sure where you're coming from regarding the wider issues regarding detachment practises (breakfast, crew duty, crew changes). Are you trying to paint a picture of an organisation that routinely flirted with the rules? If so, how does this picture contribute with any objectivity towards the "absolutely no doubt whatsoever" line?
Finally, I don't think any of us would be having this argument if the aircraft had been fitted with appropriate CVR etc. I seem to recollect that a very large percentage of military aviation accident reports have included recommendations for voice/data recording capabilities. I'm not sure the MoD has yet addressed this weakness across it's fleet's. This must surely be a sorry reflection of the underlying arrogance and impotence of military airworthiness and safety management across the MoD.