She's also a bargain - £35m to run for the next four years. 

Life is breathed back in Lusty

23 May 2011

AFTER a £40m revamp, Britain’s only aircraft carrier will return to sea on June 3 to start down the year-long road back to front-line duties.

HMS Illustrious hasn’t been seen at sea since the beginning of 2010 when she sailed to Rosyth for a 16-month refit in the hands of Babcock.

Lusty was due to emerge from her refit as the nation’s strike carrier, taking over from HMS Ark Royal.

Last autumn’s defence review put the kibosh on those plans – and saw Ark axed as well as her Harriers. The review also meant Illustrious’ refit plans had to be re-drawn.

Instead of returning from Rosyth as a Harrier carrier, she’ll return to business as a helicopter assault ship, relieving HMS Ocean.

It took a couple of months following October’s review to incorporate the changes into Lusty’s refit, but since the turn of the year in particular, the ship has been a hive of activity.

When 2011 opened there were just 150 ship’s company (fewer than a quarter of her typical complement) living ashore at nearby HMS Caledonia.

Numbers quickly doubled and, with work sufficiently progressed and ‘domestic functions’ working once more – heating, lighting water, galleys – the sailors moved back on board on February 22  to the sound of pipe and drum.

“At that moment Lusty began to come alive once more,” said Cdr Richard Winter, the carrier’s weapon engineer officer.

Since then the ship’s company has almost doubled in size again – it’s nearly 600-strong now, just 50 or so short of the normal complement – with Capt Jerry Kyd joining as Commanding Officer from Ark Royal.

Work carried out since the revamp began early last year includes super-efficient paint applied to the hull which will mean the 20,000-ton warship will cut through the ocean faster – cutting her fuel bill in the process.

Living quarters have been spruced up, the latest MOD computer system (DII) fitted throughout the ship – no mean task as Illustrious was designed in the pre-personal computer age – 500m (1,640ft) of pipework replaced, plus 650 valves and all eight exhausts.

All well and good, but all that technology and equipment is no good without Jack and Jenny. Lusty’s sailors have been conducting extensive training: fire and flood, duty watches, firearms, personal protection, engineering trials, machinery brought back to life, the ops room, flight deck and hangar restored to normal.

At the same time Illustrious’ soul has been revived by personalising mess spaces, sporting activities, morning prayers and Sunday services, and the daily rituals of Colours and Sunset.

More than 200 Sea Cadets (including 71 in one go) have toured the carrier, as well as local VIPs and school children.

“The message from everyone aboard HMS Illustrious is clear – despite what you may read or hear: Lusty is on her way back to the Fleet,” said Cdr Winter.

“A nearly-600-strong ship’s company is working extremely hard to ensure that Illustrious sails from Rosyth on June 3rd for sea trials before rejoining the Fleet at the end of July.

“No doubt many people will be pleased to see Lusty back in her home port, proud and ready to serve the nation once again.”

After the initial period of trials and return to the Solent, Illustrious will be alongside until the autumn when rigorous trials and training begin in earnest.

She’s due to take over from Ocean as the nation’s on-call helicopter carrier from the summer of 2012.

Illustrious' ship's company move back on board. Picture: LA(Phot) Dean Nixon, HMS Illustrious

The only Royal Marine EVER to win Distinguished Flying Medal

Shrinking The USMC

August 15, 2010: The U.S. Marine Corps is again threatened, this time with a sharp reduction in its size. In response, marine commanders say they would prefer to be a smaller force, one that concentrates on its main mission; amphibious operations. The marines were unhappy with the way they have been used as an army auxiliary over the past decade. The marines consider themselves specialists, while the army are generalists (and, for example, carried out more amphibious operations than the marines did during World War II). But by law (which specifies the minimum size of the Corps, a law that could be changed) and determination (of generations of marines), the marines have come to comprise a quarter of America's ground combat forces. That's active duty, when you could the much larger army reserve force, the marines are 18 percent of ground combat forces. The marines never wanted to be just another part of American ground combat forces.

The marines are also concerned with their relationship with the U.S. Navy, which has now formed another ground combat force. To understand how this came about, you have to understand the relationship between the navy and the marines. The marines are not part of the navy, as they are often described. Both the navy and marines are part of the Department of the Navy. The Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force each have only one component.

Over the years, the marines have acquired more and more autonomy from the navy. When the U.S. Marine Corps was created, over two centuries ago, marines were sailors trained and equipped to fight as infantry, and they were very much part of the navy, and part of ship crews. This changed radically in the late 19th century, when all-metal steam ships replaced wooden sailing ships. The new "iron ships" really didn't need marines, and there were proposals to eliminate them. In response, the American marines got organized and made themselves useful in other ways. For example, the marines performed very well as "State Department Troops" in Latin America for half a century (late 19th century to just before World War II), where American troops were frequently used to deal with civil disorder abroad, and nation building. During World War I (1914-18), they provided a brigade for ground combat in Europe, where they demonstrated exceptional combat skills.

During the 1930s, as World War II approached, the U.S. Marine Corps really ran with the ball when the navy realized they would have to use amphibious assaults to take heavily fortified Japanese islands in any future war. Thus, once the U.S. entered World War II, the marines formed their first division size units, and ended the war with six divisions, organized into two corps.

The Marine Corps was no longer just a minor part of the navy, but on its way to being a fourth service. Over the next half century, it basically achieved that goal. But in doing that, the navy lost control of its ground troops. Navy amphibious ships still went to sea, with battalions of marines on board. But because the marines are mainly an infantry force, and the war on terror is basically an infantry scale battle, the marines spent a lot more time working alongside the U.S. Army.

Thus, over the last five years, the new U.S. Navy has built a new ground combat force, staffed by 40,000 sailors. This is NECC (Navy Expeditionary Combat Command), which is capable of operating along the coast and up rivers, as well as further inland. NECC units have served in Iraq, and are ready to deploy anywhere else they are needed. The 1,200 sailors in the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) teams are particularly sought after, because of increased use of roadside bombs and booby traps by the enemy. NECC has also organized three Riverine Squadrons, and these served in Iraq. NECC basically consists of most of the combat support units the navy has traditionally put ashore, plus some coastal and river patrol units that have usually only been organized in wartime.

This new navy organization, and the strategy goes with it, still comes as a surprise to many people, especially many of those in Congress who were asked to pay for it. It came as a surprise to many NECC sailors as well. The navy even called on the marines to provide infantry instructors for the few thousand sailors assigned to riverine (armed patrol boat) units. The navy already had infantry training courses for Seabees (naval construction personnel) and members of EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) teams. Now it's combining all that in the new Expeditionary Combat Skills (ECS) course, which will be conducted at a base in Mississippi.

With the marines appropriated by the army for land combat, the navy still wanted and needed land forces. So the navy has created NECC. The navy still considers the marines its primary "infantry force", but the NECC will contain sailors trained and equipped for land operations the navy believes it should be involved in. Some of these are still on the water, like "riverine operations" (small gunboats and troop carriers to control rivers and coastal waters against irregulars), and "naval infantry" to defend navy land bases in hostile territory.

The U.S. Marine Corps has mixed feelings about NECC, for the marines have long been the navy's ground combat troops. The navy says that the USMC mission will remain. Thus the marines want to shrink so they become small enough to handle anticipated navy amphibious operations, and not large enough to have troops available for large scale support of army operations.

In effect, the American marines want to be more like the British marines. That's interesting, because British marines are called Royal Marine Commandos, and are quite different. Britain, which invented the modern concept of the commando, disbanded it's ten army commando's (as the battalion size commando units were called) at the end of World War II. The Royal Marines, however, saw the commando concepts as a welcome addition to their own amphibious doctrine and retained three of their nine Royal Marine Commandos. Since World War II, the Royal Marines have maintained at least three commando battalions (called commandos, instead of battalions.) Artillery and engineer units are supplied by the army.

Like the U.S. Marines, the Royal Marines realized that assault from the sea was always a commando like operation, requiring special training, bold leadership and an aggressive spirit. The Royal Marines, like their American counterparts, continued to innovate. In 1956, it was a Royal Marine Commando that launched the first helicopter assault from ships against a land target (during the invasion of Egypt). The Royal Marine Commandos were used extensively to keep the peace in Ireland during the 1970s and 80s. In 1982, it was two Royal Marine Commandos and one parachute battalion that did most of the fighting to retake the Falkland Islands from Argentina. The Royal Marines have performed peacekeeping duty in the Balkans and Africa, and served as an amphibious fast reaction force.

While the U.S. Marines made a name for themselves with multi-division amphibious operations in the Pacific during World War II, the Royal Marines stuck with the commando type operations that characterize what marines spend most of the time doing between major wars. Remember, the last large scale amphibious operation took place sixty years ago (Inchon, Korea in 1950). Since then, the typical marine mission has been a quick assault using a small (usually battalion size) force.

In anticipation of this, the U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) was created over the last few years. In that time, it has sent some of its 2,400 personnel on over thirty deployments (in South America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia). MARSOC is organized into a headquarters, a two battalion Special Operations Regiment, a Foreign Military Training Unit, and a Marine Special Operations Support Group. There are 3-4 Special Operations companies in each battalion. The marines basically lost two of their four Force Recon companies (one of them a reserve unit) in order to build MARSOC. Meanwhile, more troops have been added to division level reconnaissance units, to take up some of that slack. The Special Operations companies (with about 120 personnel each) can provide Force Recon capabilities to marine units they are attached to.  The two Special Operations Battalions provide a combination of services roughly equal to what the U.S. Army Special Forces and Rangers do, as well as some of the functions of the Force Recon units. Eventually, there are to be nine companies in the two Special Operations Battalion.

All the other services, except the marines, contributed to the formation of SOCOM (Special Operations Command) in the late 1980s. The marines finally got around to working with SOCOM in 2005, when it was agreed that they would create a marine special operations command (MARSOC). The Marine Corps had long resisted such a step, largely because of its belief that marines are inherently superior warriors, capable of highly specialized missions. This attitude began to change during the fighting in Afghanistan, when marines were assigned to support SOCOM troops there.

 As a result of that experience, marines were attached to SOCOM for liaison and observation purposes. In 2004, the marines organized a company sized unit of commandos, "Detachment One", using volunteers from their Force Recon troops, the closest thing the marines had to commandos. Detachment One was sent to Iraq, where it's performance convinced SOCOM that marines could operate at the SOCOM level.

The marines see their future as a smaller (by a up to a third, or more), even more elite, force, and better equipped force. The marines want to get back to sea, and the reduction in force (RIF) can be done without losing a lot of the valuable combat experience the marines have gained in the last nine years. Recruiting will be reduced for a few years, and some marines can transfer to the navy (in jobs that both sailors and marines handle), especially the NECC force. Marines have long moved over to the army, and the army would be glad to get an infusion of combat experienced marines, especially NCOs and officers. The marines may also expand their reserve force, and marines who decide to get out, can simply move over to the reserves.

The marines who remain with the Corps will probably continue the more extensive training marines have been getting for several decades now. This makes the marines an even more elite force, which is what many marines are fine with.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htamph/articles/20100815.aspx

Foxnwolf comments;

Why does the UK & US governments want to "shaft" their Marine Corp ???

Troops returning from Helmand pay for own flights

Britain - a world power ?
Would this be tolerated by the U.S., Canada, Australia - or indeed, any country which has contributed troops to the operations in Afghanistan ?

Click Here

I think not. Perhaps it is time we re-evaluated our place in the grand scheme of things and concentrated on "fixing" the country once and for all.

This sums up Brown's performance and his continuing farrago of lies regarding the respect that he has for the Armed Forces ........ NOT !

Click here - read it and weep

I wonder if the M.P.s of all parties and the ones who lost their seats are expected to adhere to the same time schedule ?

No - didn't think that these self serving pieces of sh*t would ...... or care.

Kipling rules - "Tommy this, and Tommy that,
                         And "Kick him out, the brute"
                         But he's the saviour of his country
                         When the guns begin to shoot"

Time to write to your M.P.s, lovely boys ......... because the majority of them "don't like it up 'em".
And if you voted Labour then hang your heads in shame !

30th July 2010

The MOD has today published its response to comments made by the public on the Defence aspects of the Coalition's Programme for Government.

In a video posted on the Programme for Government website, Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said:

"The response has been fantastic and I'm pleased to see people have really engaged with this process.

"I hope people will see that this is different, it's a permanent change to the way we run government, and that it is worthwhile engaging in this kind of process in the future. It's important for us in government to remember we don't have all the answers."

Oliver Letwin, Minister for Government Policy, said:

"At last, government has realised that there are 60 million citizens who really do have ideas. Through processes like this, we can give real power to the people and make things open."

Welcome To Hell

Hero British soldiers have spoken for the first time of their daily battles with the Taliban in a scorching Afghan outpost called "Hell".

B Company of the 1st Battalion the Mercian Regiment have lost nine men killed and 12 seriously wounded in five weeks defending the remote Kings Hill base in Helmand.

But the lads remain determined to see the job through and believe it is a battle they can win. Just 500 metres from their mud-walled compound lies a building they constantly watch.

A young soldier on watch said: "This is where the Taliban meet up. They are all around us here. What you're looking at is the front line.

"Walk out there on your own and you would be dead in seconds. That field is full of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and the ditches around it are even worse."

Andy Bush The soldier - who cannot be named because he is a sniper, hated by the enemy - went on: "The other day the Taliban crept in and, using trees and a ditch as cover, planted nine IEDs. The next morning two of our guys were killed and a few more were badly injured. It's a coward's way to fight."

A team from The Sun spent time with the Mercians, for whom the dust, heat and primitive conditions make life uncomfortable enough without Taliban attacks.

We were greeted with the words: "Welcome to Hell."

Yesterday we published dramatic pictures from a battlefield video showing the miraculous survival of Lance Corporal Adam Smith, 23, after being shot in the face in an ambush.

B Company is led by Major Richard Grover, who clearly enjoys the support and respect of his 100 men. His Wirral accent reveals he is from the same area of the UK as most Mercians.

Part of his job is helping them deal with the loss of comrades. He said: "For the first few days the guys are downbeat. You have to be strong. One private lost his leg in an IED strike. He was the ninth man in the patrol to walk over the pressure plate.

"For some reason, because he's a big lad and was carrying a heavy pack, it detonated. Another is now a triple amputee. He got thrown into a ditch by the explosion. It's worse when it's an IED, because there's no one to fire back at." He added: "What impresses me about these men is the fact they are just ordinary guys, lads like any you would meet in the street. But they are doing an incredible job."

As we were being shown around, the clatter of incoming Taliban machinegun fire filled the air.

Seconds later a soldier on a sentry post let rip with several short bursts of fire. The enemy gun fell silent. Corporal Lee Kelly, 32, said: "This is guerrilla warfare, it's a dirty war. Every day there's a contact. One of my very best mates, Corporal Andy Breeze, was killed.

"I think we'll be in Afghanistan a long time. It's a marathon, not a sprint. But we are pushing the Taliban back. Progress is being made.

"This is definitely our toughest tour - but we'll get through it."

Battle Of Britain Town Pays Homage To Remaining Few

Bromley town centre was brought to a standstill on Friday when residents turned out in their hundreds to pay tribute to some of the last few remaining Battle of Britain pilots. 

The event was part of the Battle of Britain 70th anniversary commemoration and saw six veterans, now in their 80s and 90s, heartily cheered as they arrived in Bromley's Market Square in a convoy of vintage vehicles as part of a parade led by 228 (Bromley) Squadron Air Training Corps.

Leader of the London Borough of Bromley, Councillor Stephen Carr, welcomed the 'living legends' Captain Billy Drake, Flight Lieutenant Bill Green, Flight Lieutenant William Walker, Squadron Leader Tony Iveson, Wing Commander Bob Foster and Wing Commander Peter Ayerst who, along with 3,000 other young airmen, had done their bit to defend 1940s Britain from the aerial onslaught by German bombers, and arguably from German invasion.

The event was held in Bromley due to the town's proximity to the famous fighter station at RAF Biggin Hill which was at the centre of events in the summer of 1940.

Wing Commander Martin Tinworth, Battle of Britain 70th anniversary project officer, said:

"There is a huge level of public interest in this anniversary across the country and we want to show that the RAF is a progressive and modern Service that is proud of its heritage."

Representing RAF Northolt, Wing Commander Chris Platt explained that he was there to recognise the fact that both stations, Northolt and 'the Bump', as local RAF Biggin Hill was affectionately known:

"...had a lot in common, not only did both stations come in for a lot of stick during the Battle of Britain, but 32 Squadron, which now operates from Northolt, had been originally based at the Bump."

He said that he felt sure that the veterans would recognise many of the elements that comprise today's squadron, especially the people and:

"...their spirit and determination to do their job and stand firm in the face of enemy opposition."

Bromley's Mayor, Councillor George Taylor, said he was delighted to see so many people turning out to thank those who had fought against the enemy in the skies over southern England:

"At Biggin Hill 453 airmen died in aerial combat and 91 died on the ground. For us, Biggin Hill is more than just an airfield; it represents all those who risked their lives for our freedom," he said.

The mayor then rededicated the freedom of the borough, originally given in 1980, by presenting a ceremonial sword to Wing Commander Bob Foster. The sword was then taken to the chapel at Biggin Hill 'where it will stay lest we forget,' said the mayor.

To end the ceremony there was a flypast by a Hurricane, a Spitfire and a Lancaster bomber of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, then 54 white doves were released - each one representing ten aircrew who lost their lives during the Battle of Britain.

The veterans and the civic dignitaries were joined by Dame Vera Lynn at the RAF chapel in Biggin Hill for a short service.

Forces sweetheart Dame Vera posed for pictures with the veterans and current serving personnel beneath the new gate guardians, a Spitfire and a Hurricane.

Display pilots, Flight Lieutenants Tim Clements and Rich Walton, who thrill the crowds with their aerobatic fast jet displays at the Biggin Hill air show, were thrilled to take time out from their rehearsals to meet the veterans and hear about their exploits.

In a characteristic display of understatement, veteran Group Captain Billy Drake said, pointing to the Typhoon pilots:

"These are the real professionals. We were just bloody playboys who wanted to fly planes."

British troops are to be pulled out of the Sangin area of Afghanistan - where nearly a third of UK deaths have occurred.

It is understood the Government has decided the notoriously volatile district in northern Helmand province will be handed over to US forces, possibly later this year.

The move - set to be announced later by Defence Secretary Liam Fox - comes after Britain handed over command in Helmand to an American general last month.

Mr Fox is expected to say that Britain will concentrate on Helmand's populous central belt, leaving the north and south of the province to the US.

Sangin, currently home to 40 Commando Royal Marines, is particularly dangerous because it contains a patchwork of rival tribes.

It is also a major centre of Afghanistan's opium-growing industry.

It has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting the British military has endured since the Second World War.

Of the 312 UK deaths in Afghanistan since 2001, 99 occurred in Sangin.

There is likely to be a mixed response to news of the handover - relief that such a deadly burden has been passed on but also sadness at the high price paid in troops killed and injured.

Britain's 8,000 forces in Helmand are now greatly outnumbered by the 20,000 US Marines sent there under President Obama's surge strategy.

Sangin is the latest part of the district to be handed over from British to American control.

The town of Musa Qaleh was transferred in March and US marines took charge of the strategically important Kajaki dam last month.

Operations In Afghanistan

British Casualties

The Ministry of Defence has published the following casualty figures for Operation HERRICK. These figures are updated every two weeks, two weeks in arrears.

All casualties suffered by UK Forces are a source of profound regret. UK personnel put their lives on the line to help the people of Afghanistan to build a strong and stable country; we cannot pay high enough tribute to the job that they are doing, or the sacrifice some of them have made.

The MOD is committed to publishing casualty statistics, openly and on our website. While we do not publish statistics for all personnel who require minor treatment, we do record details for all personnel who need to be admitted to our field hospitals with more serious injuries and with diseases.

The Defence Medical Services aspire to provide first class treatment for all injured or ill Service personnel, aiming to restore them to full fitness or, where this is not possible, to the best state of health their condition permits. We also work closely with the NHS to ensure a smooth transition into NHS care when responsibility for their healthcare transfers at the point of demobilisation for reservists or discharge for regulars.

For the period 7 October 2001 to 31 December 2005:

Centrally available records show that:

• 6 UK Military Personnel were categorised as Very Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease
• 4 UK Military Personnel were categorised as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease

Work continues to verify and validate data for aeromedical evacuations and field hospital admission in both Iraq and Afghanistan prior to January 2006. Once this data is compiled it will be added to the website.

For the period 1 January 2006 to 31 May 2010:

Centrally available records show that:

• 1,282 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals and categorised as Wounded in Action.
• 2,606 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals for disease or non-battle injuries.
• 188 UK personnel were categorised as Very Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
• 190 UK personnel were categorised as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
• 3,449 aeromedical evacuations have taken place for UK military and civilian personnel injured or ill in Afghanistan.

For further details see:

Afghanistan Casualty and Fatality Statistics

Frequently Asked Questions

What medical facilities are available for UK troops operating in Afghanistan?
The UK provides 'Role 1' facilities at all UK Main Operating Bases, Forward Operating Bases and Patrol Bases, in Kabul, Kandahar and throughout Helmand Province. Role 1 facilities provide Primary Health Care and Pre-Hospital Emergency Care. The composition and complement of doctors, nurses and medics is dependant on a number of factors; the number of UK personnel being supported, the geographical location, the evacuation time to a surgical facility (Role 2 or Role 3) and the operational situation at the time. The Main Operating Bases at Camp Bastion and Kandahar also have dental, physiotherapy and mental health facilities which are able to provide peripatetic and referral support to all UK personnel.

Those more seriously ill and injured UK personnel are treated at deployed hospital facilities which are either designated as Role 2 or Role 3 dependant on the level of diagnostic and specialist surgical and medical capability they provide. They can provide intensive care and high-dependency facilities, as well as surgical, medical, A+E, physiotherapy, dental, mental health, x-ray, CT and laboratory facilities. UK personnel are primarily supported by the UK led Anglo/American Role 3 hospital at Camp Bastion and the NATO Role 3 facilities at Kabul and Kandahar. However, all Role 2 and Role 3 facilities are available to support ISAF and Coalition personnel as determined by the clinical needs of the casualty.

In total the UK deploy over 400 medical staff to support operations in Afghanistan (this includes Medical Group personnel and those integral to the Battle Groups).

What is NOTICAS reporting?
Notification of Casualty (or 'NOTICAS') is the name for the formalised system of reporting casualties within the UK Armed Forces. It sets in train the MOD's next of kin informing procedure. NOTICAS is taken extremely seriously - as the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Policy and procedures set out, NOTICAS reports are to be raised for every casualty and the reporting process is undertaken as quickly and sensitively as possible, it takes precedence over all but the most urgent operational and security matters.

What do 'Seriously Injured' and 'Very Seriously Injured' mean?
The NOTICAS reports raised for casualties contain information on how seriously medical staff in theatre judge their condition to be. This information is used to inform what the next of kin are told. 'VSI' and 'SI' are the two most serious categories into which personnel can be classified:

• 'Very Seriously ill/ Injured/wounded' or VSI is the definition we use where the illness or injury is of such severity that life or reason is imminently endangered.
• 'Seriously ill/Injured/Wounded' or SI is the definition we use where the patient's condition is of such severity that there is cause for immediate concern, but there is no imminent danger to life or reason.

The VSI and SI categories are defined by Joint Casualty and Compassionate Policy and Procedures. They are not strictly 'medical categories' but are designed to give an indication of the severity of the illness to inform what the individual's next of kin are told. In the figures for Operation HERRICK (Afghanistan) and Operation TELIC (Iraq) we have excluded those individuals categorised as VSI or SI whose condition was identified to be caused by illness, to produce figures for the number of UK personnel categorised as VSI and SI whatever the cause of the injury, but excluding illnesses.

What is the figure for personnel 'Wounded in Action'?
This figure is based on Wounded in Action figures, including those wounded as a result of hostile action and is derived from admission data returns from the UK Role 2 enhanced facility in Camp Bastion, the Canadian Role 3 facility in Kandahar and the French and Greek Role 2 facilities in Kabul.

These figures give the total number of aeromedical evacuations,including any aeromed movements connected to the casualty's treatmentoutside of Afghanistan.

What is a non-battle injury?
Any injury that is not caused by a hostile act - examples could include a sports injury or a road traffic accident.

What is the difference between Killed in Action and Died of Wounds?
Killed in Action is the definition used where a battle casualty is killed outright or dies as a result of wounds or other injuries before reaching a medical treatment facility. Died of Wounds is the definition used where a battle casualty dies of wounds or other injuries received in action, after having reached a medical treatment facility.

What improvements have you made to the way casualty figures are collected and reported?
Since 28 October 2006 we have been able to provide data on the personnel admitted to medical facilities as a result of disease, as well as for non-battle injury. This was a challenge because these statistics include data provided by other ISAF nations in Afghanistan, who do not use the same definitions of disease. This additional reporting has been brought about by improvements in tracking of this category of personnel, and brings the reporting of statistics for casualties in Afghanistan into line with reporting for casualties in Iraq.

Furthermore, since 28 October 2006 improvements in the way the data is recorded in theatre, collated, and analysed back in the UK have made it possible for updates to be provided every two weeks, two weeks in arrears, rather than monthly, one month in arrears.

Police chief (ex RM) is held for 'torching car to cover up affair with barrister's wife'

Who made his own medals and claimed to have fought at Goose Green

A pub landlord who pretended to be a war hero for 20 years could be prosecuted after a two former members of the Parachute regiment publicly exposed him in a military-style sting.

Billy Dailly, 58, wore home-made medals and said he had been a hero soldier in the Falklands.

Dailly was even pictured at a special Remembrance Sunday dinner last year wearing his 'awards' and a Parachute Regiment tie.

But his lies unravelled when ex-Paras Peter Elcock and Joe Harvey caught him out in a perfectly-executed pincer movement.

Mr Dailly was forced to confess his lies in front of customers in his packed pub The Grosvenor Arms in St John's, Worcestershire, before fleeing in shame.

Mr Elcock, 53, and 55-year-old Mr Harvey wore disguises to hide their identity and tricked the landlord into recounting his lies.

Then, when he was out of the room, the pair unveiled their uniforms and revealed that Mr Dailly's name had never appeared on the list of medal winners.

When his lies were exposed, the landlord was overcome with embarrassment and admitted the deceit before running away in disgrace.

Mr Elcock, who is a fundraider for Help For Heroes, likened the fraudster to fantasist Walter Mitty.

'I had seen this individual once or twice at Remembrance Sunday parades in Worcester,' he said.

'It had sprung to mind that he was never closely involved and always kept to the fringes before disappearing when the parades were over.

'But then a few friends started asking me if I knew him because he had apparently also been in the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment and was telling people that he knew me.

'More importantly, he was also claiming to have won the Military Medal at Goose Green in the Falklands for bayonet fighting, but when I Googled him I could see he had never been there.

'After a bit more searching on the internet it became clear he had never even been with the Parachute Regiment.

'I was disgusted that he has spent the last 20 years telling people these stories and pretending to be the big paratrooper man who won the Military Medal.

'It's just the lowest of the low. It's despicable.

'I knew guys that had won the Military Medal and been forced to sell it when it when they fell on hard times and others that had died winning one.

'For him to go around claiming the kudos of a war hero was utterly wrong and my friend Joe who had served with me in Berlin in 1974 and on several tours in Northern Ireland felt so strongly about it he travelled from Wales to help me confront him.

British troops get new Sharpshooter rifle to blast Taliban... because their weapons have a longer range than ours...

British soldiers in Afghanistan will be issued with a new infantry combat rifle for the first time in 20 years, the Ministry of Defence announced today.

More than 400 Sharpshooter rifles, which fire a 7.62mm round, are being purchased as part of a £1.5million 'urgent operational requirement'.

The first batch of the U.S.-made rifles will be used by the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, from October.

Two Australian soldiers, lost during a secret mission in Indonesian Borneo 44 years ago, are on their final journey home to be buried with full military honours.

In a ceremony conducted at Halim, Indonesia, the remains of Special Air Service Regiment Lieutenant Kenneth Hudson, 30, of Brisbane, and SASR Private Robert Moncrieff, 21, of Newcastle, were officially handed over to Australian authorities.

That ceremony was attended by families of Lieutenant Hudson and Private Moncrieff, Veterans Affairs Minister Alan Griffin, Special Operations Commander Major General Tim McOwan and former special forces soldiers.

Major General McOwan said the ceremony marked the beginning of Lieutenant Hudson and Private Moncrieff's final journey home.

"Today we bring home two SAS patrol members who rested in the soil of another land for 44 years," he said in a statement.

"The return of these men to Australia closes a chapter in the Special Air Service history.

"The SAS is a family and now two of our brothers are coming home. Their Regiment and patrol mates have never forgotten them and for 44 years they have been living with the pain of leaving their mates behind."

Lieutenant Hudson and Private Moncrieff were lost on March 21, 1965, when swept away as they and two other soldiers attempted to cross a flood-swollen river while on a covert mission inside Indonesian territory.

This was the time of "confrontation" when Indonesia's President Sukarno had threatened to obliterate the new Malaysian confederation.

Australian and Britain had despatched forces in response to Indonesian military incursions into Malaysian Sarawak.

Recently the bodies of the two soldiers were found by Indonesian villagers who helped a joint Australian-Indonesian team find where they had been buried.

Mr Griffin thanked the Indonesian Government and military for their assistance in recovering the remains.

"These two soldiers, who paid the ultimate price while serving our nation, are being returned to their country, their family and they will finally be laid to rest with full military honours," he said in a statement.

Mr Griffin said a RAAF C-130 Hercules would fly to RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia, where the remains would be received by family, friends, current and former serving members of the Special Air Service Regiment.

Private funerals will be held for the returned patrolmen in Perth and Brisbane.

Mark Leader was only six when the Task Force set sail for the Falklands in 1982. The tales of military courage and derring-do which filtered back from that distant conflict would inspire him, as would the dream that one day he might wear the coveted green beret of a Royal Marine Commando.

Dedicated: Mark Leader today with his fiancee Jo Snook and their six-week-old son William. Last week, he, along with Captain Jody Wheelhouse, was thrown out of the Royal Marines for hitting a suspected Taliban bomber with a wellington boot

He did make it into the elite force, having enrolled on the tough Commando selection course even before his 17th birthday.

His service would take him all around the world, from Kosovo to Kuwait, Dungannon to Diego Garcia, but nowhere was more challenging than Helmand province in Afghanistan, where he served two tours.

And it was there that his 18-year career, during which he reached the rank of sergeant, would come to an ignominious end, after a moment’s misjudgment. A hitherto exemplary and unblemished record counted for nothing, it seemed, when set against a regrettable but relatively minor assault on an Afghan prisoner.

Last week, Sgt Leader, 34, along with 45 Commando colleague Captain Jody Wheelhouse, was thrown out of the Royal Marines for hitting a suspected Taliban bomber with a wellington boot. Mohammed Ekhlas had earlier been detained by Marines who spotted four men ‘digging in’ a roadside bomb near a British base in Helmand province.

More.......

The court martial heard Leader and Wheelhouse later burst into a tent where 48-year-old Ekhlas was being held and struck him around the head with the rubber boot, causing a cut lip, two loosened teeth and facial bruising.

The court rejected Sgt Leader’s defence (which he still fervently insists is the truth) that he was trying to stop the man from escaping.

Although Capt Wheelhouse admitted a charge of causing actual bodily harm, Sgt Leader denied it, saying he acted in self-defence against a ‘dangerous and violent prisoner’.

But even if the prosecutors were right and the articulate, quietly spoken NCO did let his disciplined professionalism slip for an instant (after three of his colleagues were blown up by roadside IEDs – improvised explosive devices), the stark contrast in the subsequent fortunes of the ‘bootneck’ and the bomber seem wholly unjust.

Ekhlas was handed over to the notoriously corrupt Afghan police and released without charge. Perhaps not surprisingly, he could not be traced when his testimony was sought for Sgt Leader’s court martial. No one can be certain, but few doubt that the Afghan would have returned to the bomb-planting which apparently led to his arrest.

For Sgt Leader, however, the alleged offence meant an immediate return to the UK in the most shaming of circumstances. Before the trip home, he was stripped of his firearm, his uniform and his dignity and returned to these shores wearing the kind of white paper forensic jumpsuit usually associated with murderers and terrorists.

During a stressful year with the case hanging over him, he vacillated between hope and despair, but only in his darkest moments did he imagine he would be cast out of the close-knit military family which had embraced him for more than half his life.

He compared the trauma of his dismissal to a divorce, but yesterday told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I took a split-second judgment and, presented with the same circumstances, I’d do the same again.’

Sitting at home in East Anglia with his podiatrist fiancee Jo Snook, 39, and their six-week-old son William, he must now contemplate the grim realities of life on civvy street with no job and a criminal record. He said: ‘I’ve got to apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance and get my CV together, but all the kind of security jobs which I might have considered are out for the moment because you need to be CRB-checked and I’ve got the assault conviction.’

Although no longer in the Royal Marines, he said that having joined straight from school, he would always be a Marine and remains loyal to them.

He recalled: ‘It was all I ever wanted to do at school from the earliest days. I was in the Scouts, then the Army cadets. Straight out of school, I went for the Corps, and was taken on for the five-day Potential Recruits Course and then the Royal Marine Commando course in Lympstone, Devon, for 30 weeks.

‘It was the toughest thing I ever did, very physically demanding, but it instilled in me the values that have made me a Marine: courage, courtesy, determination and unselfishness. I’m not from a military family, but my parents were very proud.’

His years of training and operational experience, which included two tours in Northern Ireland and even a stint filling in for striking firefighters, were nothing compared to Helmand.

‘Afghanistan was a very hostile environment. My first tour in 2006 to 2007 was as close to modern-day war-fighting as you can get, and we were out on the ground in very basic conditions for nearly the whole six months.

‘We’d create fire positions, occupy buildings, create an all-round defence and there was a lot of contact. Since then, the Taliban’s tactics have changed from trying to hit us head-on to using IEDs, but it’s just as dangerous.’

The fateful incident began at 2pm on March 19 last year near Wishtan base, Sangin, when four men were spotted planting an IED.

A patrol gave chase and two suspects, one of them Ekhlas, were arrested. He put up a fierce struggle, during which he received facial injuries. The other man was shot dead while escaping.

Five hours later, Ekhlas, in plastic handcuffs, was being held a mile away at Forward Operating Base Jackson, where Sgt Leader and Capt Wheelhouse were based, and the prisoner was put in the custody of their troop, to be held in a tent.

There, Royal Military Police Lance-Corporal Ellen Chun ensured he had food and took photos of his injuries. At some point, the cuffs were removed to allow Ekhlas to pray.

Sgt Leader said he and Capt Wheelhouse went to the tent to check on the guard duty, but upon opening the tent could see no guards, yet found the prisoner, uncuffed and standing up.

Sgt Leader said: ‘I immediately assumed he was making a run for it and I grabbed the nearest weapon available – the boot – and hit him with it and using minimum force put him down on the ground.’

L/Cpl Chun returned to the tent, having found Ekhlas a sleeping bag, and told the court she found the two men assaulting the prisoner, who was streaming with blood.

It turned out that the two Marines guarding Ekhlas had been in the tent, but were not immediately visible when Sgt Leader opened the flap, which led him to assume something was wrong and tackle the prisoner.

He said: ‘It was a split-second judgment call and the whole thing lasted about two or three seconds. I may have drawn the wrong conclusion but, given the same circumstances, seeing what I saw, I’d do the same again without hesitation.’

According to the prosecution, the two assailants fled the tent but Sgt Leader insists he went in search of his sergeant major to explain the situation. When he found him, however, he was ushered to another empty tent and told to wait.

He was then arrested, his clothes taken away for forensic examination and he was given the white jumpsuit, which he wore for the short Chinook helicopter flight to Camp Bastion.

He said: ‘I can still remember sitting on that flight and feeling anger and frustration.

'The other guys in the helicopter didn’t say anything, but you could see in their eyes that they knew what was going on.’

He was held overnight and flown back to the UK. It was not until three days after the incident that he got a chance to explain himself to the Royal Military Police.

He said: ‘In a way, that hurt as much as anything. I’d served 18 years with never a disciplinary problem but now, suddenly, without being given the benefit of the doubt, I was treated like a criminal and for so long never given the chance to explain myself.’

Eventually, he was released on bail and returned to duties in the UK, but for months was left in the dark as to whether the case would go to trial or be dropped.

Throughout the five-day hearing, Sgt Leader remained confident of an acquittal.

His lawyer presented expert medical testimony to the effect that swelling from the injuries sustained during Ekhlas’s initial arrest could have taken some hours to show fully.

Glowing character references from senior colleagues presented to the court spoke of Sgt Leader’s qualities of ‘calm maturity’ and ‘a man of integrity’.

He said: ‘I never expected to be found guilty. It seemed clear to me that the case was not proven. I was telling the truth. I was absolutely devastated when I heard the verdict. I felt anger at the justice system.’

He said the severity of his sentence had surprised his colleagues and that they had expected him to be retained.

‘To have this end my career in the Marines was way out of proportion to the alleged offence. This guy was caught red-handed planting IEDs and soon after the incident he was released by the Afghan police.

‘So he’s free to go back to what he’s doing, and probably claiming the lives of British troops, while the life I’ve known for 18 years has come to an end.

‘I may have been brought back to the UK wearing a paper suit, but on the same plane were the coffins of men who were killed in Afghanistan. Three of my friends were killed in the months leading up to this incident, one of whom had to be identified by his DNA.

‘Other mates have come back with severe injuries. I feel lucky compared with them, but I just want to put across the point that we are asking the troops out there to fight with one arm tied behind their back.

‘People should understand the extreme pressure it puts on young soldiers when they’re fighting an enemy which has no rules, while they have to be accountable for their every action.’

On Capt Wheelhouse’s guilty plea, he said: ‘I’m loyal to the Royal Marines and the chain of command, and he was in that chain.’

As he contemplates life as a civilian – still unsure whether he will receive a military pension and other benefits worth up to £400,000 – he refuses to speculate on whether he has been used as a political scapegoat, adding: ‘That’s not for me to comment on. We’ll never know I suppose.’

Sgt Leader did not seek, and was not offered, payment for this interview, but a donation has been made to the Help For Heroes charity.

An insurance firm has confirmed that it is reviewing a claim made by a wounded soldier who carried the Carling Cup onto the pitch at Wembley.

Abacus said it asked for "clarification on the medical situation" of Pte Dave Tatlock, of 2 Para, after the match.

His claim was already under review at the time but other "very significant" payments had been made, the firm said.

Pte Tatlock, of Manchester, was hit by shrapnel from a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in July 2008.

The 20-year-old, from Gorton, took the trophy on to the pitch in February after extensive rehabilitation.

Solider 'angry'

He lost the use of his calves and has severe nerve damage. He has no use of his left foot, wears a splint to walk and can only move his right foot slightly.

Pte Tatlock took out £56-a-month private cover with Abacus before being deployed to Afghanistan, and said he was in line for a £25,000 payment for losing the use of his left foot.

He told the BBC the first time he heard it had been placed under review was about a month after his appearance.

"Some jobsworth somewhere has seen me walk out on to the pitch," he said.

Pte Tatlock's walk onto the pitch unaided did prompt contact with his rehabilitation social worker for clarification on the medical situation Abacus insurance

"He's seen me walk out with the cup without my stick and thought: 'Well, he's lying', which was pretty hard to understand.

"I don't know why they have tried to do it... words cannot express how angry I am."

In a statement published on its website on Wednesday, Abacus confirmed that it had contacted the soldier's social worker after his pitch side appearance.

"At the time of the Carling Cup final at Wembley, Private Tatlock's claim was under review pending further medical information," it said.

"Parts of his claim had already been settled and very significant payments had already been made. One part of the claim remains subject to further review.

"Pte Tatlock's walk onto the pitch unaided did prompt contact with his rehabilitation social worker for clarification on the medical situation.

"The update given was that further medical investigations were due to be carried out. This enquiry did not alter the standing of the claim."

Abacus said the outstanding part of Pte Tatlock's claim remained under review pending further medical advice.

Foxnwolf Comments;

Please contact "Abacus Insurers" and let your feelings be known.......

Abacus Insurance details as follows;

Address:

Abacus Limited,
Queen Isabelle House,
Kingsclere Park,
Kingsclere,
Newbury,
Berkshire,
RG20 4SW

Phone Numbers:

Tel: 01635 299591
Fax: 01635 299516

Email:

"Click Here"

PMPT & Semper Fi.......

A mother has spoken of her pride for her son who saved the lives of 20 people when he landed his Chinook helicopter safely despite being injured in a fire fight in Afghanistan.

Flight Lieutenant Ian Fortune, 28, was shot between the eyes during a battle between American and Afghan forces and heavily-armed rebels in Helmand province, near Garmsir.

He had landed to pick up casualties, despite being told it was too dangerous to land, and after the casualties were loaded on board, a bullet bounced off the front of his helmet, where night-vision goggles are attached, and went through, hitting him between the eyes causing severe bleeding.

Other bullets hit the controls, damaging the stabilisation system of the helicopter.

But Flt Lt Fortune managed to fly for eight minutes to land at Camp Bastion.

It is the first time a pilot has been shot while in the air during the Afghanistan war.

His mother Anne Fortune, of Worcester Park, said: “I’m obviously very proud of him. At the end of the day he was doing his job.

“I would say that was exactly Ian. He will stay calm. That is what they train them to do.”

She said she was proud of the whole RAF crew: “If it was not for them the helicopter probably would not have got back.

“I think he is good at his job but I am his mother.”

Her son who went to Kingston Grammar School (KGS), decided he wanted to be a pilot when he was 13 and, after going to Exeter University, he joined the RAF.

Meanwhile, Mrs Fortune has coincidentally followed her son into flight.

She worked for the Bank of England when he was deciding to become a pilot but now works for British Airways.

Nick Bond, assistant headteacher at Kingston Grammar School, said: “He has clearly saved the lives of his comrades in very difficult circumstances and displayed exemplary behaviour, kept his cool and managed to land his helicopter.

“When you knew him, it’s the sort of thing he would do.”

Flt Lt Fortune is now back at RAF Odiham after the attack on January 27.

A spokesman said: “He is fine. Obviously a little bit shaken but very proud of the good work by him and the rest of the crew.”

R. Lee Ermey made his reputation using words and expletives as blunt-force instruments as a drill instructor in the iconic movie “Full Metal Jacket.”
And 23 years after the movie’s release, the retired gunnery sergeant is still not mincing words in mounting a fight to change the name of the 212-year-old Navy Department to the “Department of the Navy and Marine Corps.”
In Washington to beat the war drum for that cause alongside members of the Marine Corps League and Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., “The Gunny” laid out in plain talk why the Corps deserves equal billing with the Navy. And in an exclusive interview, he also spat out his views on gays serving openly, tattoos, rules of engagement and more.

Q. You are an avid supporter of House Resolution 24, which calls for renaming the Navy Department to include a reference to the Marine Corps. Why is this important to you?

A. When we die, when mama and dada get that letter of condolence, it would be kind of nice if the Marine Corps was mentioned. Just change the letterhead. What’s the harm in that?

Q. What about those who object on the grounds that doing so will be too expensive?

A. Just go ahead and use up whatever [stationery] you’ve already got — then buy more with the “Marine Corps” on it.
Here we are spending trillions of G-- damn dollars on health care, but when you want to change letterhead on a piece of paper, they get all uppity about how much it is going to cost.
These young men and women are fighting and losing their lives for this country. We aren’t asking for our own department. We are reasonable people. We are just asking for an honorable mention.

Q. What are your thoughts on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and recent efforts to end the ban on open service by gays and lesbians?

A. I don’t have a problem with “don’t ask, don’t tell.” It works. Now all of a sudden, this illustrious leader of America decided he wants to put openly gay people in the military. But where are they going to live and take showers, and which bathrooms are they going to use?
I liken it to putting me in the woman Marine barracks. I would have a great time, but I don’t think they would like it very much.
If I’m taking a shower in an open shower bay, the last thing I want is some guy looking at me having sexual fantasies.
I think everybody in this country should have equal rights, but I don’t think we should infringe on someone else’s to give another person more.
There is no problem serving alongside [gays] in combat.
I’ve never had a problem with that. The only problems I see are social.

Q. You served in Vietnam. What do you think about the rules of engagement today in Afghanistan?

A. We lost Vietnam because a bunch of people in Congress who had never been in the military or never experienced war were calling the shots.
In Vietnam, we couldn’t fire our rifles unless we were fired upon. That seems like chicken s--- because you might not get your turn.
Under this administration, after a firefight, it seems like we just about have to put up yellow tape, conduct forensics and collect shell casings like a crime scene.
It’s gotten to the point where a young man is afraid to shoot his rifle in self-defense because he might be brought up on murder charges. I think we should be above that. We should have amnesty. Higher-ups in Washington have amnesty. How about the poor warrior in the field just trying to do his job?

Q. The Marine Corps recently passed more stringent tattoo regulations. Any thoughts?

A. I think it’s ridiculous, totally ridiculous — borderline silly.
I challenge anybody who is making these decisions to prove to me that a Marine, because he has tattoos, is unable to fight.

Q. Some Marine leaders make the argument that these regs strive to maintain professional appearance.

A. Samurai warriors had tattoos, and they seemed to be pretty honorable people.
I’ve got three tattoos on my forearm. They’ve been there for 100 years, and I’ve never noticed them hindering me. For sailors and Marines, they are a log of where you have been.

Q. Some people might like to see you run for office. Do you have any political ambitions?

A. No. This old man has too many skeletons in the closet. I frequented a few too many *****houses, tattoo parlors and places of ill repute in my time. Boy, could they have a ball with me, digging up bones.
I’ll just keep doing what I do and get involved if I see there is a need.

Gurkhas hoping to move to Britain are being tricked out of their savings by 'unscrupulous' groups claiming they can help them settle here, MPs have been told.

The veterans are being charged £500 cash for advice on applying for a UK visa and misled into thinking they will be entitled to housing and benefits.

It has meant many have ended up here facing poverty, homelessness and unemployment having spent their savings or borrowed money for flights and visas.

Gurkhas hoping to move to Britain are being tricked out of their savings by 'unscrupulous' groups claiming they can help them settle here, MPs have been told.

Many Gurkhas have been given 'misleading' information about the housingand benefits they would be entitled to if they moved to Britain

WELL DONE HEADLEY COURT

Headley Court has been granted one of the highest honours the district council can bestow.

At an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday night, councillors agreed to award the freedom of the district to staff at the centre, which provides medical rehabilitation for injured soldiers.

District council chief executive Darren Mepham said: "The council wishes to recognise the service to the community which all the staff at Headley Court provide."

There are around 360 members of staff, both military and civilian, based at Headley Court.

They include specialist consultants, nurses, exercise rehabilitation instructors, social workers, physiotherapists and prosthetics and podiatry specialists as well as administrative support staff.

Col Jerry Tuck, commanding officer at Headley court, said: "I am delighted at the council for granting the freedom of the district to all our staff at Headley Court.

"We all acknowledge the honour that this represents and it will be a big boost to morale."

A scroll will now be bought, at a cost not expected to exceed £2,000, and a presentation will be made at the full council meeting on May 25.

A 2009 Act of parliament allows the district council to award the title of honorary freeman of the district to people of distinction and those who have given great service to the area.

The freedom of the district is honorary only and confers no legal rights.

Today I was in a South Yorkshire village - an unusual occurrence for me as I tend to be home a lot these days. Sometimes laziness; sometimes apathy; sometimes ( mainly) because I have had a bit of a "sickie" just lately.

As is my usual routine on this day, at 11:00 I stopped and stood quietly for two minutes. The fact that so few people do has crossed my mind in the past so today, as I stood, I also watched. I was surprised how few other people did. It isn't because I'm ex-forces. It isn't that I'm getting old enough to hedge my bets just in case there is an escape clause in my not accepting that there is a God. I think it's because, when I was born, my upbringing had something to do with it - also, maybe a combination of lots of other things.

In an age where the instant requirement for 24 hour news puts footage from war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan instantly on t.v. with all the "action shots" and pictures of casualties perhaps the meaning of 11:00 on the 11th of November has been diminished. After all, the ceremonies to "remember" are held on the Sunday nearest to that date - not on the day. But two minutes out of a day is not much to ask, is it ?

Born in 1947, the importance of the occasion was always a part of my childhood. Traffic stopped, pedestrians stood quietly, shops stopped serving ( even Asda nowadays (and others) stop serving - no matter what you feel my emails re. Asda Rochdale might have suggested -  and even though some customers get the hump about it). Church bells could always be heard - a nation stood quietly. My Dad told me no stories about the theft of his youth or the loss of friends caused by the 39-45 war.( I did hear about his mates always persuading him to play the piano in the pubs in the run up to D-Day because people used to put pints on the piano top and he was teetotal ( canny lads, only too pleased to help Dad out !!!!!) - but I never heard the stories of when he was a bit too busy to have a beer in the days following D-Day.)

My time in the Corps ( 63/74) had the occasional moment but it was a ten and a half year banyan compared to the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan. The intensity of those puts a heavy night in Nee Soon after a trip "over the other side" into perspective. People are more angry now about what the country asks "The Boys" to do; they rant and rave but the loudest seem to be the ones who's proximity to the violence of fighting seems to be confined to a Saturday night on the High Street.

If Wooton Bassett and - no doubt unpublicised - other places can quietly observe "the slow ride home", is it too much to expect a return to two minutes - just two minutes - quiet reflection on 11/11 at 11:00 ? I think not. You can soon recover those two minutes - the "passengers" through Wooton Bassett can't.

If you feel strongly about the young men dying and being injured in wars, whether you believe the wars are justified, unnecessary or built on lies, don't vent your anger in an email to your mates, the press or even down at the pub. Just take that two minutes every November 11th - sometimes a "quiet revolution" can be more effective than a noisy shout.

There are 1440 minutes in a day; 10,080 in a week; 525,600 in a year. Are just two of those minutes of your time just too much to give up ?
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Thank you for the time that you have taken to read this - not far off two minutes of your time, was it ?


A footnote : Since the introduction of the Number 10 "petition" page, we have seen some silly ideas for petitions put forward which are signed by a few people with vested interests. Anyone, feel free to petition for the "Two Minutes Silence" at 11:00 on Eleventh November ........ I'll sign it. I imagine a lot of people will.
Yours aye

Gongdonkey

The most junior ranks of the armed forces should get a £6,000 pay rise to help boost morale, the Liberal Democrats have said.

Other privates and lance corporals should also get an average salary increase of at least £3,000, with an extra £1,000 for higher non-commissioned officer ranks, the party said.

Leader Nick Clegg said the measures would increase the "shameful" salary of the current lowest-paid recruits to £22,680, and put them on an equal footing with new police and firefighter starters.

"Nobody can put a price on the sacrifices our troops make on our behalf, but it is clear to everyone that pay levels are shamefully low for the lower ranks," he said. "We can't continue to reward the bravery of lions with peanuts. The Liberal Democrats will ensure that no soldier, sailor or airman goes into harm's way on less basic pay than a new recruit to the police or fire service."

The rises would see the average basic pay across the ranks of private and lance corporal rise to around £25,000. Mr Clegg said the move would cost between £300 and £400 million and should be funded from existing the Ministry of Defence budget by slashing the number of "desk jobs" by 10,000.

He said: "At the moment there is one MoD desk job for every two servicemen. We believe the ratio should be reduced, particularly as so many desk jobs in MoD are already done by serving officers. Other countries with similar sized militaries have a much smaller ratio."

British Army servicemen and women were awarded a 2.8% pay rise earlier this year after the Government accepted the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

The rise - described as one of the best in the public sector by the MoD - meant the basic pay for a private on operations rose to between £16,681 and £25,887.