Scottish WWII piper Bill Millin dies in Devon hospital
The piper continued to play as enemy fire killed comrades coming ashore
"I didn't notice I was being shot at"
A Scottish bagpiper who played men into battle during World War II has died in Devon.
Bill Millin, who was 88, played his comrades ashore on Sword Beach during the D-Day Normandy landings.
The Glaswegian commando's actions were later immortalised in the film, "The Longest Day".
Mr Millin, who lived at a nursing home in Dawlish since suffering a major stroke seven years ago, died in Torbay Hospital.
A statement released by his family said: "This morning
following a short illness piper Bill Millin, a great Scottish hero,
passed peacefully away in Torbay hospital."
Mr Millin was serving with 1st Commando Brigade when he landed in France on 6 June, 1944.
His commanding officer, Lord Lovat, asked him to
ignore instructions banning the playing of bagpipes in battle and
requested he play to rally his comrades.
Iconic part;
Despite being unarmed, Mr Millin marched up and down the shore at Sword Beach in his kilt piping "Highland Laddie".
He continued to play as his friends fell around him and later moved inland to pipe the troops to Pegasus Bridge.
His bagpipes, which were silenced four days later by a
piece of shrapnel, were handed over to the National War Museum of
Scotland in 2001, along with his kilt, commando beret and knife.
In 2006 when a song was written in his honour by Devon
folk singer Sheelagh Allen, Mr Millin told BBC: "I enjoyed playing the
pipes, but I didn't notice I was being shot at.
"When you're young you do things you wouldn't dream of doing when you're older."
For the past 66 years, Mr Millin returned to France on numerous occasions to pay his respects to his fallen comrades.
His family said he would always be remembered as an iconic part of all those who gave so much to free Europe from tyranny.
Mr Millin's funeral will be held privately, but a service of remembrance will be held at a later date.
Asking
friends to watch Forever Young A song for Wootton Bassett is an
important way to raise awareness and recruit more people to National
Airplay for Forever Young: A song for Wootton Bassett so keep up the
great work and invite more friends to watch!
May God bless and keep you always May your wishes all come true May you always do for others And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung And may you stay forever young.
Chorus: Forever young, forever young May you stay forever young
May you grow up to be righteous May you grow up to be true May you always know the truth And see the light surrounding you.
May you always be courageous Stand up right and be as strong And may you stay forever young.
(chorus x2)
May your hands always be busy May your feet always be swift May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful May your song always be sung And may you stay forever
young.
(chorus x2)
May you grow up righteous and true, See the light surrounding you May you grow up righteous and true, See the light surrounding you May you ...(repeating) with (chorus)
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 ???
British troops returning from Afghanistan are paying for commercial
flights back to the UK because the RAF's ageing transport aircraft keep
breaking down
Delays to "rest and recuperation" (R and R)
flights are now almost routine because of the operational demands being
imposed on the TriStar jets, former passenger airliners bought by the
RAF in the early 1980s.
Some soldiers and marines have lost up to a
quarter of their break as a result of flight disruption and troops are
now warned not to book holidays during their time off from the front
line, because of the chance of delays to their journey home.
Most flights on the "air bridge", which links
Afghanistan to the UK, stop at Cyprus to refuel, and increasing numbers
of troops are now opting to pay for commercial flights home from there,
rather than take their chances on the TriStars.
Defences sources
claim that at least 20 to 30 per cent of flights returning from
Afghanistan are delayed at some stage during the journey due to
mechanical failure.
In June, more than 200 soldiers returning to
Britain on R and R were delayed in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan for
several days after a military flight broke down at RAF Akrotiri, the
main British base in Cyprus.
The delay also resulted in crucial
military personnel, such as bomb disposal experts and medical teams,
being stranded in the UK until another aircraft could be found to take
them to Afghanistan.
After the R and R flight left Kandahar three
days later, dozens of soldiers opted to buy easyJet flights back to the
UK when the aircraft refuelled at Cyprus rather than risk further
delays.
At the same time, hundreds of troops flying out to
Kandahar were forced to spend four nights in transit accommodation in
the British base in Cyprus, even though it had been contaminated with
sewage following a flood.
Troops are only entitled to 14 days R
and R during a six-month tour and no allowance is made for lost days
caused by problems with the TriStar fleet.
The Ministry of Defence
maintains that there is no reason why any serviceman should have to pay
for flights home but it accepts that there have been problems with the
RAF aircraft.
During periods of peak travel, such as the change
over of troops at the end of tour – known as the relief in place (RIP) –
the RAF charters civilian flights to cope with the extra number of
passengers.
One RAF source said: "There are only three dedicated
RAF TriStars which carry passengers. They are knackered. The engines are
airworthy but they are constantly breaking down. The cabins haven't had
an upgrade for 25-years – it's a disgrace.
"The air bridge is
often pushed to breaking point during the RIP when the RAF can barely
cope. You can't blame the soldiers for buying their own flights – most
have just lost confidence in the RAF. Who wants to spend their R and R
sitting in an airport lounge in Cyprus?"
The RAF TriStar fleet is
composed of nine aircraft bought second-hand from the Pan Am and British
Airways in the 1980s. Six of the aircraft are used for in-flight
refuelling but can also carry passengers.
The role of the
remaining three aircraft in the fleet is passenger transport and each of
these aircraft can carry up to 266 personnel.
Patrick Mercer, the
Tory MP for Newark and a former infantry commander, said: "R and R is
absolutely precious to soldiers on operations. Anything which interferes
with it will be a major blow to morale, not just for the troops but
also for their families. The problem with RAF transport flights has gone
on for too long."
The House of Commons Defence Select Committee
has previously warned of the morale problems caused by troops returning
from operations in Afghanistan. In a report in 2007, James Arbuthnot,
chairman of the committee, said: "The UK needs to be able to transport
troops, equipment and stores to trouble spots around the globe quickly.
"New
transport aircraft, and tanker aircraft which can also carry service
personnel, are expected to enter service early in the next decade, but
as is often the case with the MoD, it is 'jam tomorrow, but never jam
today'. It is not enough to give our troops the best training and the
best equipment, if we cannot transport them to where they are needed and
support them once deployed."
A spokesman for the MoD said:
"TriStar is a hard working aircraft, operating in tough environments
which, unfortunately, can sometimes lead to unavoidable delays. Acting
upon the concerns of personnel who have experienced problems, the
incoming Government has recently made significant changes to ensure they
do not lose out on R and R as a result of disruptions to the airbridge.
"We
are acutely aware of the inconvenience that this can cause to personnel
and their families, as a result those affected are granted additional
Post Operational Tour leave on a day for day basis."
Foxnwolf comments;
This is absolutely scandalous, I hear that Easyjet is offering special rates to fly troops on RNR. They and others ought to be offering FREE FLIGHTS not profiteering in any way at all. Come on all you other airlines, chip in and help out.
As far as the MOD is concerned, they as usual should hang their heads in shame.
Swastikas have been daubed on the monument in the past
War veterans are calling for a woman who urinated and performed a sex act on Blackpool's war monument to be jailed.
Wendy Lewis was convicted in her absence of outraging public decency at Blackpool Magistrates' Court on Friday.
The 32-year-old, of Princess Street, who failed to appear in
court, was caught on CCTV relieving herself before performing a sex act
on a man on 7 May.
Ian Coleman, president of the town's British Legion, said: "It's a sacrilege to those who didn't come home."
He called for the magistrates to jail her and not just "give her a slap on the wrists".
'Respect for mankind'
"In the past two years we have had at least four incidents when the memorial has been desecrated.
"Swastikas have been daubed by the names of our brave men who
fought to give us the freedom we have today - a freedom which some,
unfortunately do not deserve."
Several ex-servicemen and women gathered outside Blackpool Magistrates' Court to show their disgust at Friday's hearing.
They have also stood on the court steps in honour of their
fallen comrades in response to other court cases involving the
desecration of war monuments in the town.
Mr Coleman added: "We want the court to set an example to stop this from happening again.
"A few years ago we had rangers patrolling the area near the monument but now we just have CCTV.
"To be honest, we just need people to have a decent attitude and respect for mankind."
A warrant has been issued for Lewis' arrest.
(scroll down to read further and action yourself)
Foxnwolfs comments;
This keeps on
happening and these lowlife keep getting a handslap and told to go away.
Proper punishment now needs to be metered out. The last (student) who
did this received nothing (because it would affect his future), well
blow me down and apologize for wasting the courts time...
Respect and Decency have just been erroded , lets start learning what it means again.
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.
You may have either seen or heard of the discussions in the
UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and UK press concerning a likely UK Army
initiated suggestion for UK defence budget cuts, which would involve disbanding
the Royal Marines in its current and 300+ year old traditional form as part of
the Royal Navy, and making the Royal Marines be made part of the UK Army; as
part of a special warfare element comprising the UK parachute Regiment and the
Royal Marines.
When this sort of loose and very dangerous talk is going
around MOD things tend to stick unless more informed opinion and facts are
brought into play. In that regard, I thought the Commandant General Royal
Marines recent speech to the Royal United Services Institute in London should
get wide distribution as it so eloquently and succinctly expresses the extreme
value UK defence gets from the Royal Marines, and has done throughout the
ages. Most grateful if you could pass this on widely through USMC circles
as a cry for help from one Marine to another.
Letter from CGRM; 7th July 2010
“WHAT LESSONS FROM TODAY'S OPERATIONS ARE
SHAPING CAPABILITY IN THE FUTURE?"
Mark Twain described history as ‘a huge Mississippi of
falsehood’ - nevertheless I reflect on the fact that:
Yesterday marked the 22nd anniversary (6th july 1088) of
the Piper Alpha oil rig explosion, to which the Royal Navy was amongst the
first to respond, in the guise of HMS PHOEBE and BLACKWATER
Today, in 1932, marked the nadir of the Dow Jones Index
– during the maelstrom of the Great Depression
We currently grapple with the consequences of the
sinking of the DEEP WATER HORIZON - together with a global recession whose full
implications are yet to be realised - not least for an island nation state so
dependent on international trade
All of which suggests that there perhaps really is‘nothing new under the sun, only history you
didn’t know about’ – something to reflect upon when envisaging radical
change to time proven capabilities in James Bergeron’s ‘Transitional Age’,
where the new rules are poorly understood
Today also happens to be the anniversary of a
maritime culinary revolution – in 1862, the ‘sea trials’ began of dried potatoes
- brackets sliced - and dried meat -brackets
– ground – so eat your heart out Jamie Oliver - the spirit of innovation in the
Fleet leaves you astern by a century and a half.It’s not just the Army which marches on its
stomach!
[Slide
– Significance of Littoral]
Analysis presented in
the Future
Character of Conflict work coincident with the Defence Green Paper as well as the
Foreign Secretary’s remarks, dissected yesterday by Christopher Meyer, indicates
that an effective player in the complex; congested,
contested cluttered, constrained and connected security environment of the
future -must be able to influence through global reach; create time and space for
political engagement, and offer scalable capability – from diplomatic to kinetic,
to enable and to preserve the maximum range of strategic choices, for as long
as possible.
The Secretary of State reaffirmed, here, on
the 14th June, that the primary mission of the Armed Forces is the
application of lethal force.
But Littoral Manoeuvre – a concept which
encompasses Amphibious and Maritime Strike Operations - is distinguished by its rheostatic
nature.It is scaleable, flexible and
agile – even chameleon in character – it can be employed as a precise and
responsive instrument to support our Foreign and Security policy.
Fundamentally it is about manoeuvre not
attrition nimbleness not mass adaptability not fixity discrimination not
prescription It offers presence.
The ability to poise; to influence; to apply ‘force on mind’ through a judiciously
calibrated posture – without occupation; to deter and coerce without
commitment.It can PREVENT in the widest
sense, whether by direct involvement; by facilitating the business of Other Government
Departments, or as a visible, powerful symbol of UK interest.
And,
if needs be, it can, as a brigade Theatre Entry Force … smash down the door…albeit elegantly, and mindful of the
implications of Feng Shui!
The utility of this instrument is writ large
through the 29 deployments involving either specialist amphibious shipping
and/or the Landing Force, over the past 10 years, applying a carefully
calibrated blend of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ power across the globe.
72.5% of the Royal Marines is deployable and 64%
will deploy or be at high readiness to deploy over the next 24 months; others
are committed to protecting the nuclear deterrent, SFSG and the Band Service.
70 % of the RMR has deployed for 6 months on Operations since 2003.
Acknowledging the current gaps arising from the
HERRICK Main Effort, we retain the fundamental capabilities to deliver a Theatre
Entry effect independent of Access, Basing and Overflight limitations.
That’s
the ‘How’ – now the ‘What’
We have an Amphibious Fleet in being comprising of 1 x
LPH, 2 x LPDs and 4 x LSDAs.These
assets have a mean age of only 7 years. They cost £1.3Bn to procure and they are
projected to remain in service beyond 2032.
They can manoeuvre to outflank and strike, with
strategic agility, over 300 nautical miles, in 24 hours.
The Landing Force - 3 Commando Brigade - has the
capacity to land 2 Commando Groups
ashore in one cycle of darkness, from over the horizon, up to sea state 4, with
a first assault wave of 500 men hitting the target simultaneously in a four
Company Group lift, two by surface and two by air.
I thought I might now use
a couple of vignettes from last year, and the present, to demonstrate the
utility of this construct - this joint amphibious team:
Starting with mydeployable 2* Headquarters, which has been
committed on operations for 51% of its 8 year life.
Based on staff of about
50, this HQ has now deployed as a Maritime, Land, National and Amphibious
Component Command.
Last
year it deployed to Iraq
as the last UK
divisional headquarters, to set the conditions for, and to orchestrate the
TELIC drawdown and transfer of authority to the Iraqi Army – an undertaking
which was distinguished by its focus on Iraqi needs and its cultural sensitivity.
3 Commando Brigade was engaged at the outset of the TELIC campaign –
conducting an opposed amphibious helicopter assault onto the Al Faw peninsula ahead
of the main attack.So first in - and
last out …
40 Commando deployed for
6 months, as an Amphibious Ready Group on Exercise TAURUS, developing
contingent capability toward BSSFI .
It trained, exercised,
and engaged with Malta, Turkey, Greece/Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Yemen,
The Maldives, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia,
Thailand, Singapore, and Brunei. Countries of significant importance to the UK
– either by virtue of their priority in CT terms, as part of our wider regional
engagement strategy and trading interests; or their utility to the UK for training
purposes.
Partneringis maritime core business – it is
braided throughout the Royal Navy’s 500 year history.
The ARG’s activities
ranged from the largest scale UK/Saudi Arabia exercise since Operation GRANBY,
in 1991, through to individual small boat training in Yemen, and joint multi-agency planning exercises
in Bangladesh.
HMS ALBION delivered capacity
building training to the Nigerian Navy enhancing the security operations in the
Delta not least to the benefit of UK citizens working in the oil
industry. Continuation training was delivered earlier this year by 1 Assault
Squadron Royal Marines.
Throughout the entire period of TAURUS 40 Commando
remained poised as the UK’s
high readiness reaction force.
Meanwhile the bulk of the Brigade was engaged in Helmand. The rigours of this campaign are well understood.It places immense demands on our people,
their individual judgement, determination, resilience, courage and
discrimination.It requires every Marine
to be his own general.The Corps has
been committed to HERRICKs 5, 7, 9, 12 (and soon, 14) … and in the case of the
Armoured Support Group, many, and
the SBS, all in between.
These have been ‘hard yards’, the butcher’s bill
makes grim reading - pro rata, Lovat warriors have sustained over 2.5 times
both the fatal casualties and the grievously wounded of our Khaki comrades.
But the ability to cope and flourish amidst
complexity and uncertainty – together with familiarity with a joint and
inter-agency approach, bred through training in the amphibious environment, has
equipped us well for the demands of such messy wars amongst the people. This
willingness to adjust, to endure and to seek understanding is a hallmark of our
people, and a theme to which I will return.
This
year, my 2* Staff, having re-roled as a Maritime Component
Command through Ex COLD RESPONSE, now forms the core of the EUNAVFOR
Operational Headquarters, running the Counter Piracy Operation off the coast of
Somalia.27 Nations collaborating with
NATO and Coalition Maritime Forces to safeguard the Global Commons.Twenty percent of the world’s trade passes
through the Babel Mendeb …one LPG tanker every two days en route to Milford
Haven – without which the lights of the United Kingdom would within days
start to dim.
I have already touched upon 40 Commando and HERRICK
12 – they have been much in the press of late, holding the ring in Sangin.I will not labour this except to say that they
are seamlessly integrated into the US command structure.There have been many references in this
conference, to our relationship with the United States … Special or
otherwise – and its importance.But our
relationship with the United States Marine Corps – the acme of American
military excellence – is genuinely a special
one:Marine to Marine – even brother to
brother, which transcends nationality. A link which I would suggest provides
disproportionate leverage to the UK.
Meanwhile, as Peter [RAdm Peter Hudson RN, COMUKMARFOR] has said, a sizeable chunk of
the Brigade Landing Force is embarked and participating in an Amphibious and
Carrier Strike exercise – AURIGA – integrated again with US forces – building
on Exercises TAURUS, COLD RESPONSE
and foreshadowing COUGAR next year, to regenerate contingent capability.
One Maritime Force,
consisting of two Task Groups, separable but not separate,
providing:Contingent, Expeditionary, Scaleable, Independent,
Organic, Flexible, Balanced and potentially Forward Deployed forces.
So what of the future?
For this maritime force to integrate fully, our
surface assault capabilities must have speed and reach, enhancing further our
ability to manoeuvre and negate an adversary’s access denial (A2D2) capabilities.The acquisition of the triad of genuine, fast
Over the Horizon assault craft between 2016-19, is a priority.
30 Commando IX Group is unique, and is the modem for
the 3 Commando Brigade’s precision effect.It is key to its UNDERSTAND and DISCRIMINATE functions.It comprises 20% of the UK’s Tactical SIGINT.It has established excellent relationships
with other Intelligence Agencies.As a
model of best practice, we should continue to invest in it and to evolve its
ISTAR capabilities.
I have neglected so far to mention several of the Defence
Lines of Development which underpin the future of the LitM capability. Training
is one: Lympstone – the centre which provides all of this: training the airmen,
sailors, marines and soldiers – the many, many soldiers, who lean into this
Commando challenge. Lympstone, of the 12 training organisations scrutinised by
OFSTED last year, was cited as the very clear exemplar in terms of
effectiveness and efficiency.
In conclusion though and tying the past, present
and future together, I would focus briefly on the people engaged in this
activity. The moral component – the why
we fight: the single most important factor.
The FCOC Paper states
that ‘the future agile force favours the capability of people (physical and mental robustness, flexibility
and a premium on training) over platform numbers.’
The activities I have
described are undertaken by extraordinarily high-calibre people.
The Boys and girls are Bright:
Forty percent of Royal
Marine recruits are educationally qualified to be officers. Over 10% have
university degrees. Two currently in training have Masters Degrees and when I
was running the Commando Wing fifteen years ago, two fully qualified vets
joined up – we only discovered this when none of their respective troops
visited the Sickbay because they were being ‘physicked’ with Horse Drench and
Saddle Liniment.
I visited 539 Assault
Squadron in Plymouth
a month ago and talked to a group of coxswains who were about to conduct a long
navigation exercise in Off Shore Raiding Craft to the Scilly Isles.One Marine looked older than the rest and I
asked him what his background was.He
explained that he had joined the Corps late and had, to use his word, ‘wasted’
some time working at the ‘Hadron Collider’ – smashing atoms - as a Professor of
Sub-Atomic Particle Physics.I told him
not to smash my boat up!
Fifty percent of my
officers finish in the top ten percent at the JointStaffCollege. That said, we
have the lowest ratio of Officers to other ranks in the 3 Services.
No, the Boys are Resilient, indeed I can reassure Julian [Professor
Julian Lindley French, Eisenhower Professor of Defence
Strategy, Royal Netherlands Defence
Academy], that footballers aside,
Tommy Atkins has not become soft - 3 weeks into 40 Commando’s recent
tour Sergeant Lee Walters was caught up in an intense fire fight and was shot
in the neck, the hand and the foot.He
refused to be listed, and sitting up in bed, informed his anxious wife of his
misfortunes himself.Incidentally, on
HERRICK 5, Sgt Walters engaged in another battle, on a pitch-black night, fell
down a well.Which his Mates thought –
3,000 miles from the sea- was taking a commitment to amphibious operations a
bit too far.
Three weeks ago Captain
John White, OC Recce Troop, 40 Commando was blown up on patrol.Barely conscious, having lost both his legs
and one of his arms, he sought to reassure his anxious Marines as they loaded
his stretcher onto the MEDEVAC flight.“Don’t
worry Boys, ‘gold’ in the Para Olympics Next!”
The Corps numbers 3% of the manpower of Defence, but
constitutes 37% of the badged
manpower of UK Special Forces.
And Finally – my Boys
are Imaginative and Innovative - One example:
The week I became
Commandant General, Recruit Phillip Cain, 6 weeks into training contracted
Meningitis, despite repeated multiple amputations to stem the spread of the
disease, he very quickly died.His young
and still inexperienced Troop were adamant that they would carry his coffin at
his military funeral and were issued with Regimental Blues four months early to
do so with exemplary precision and self-control. At the 7 month point, they
duly completed their four Commando Tests and were, in time honoured tradition,
given their green berets at the end of the 30 Mile March on Dartmoor.Philip Cain’s father was there too and
received a piece of precious green felt from Prince Michael of Kent … for in
spirit and soul his boy was also a proud Commando Soldier, since his Mates, on
their own initiative, had carried his ashes throughout.
I would suggest that whatever the future may hold, precious DNA such as this, will be of value to
Her Majesty’s Government.
In 1803, Napoleon
remarked of the Corps: ‘How much might be done with a hundred thousand
soldiers such as these’
Co-op refuses to serve soldier after return from Afghanistan - because he was still in uniform
(Store location; New Addington, Croydon, Surrey, UK) 7-10 Central Parade, New Addington, Croydon CR0 0JB - 01689 842 267
Sent away: Patriotic sapper Anthony Walls was left feeling 'hurt' after the incident
A hero soldier who had just arrived home from a tour of Afghanistan
was refused service at a supermarket after being told they didn't serve
people in army uniform.
Sapper Anthony Walls, of the 21 Engineer Regiment, popped into the
Co-op in Croydon for some beers after a gruelling 34-hour journey from
Kandahar.
The 27-year-old, said it was his 'first hour back
in the real world' after dodging Taliban bullets for the past
four-and-a-half months helping build 'the most dangerous road in
Afghanistan'.
But when he arrived at the till to pay he was met with a blank stare
from the cashier, who refused to serve him and called for her manager.
When the manager turned up he told him he 'couldn't do anything about it' and refused to serve him while he was in uniform.
The patriotic soldier - who was on his way to his three-year-old
nephew Jack's birthday party - simply left his beer at the check-out
and walked out of the shop in daze.
He said: 'I was shocked and deeply hurt.
'All I was thinking about was getting home to Jack in time to wish him a happy birthday.
'It
was great to be home after a difficult journey and I just thought I'd
grab a couple of beers - a luxury I hadn't had in a while.
But when I came to pay the cashier refused to serve me and rang her bell.
'A male supervisor came along and the cashier explained she was refusing to serve me because I was in uniform.
'He looked at me and said "I can't do anything about it".
'I put the beer down and walked out.'
Anthony, who joined up when he was 17, said it was 'tough' in
Afghanistan and that he had witnessed the death of one of his best pals,
Sapper Daryn Roy, who died at the age of 28 in an IED explosion in May
this year.
He added: 'It's really tough out there.
'Sometimes the only thing that keeps you going is the support and love from home.
'I
appreciate the Co-op cashier may have had her own opinions about the
war, but we are just doing a job and laying our lives down for this
country.
'A little respect and appreciation would be nice.'
Home: Walls was on his way to his three-year-old nephew Jack Lloyd's,
right, birthday party. His sister Claire, middle, is 'disgusted' with
the way Anthony was treated. The Co-op said the incident was a 'genuine
mistake'
Anthony's sister Claire Lloyd, 33, said she was 'disgusted' at her
brother's treatment at the Co-op store in New Addington, Croydon.
The mother-of-four said: 'I am so proud of Anthony - he works hard and willingly puts his own life on the line every day.
'To come home to this kind of treatment is disgusting.
'I
feel he deserves an apology in person from the Co-op. Anthony and his
colleagues are the unsung heroes of this country - they deserve the
respect and civility extended to anyone else in a uniform.'
A
spokesperson for The Co-operative said: 'This was a genuine mistake on
the part of our two members of staff, and has nothing to do with
anyone’s ethnicity, religion or personal views. We have apologised to
the soldier in question and hope to welcome him back to the store.
'We
do not have a policy that states that when wearing uniform, members of
the armed forces should not be served alcohol or cigarettes and are all
welcome in our stores.'
Turned away: A cashier and store manager of the Co-op in New Addington,
Croydon, above, told Walls they had no choice but to refuse to serve him
because he was in uniform
Foxnwolf comments;
No apologies given or offered, Anthony flew back to Afghanistan on Tuesday the 3rd August. No attempt to contact him whatsoever.
An absolute disgrace, let your veiws be known. The management obviously do not have a reign on their staff or its policies.......
The area manager, store manager and the cashier concerned should be sacked straight away. We have no room in society for individuals like these.
Make your views and comments known;
Store concerned is;
The CO-OP 7-10 Central Parade New Addington Croydon CR0 0JB
Tel; 01689 842 267
Head Office;
The Co-operative Group
New Century House
Corporation Street
Manchester
M60 4ES
Tel; 0161 834 1212
Other Contacts (use them all)
REGISTERED OFFICE
Heart of England Co-op Society Ltd 22 Abbey Street Nuneaton Warwickshire CV11 5BU
Parachute Regiment and the Royal Marines to be amalgamated !?
Royal Marines and Paras may face merger in controversial military shake-up
The Royal Marines could be merged with the Paras to form a new expeditionary brigade under a controversial military shake-up.
The
‘nuclear’ option of creating a new expeditionary brigade is being
considered as military chiefs try to make budget cuts of up to 20 per
cent.
Merging two such fiercely independent, illustrious and highly decorated fighting units is likely to cause resentment.
Working together: The Royal Marines could be
merged with the Paras to form a new expeditionary brigade under a
controversial military shake-up
Other plans could see the Marines placed under the control of the Army for the first time in over 250 years.
The Ministry of Defence is considering wrenching operational command
of the green-beret commando corps from the Royal Navy – a move
previously panned as ‘unthinkable’.
Senior defence sources
said the Army had ‘made a grab’ for operational responsibility of the
Marines, while leaving the Navy in formal control and footing the bill.
One senior defence source said: ‘Are the plans a touch mad? Possibly. Are they being discussed? Absolutely.’
Mike
Codner, director of military science at the Royal United Services
Institute defence think-tank, warned that the shake-up in command could
weaken the Marines, making them lose their ‘focus and ethos and levels
of achievement’.
Some 1,000 Marines are currently serving in Sangin, Afghanistan. Since deploying in April, 14 have been killed.
Foxnwolf comment;
(is this the daily mail & others stirring the pot, trying to sell newspapers????)
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 !
To follow on from the Midmar posting and the reply (yet to be posted by me) by Karl Wynn of Webeurope ( with which - in the last three sentences - I agree), Karl persists in calling N. Ireland/Ulster "the north of Ireland" thereby suggesting where his sympathies may lie and who would rather offer employment to paedophiles, drug addicts and criminals rather than ex-service people. I would offer this for your reading : Click Here Things that make you go "Mmmmm" !
As a footnote, you will see later when I post his reply to my e-mail ( you can no longer send e-mails to him apparently as they "bounce back") that he mentions one or two things involving the British troops ......... but does not mention the Omagh chip-shop bombing, Warrington, Canary Wharf, the City, Birmingham, Surrey, Airey Neave, Sir Stuart Pringle, the Brighton bombing, Manchester or any others. Hidden agenda or selective memory, do you think ?
Don't forget, this man has so much courage in his convictions/arguements that he initially blamed one of his staff ..... then took the signs down fron his premises, then allegedly moved his address to London ( accountants or legal beagles), and then attempted a spirited, though failed, defence of his "deeply held" beliefs ! Hidden agenda, no real balls, or - even though he says he doesn't care if his views cost him money - a spurious defence for a thirty year terrorist campaign using other theatres to disguise his agenda ?
I will post his reply shortly with comments. Surprisingly, I agree with one or two, sympathise with a couple of points ...... yet I still think he's a prick with no mandate to discuss bravery or heroism.
Paedophilia - well, I'm not so sure ........ it wasn't a soldier who suggested that "he sitteth on the right hand of God" or that "You should suffer the little children to come unto me". If you truly "believe" then please accept my apoligies. However, if, having seen the shitty parts of life, you have difficulty believing in the God of the Pope in whose name abuse was tantamount to a c.v. for Webeurope, isn't it a bugger ? ( pun intended).
Are you all sitting comfortably children ? Good, then I'll begin.
Once upon a time there was a Virgin - the fairest Virgin in all the Kingdom ........ apart from her tendency to wear horrible jumpers and a tatty beard.
She started a business empire and did flourish, earning incredible wealth - but remained a Virgin. First there was the record label and she did strike oil - the first record sealed her riches for ever more. It was "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield and sold in its millions. It struck a chord ( pun intended) with the public. How or why is not on file, but it was a seriously boring album unless you were smoking exotic material or stoned out of your box on booze ! Also - a Cola drink known as Virgin Cola. The product did not seem to be anyone's first choice but the marketing was very good. There was an airline called Virgin and a subsidiary airline called Virgin Blue - you can see where I'm going with this, can't you children ? ( Although why anyone would own an airline yet travel by hot-air balloon or cross the Atlantic being shaken to bits in a speedboat is beyond me !). There was a railway operating company called - that's right, Virgin. Ran on time but I understand that nappies (diapers for our American cousins), whilst not compulsory, were advisable due to the regular breakdown of the Pendolino train lavatories. She was obviously not really a very reluctant Virgin as she did seem to put herself round a bit. Her name was Richard. ( I wonder if she preferred "Dick" ?) The man with no knees - Peter of Foxnwolf - was much charmed by this Virgin temptress and did sign up for the Virgin's internet services, probably in the vain hope that his affection would be returned and the Virgin would bang like an outside kharzi door in a gale ! If his kneeless legs held out, truly his cup would runneth over. As all things though - ask Mr. Winn of Webeurope Ltd - it did end in tears and recrimination. We know what recrimination is, don't we boys and girls ? At 0930 on Thursday 18th March, the Virgin's ISP services allegedly went tits up and will/may not be back properly until at least Monday a.m. sometime. So much for the depth of Peter of Foxnwolf's obviously unrequited adoration and love. Should have gone to Specsavers old son ! Or tied up with some old slapper like BT Internet ! The moral of this story, children - don't fall for the fluttering eyelashes, vague hints of nights of wild passion and all round feel good stuff about really fast performance when she won't take her knickers off properly. Get a proper relationship with someone with a bit of a track record !
So, can you please NOT e-mail Peter of Foxnwolf until about mid-day Monday. If the Reluctant Virgin still refuses to kiss Peter with tongues and everything, I'll post his plaintive words of frustration here for all to see. Just promise me that you will take the piss out of him for being a tart !
Even when the jelly ( or jello to our American/Canadian cousins) is nailed to the wall, the man just cannot help himself. You remember, the man whose Father taught him never to lie.
This must be a case of not just misleading Parliament but misleading it twice on the same subject as he claimed that defence spending had slipped in one or two years. Surely this is a serious charge to be levelled at him ? He should be held to account for his dishonest statements on just about everything he's pontificated about since before 1997 - if not by The Commons, then certainly by the electorate.
The family of a Teesside man who was jailed in
Afghanistan on fraud charges are pressing ahead with their campaign to
secure his release
Anthony Malone has served six months longer than
his jail term
Anthony Malone, a 37-year-old former
paratrooper from Billingham, was arrested in January 2008.
He's
now served six months longer than his two-year jail sentence at
Puli-Charkhi prison.
The issue was raised in the House of Commons
last week by Stockton South MP James Wharton.
'Fear
of his life'
Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham has joined in
by giving his backing to the Malone family:
"It's absolutely
intolerable that a British man from my constituency languishes in an
Afghan prison.
"He's actually in fear of his life and yet there
is no legal basis for holding him because it is against international
law to detain someone for reasons of debt".
'No legal
representation'
Meanwhile Anthony's father Patrick Malone has
told BBC Tees his son should be free by now:
"Anthony was
arrested in 2008 for allegedly owing money and was tried by an anti
corruption court in Kabul.
"We don't know the charges. At the
actual trial he did not have any legal representation, no interpreter
and we don't think anyone from the embassy was there. He had no help
whatsoever."
The Malone family are now pinning their hopes on a
lawyer who secured the release of a fellow British inmate from the same
jail earlier this month.
'Volatile prison'
Kimberley
Motley, negotiated the release of Bill Shaw, a 52-year-old former Army
officer from Leeds who was found guilty of bribery charges in March but
has since been acquitted.
She says both have had their human
rights violated:
"It's a very volatile prison, it's very close
quarters. There are almost 5000 inmates at Puli-Charkhi... you're mixing
with Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
"It's a very very dangerous
environment especially for the likes of those that are internationals
and those that have past military experience."
Kimberley says she
is set to visit Anthony in the next few days but insists he's in good
spirits:
"He's just trying to get through this period.
"He's
also very hopeful he'll get out soon and he's very appreciative of all
the assistance he's getting from family and friends."
Has pledged help for a North East man left to languish
in a violent Afghan prison
DESPERATE FOR NEWS: From left, Veronica and Patrick Malone, with
daughter Maria Blades
Former paratrooper Anthony Malone, from Billingham, Teesside, has
served six months longer than his two-year jail sentence at
Pul-i-Charkhi prison – dubbed the Afghan Alcatraz – after he was
arrested on fraud charges in January 2008.
Yet the 37-year-old is being refused his freedom by the Afghan
authorities until he has paid off alleged debts of $75,000 (£49,000).
Now Mr Malone’s plight has been raised in the House of Commons,
after James Wharton, MP for Stockton South, told of Anthony’s situation
at Prime Minister’s Question Time this week.
PM David Cameron said the Government is in discussions with the
Afghan Attorney-General about why Anthony Malone continues to be
detained. He asked: “Given that his imprisonment is potentially in
breach of international law, will the Prime Minister put pressure on the
Afghan Government to secure Mr Malone’s release?”
The Prime Minister replied: “My Honourable Friend is absolutely
right to raise this case, which is worrying.
“I can assure him and Anthony Malone’s family and friends that the
British embassy continues to raise this case with the Afghan
authorities.
“The ambassador in Kabul has raised the case with the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, and we are in discussions at the moment with the Afghan
Attorney-General about why Anthony Malone continues to be detained.”
Alex Cunningham, MP for Stockton North, had already written to the
minister with responsibility for Afghanistan asking him to intervene
personally in Anthony’s case after speaking to his family. He said he is
still waiting for a reply.
Anthony is the only Briton amongst more than 1,000 prisoners in
Pul-i-Charkhi, after fellow inmate and former British Army major Bill
Shaw was acquitted of bribery charges by an Afghan court and released
earlier this month.
The overcrowded, rat-infested prison houses captured Taliban
fighters, jihadists, African drug smugglers, Russians accused of spying,
Iranian criminals, Chinese people-traffickers and murderers.
Anthony is housed in the maximum security wing of the prison,
separated from the other blocks by a huge steel and razor-wire fence. He
has been threatened and had knives held to his throat during his time
there. It is believed he had gone to Afghanistan with a former
girlfriend to set up a security-and-logistics business.
The former pupil of St Michael’s School in Billingham, who served in
Northern Ireland with the Paras in the 1980s, is reported to have said
he had been “abandoned” by the British Embassy. Back home in Billingham,
his 62-year-old parents Pat, a retired Army medic, and Veronica, a
cleaner with Stockton Council, and sister Maria Blades, 36, are
desperately trying to raise Anthony’s profile and secure his release.
Maria said the family were pleased with the Prime Minister’s
response. “We know now he’s aware of Anthony’s plight,” she said. “We
see it as the first step to what we want.”
She said the family were also amazed at the response to a Facebook
site “releaseanthonymalone”, which has already seen
three-and-a-half-thousand people sign up.
Embassy Contact(s)
Address:
British Embassy,
15th Street Roundabout, Wazir Akbar Khan,
Tough
soldier Luke Reeson was hit in the face by a Taliban bullet and spat
it out
He then yomped two miles to base, carrying
his heavy kit, for treatment to a broken jaw. And just three weeks later he was back on
the front line again.
Luke, a 22-year-old lance corporal, was on
patrol in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand when an insurgent's bullet hit his body
armour and ricocheted into his face.
It tore into his cheek, broke his jaw and
came out through his mouth.
After 24 hours with military medics at Camp
Bastion, he was flown to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.
But the 6ft 5in hero was soon back in
Afghanistan with his mates from 1 Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Mum Kim, of Torquay, Devon said: "The Army
was impressed with Luke's recovery and he just wanted to get back with
the lads.
"He knows he's very lucky but he's trying
to play down his injury."
The mum-of-three, 43, added "there was no
doubt" Luke's body armour saved his life.
She said: "He looked like Desperate Dan
with his jaw all swollen but we're very proud of him. There are soldiers
all over the country recovering from injuries who never get noticed."
Muslim
extremists have bombarded our soldiers with abuse at a homecoming parade
— calling them 'Butchers' and 'Baby Killers'.
Violence erupted as more than 200 heroic
members of the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment marched through a
town centre after returning from Afghanistan to vile taunts and jibes.
A new group of fanatics — who call
themselves Muslims Against the Crusades — branded our brave boys "the
death squad" and chanted "go to hell".
Incredibly, the extremists were allowed to
protest at the same time, and in the same street in Barking, Essex, as
the soldiers' welcome home parade.
Trouble flared as they waved placards which
read: "return of the butchers", "baby killers" and "what are you dying
for?18k."
They chanted "wicked soldiers go to hell",
"murderers, murderers" and "sharia for UK".
Riot police were forced to step in as they
clashed with angry locals who draped themselves in England flags, belted
out the national anthem and retaliated with chants of "scum" and "we
pay your benefits".
Eggs, glass bottles and pork sausages were
also thrown at the group of around 40 protesters.
The girlfriend of a brave Royal Anglian
soldier who was killed in Afghanistan said the extremists' outrageous
protest should have been banned.
Lance Corporal Scott Hardy, 26, from
Chelmsford, Essex, was killed in an explosion near Musa Qala in March
just two weeks before he was due to return home. He was one of five
soldiers in the regiment to lose their lives.
His partner Charlene Byrne, 24, who works
in a solicitors' office, was shocked to see the Muslim protesters at
what should have been a heroes' welcome.
She said: "It's absolutely disgusting. I
know this kind of thing has happened before but I don't understand how
it has been allowed to happen again.
"They should have been banned from
attending. They should never have been allowed to hijack this. If the
Government knew what this group was planning they should have put a stop
to it.
"It's terrible these extremists have got
away with it. Obviously not everyone supports what's happening in
Afghanistan, there are people who are very angry about it, but they
shouldn't take it out on the soldiers."
She added: "The lads who go out to
Afghanistan don't care about the politics, they care for each other and
they are doing a very difficult job trying to help the people of their
country.
"I feel so sorry for them for having to put
up with this abuse. They were doing their jobs and deserved a real
heroes' welcome.
"The Muslims Against Crusades are calling
them cowardly but our lads are out there putting their lives at risk for
their country. I don't think that's cowardly."
Head of the fanatics' group, Abu
Assadullah, 20, said: "We are quite disgusted by the fact these
murderers that raped our people are coming back and they are being
honoured for doing something wrong.
"These people have been killing and raping
and pillaging in Islamic countries and they should not be welcomed home.
As Muslims, we wanted to make a stand."
He said: "The families of the soldiers are
not the only ones with feelings. We also have feelings, our fellow
Muslims are being butchered.
"Islam is not a violent religion but we
will use violence if necessary to defend ourselves. Democracy is
failing, that was clear as this year we had a hung parliament. Islam is
the alternative.
"People in this country are very patriotic.
They support Britain even if the country has done something wrong. We
want to show that there is an alternative. Sharia law would provide an
alternative, it would provide balance in the UK."
Disturbingly he added: "People say 'don't
take it out on the soldiers, they are just doing their jobs'. But how it
when Osama Bin Laden blows up a plane or a building he is a terrorist.
It is not that he is just doing his job - this is a double standard.
They are both killing."
The hour-long parade was delayed as the
vile extremists clashed with members of the far-right English Defence
League.
Moments after the soldiers passed tensions
reached boiling point and they charged through a police barricade to
exchange punches with the Muslim group.
Police piled into the mob to separate them.
One man was wrestled to the ground, handcuffed and led away as the
police surrounded the extremists.
Assadullah claimed the officers were more
"heavy handed" with his followers but onlookers were left stunned as
police circled the fanatics protecting them from angry bystanders.
Dee McEvoy, 50, from Barking, stood in
front of the protest group waving two union jack flags as the soldiers
passed.
She said: "I'm here for the army and the
British forces. The protesters are entitled to their opinion but they
are taking it out on the wrong people. They should be taking it out on
the Government. This is not the reception these boys and girls deserve."
In a video message on YouTube a Muslims
Against the Crusades spokesman says the devastating 7/7 and 9/11
terrorist attacks were justified because of the Americans and British
"occupying our lands, and going to rape, kill and murder".
Abu Amanah adds: "There is a battle taking
place. What do you expect? When you throw a brick at somebody's house
you should expect a brick thrown back at you.
"As long as you occupy our land and steal
our resources and prevent us from implementing Islam we will stand up."
The extremists had earlier passed out
leaflets featuring British soldiers along with a bloody puddle in the
shape of a skull calling the troops "death squads". They called on
Muslims to "rise up and condemn this sickening parade".
Barking and Dagenham Council leader Liam
Smith wrote to Home Secretary Theresa May asking her to ban the protest
fearing there would be violence.
But his pleas were ignored.
Emily Penson-Clark took the day off work to
watch the homecoming parade with her young daughter and parents.
She said: "I think the protesters are
filth. I'm here to support our troops. They put their lives on the line
for us.
"Our boys are out there dying for us,
there's no comparison between this lot and our soldiers. We are losing
our sons in Afghanistan, I took the day off work today, that's how
important this is. It is so important to show our troops what we think
of them."
The soldiers marched proudly through the
town centre undaunted by the sickening abuse, with fixed bayonets and
accompanied by the Minden Band.
Colonel of the Regiment and current NATO
Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Sir John McColl, said:
"The Vikings made considerable progress in Afghanistan of which they can
be very proud; and as a result of their efforts, Helmand Province is a
safer and more secure place.
"But it was not without the cost and they
have lost five brave young men, with many more injured."
Foxnwolf comments;
Make your voice heard. This violence & intimidation has to stop now.......
Home Office enquiries
Rt Hon Theresa May MP
Home Secretary
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
New recruits to the Australian Army are earning nearly twice as much
as their British counterparts - even though they swear allegiance to
the same Head of State
Army
pay.
As the advert for Fosters says, "Get some
Australian in ya"
Well done the lad and lassies in OZ also in New Zealand
Despite David Cameron's recent announcement that British troops in
Afghanistan are to have their allowances doubled, their pay still lags
well behind their allies from Down Under, where application rates to
join the Australian Army have jumped 13%.
With troops from both nations risking their lives in Afghanistan, the
disparity in salaries will add weight to the arguments that British
soldiers are poorly paid.
A new recruit to the Australian Defence Force earns $42,483; at
current exchange rates that works out at around £24,200. By contrast,
someone joining the British Army gets just £13,644.
At an enlistment ceremony in Parramatta near Sydney, we watched two
dozen young men saying goodbye to their families before setting off for
basic training. With a portrait of the monarch looking down, they
promised to "well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the
Second, Her heirs and successors", and to "resist Her enemies."
Australian Army shares traditions with British
allies - but not pay rates
But serving Queen and Country in Australia is more rewarding than in
the UK.
When asked why they were joining up, many spoke of a sense of
national pride or the spirit of adventure. But the generous pay on offer
was clearly an important factor.
Alexander Dalglish had just left school. "Especially for someone
quite young it's a good way to get a bit of cash going. Most of my
friends are going to university and are stony broke," he said.
When Sky News told them that they were earning almost twice as much
as their British counterparts, they were surprised.
"I feel pretty sorry for the British soldiers," said one.
Another recruit, Daniel Hodgkinson, said: "Sounds like they're
getting ripped off, cause it's hard work."
Matthew Hull used to work in Australia's gold mines, and earned good
wages before deciding to enlist. He said: "I think they deserve a little
bit more money for what they do and they've lost a lot more lives. They
do a darn good job."
Australian soldiers march ahead on pay
A group of soldiers who had completed basic training were taking part
in a March Out parade, watched by friends and family.
Having made the grade, they will move up to a salary of $46,870 - the
equivalent of £10,000 a year more than a British private.
And it is not just down to the exchange rate or comparative cost of
living. An 18-year-old private in the Australian Army now takes home
more than that earned by most newly-qualified doctors and lawyers.
The gap between British and Australian troops narrows as they rise
through the ranks, but is still attractive enough for some British
officers to transfer to the Australian forces.
Major Bob Stanton told me he originally took a pay cut to move from
the Royal Signals regiment, but didn't take long to catch up. Bonuses
for serving overseas - Aussies serving in Afghanistan get $200 a day tax
free - are much better than when he was in the British Army.
Major General Craig Orme, the officer in charge of recruitment said
the pay structure was a conscious effort by the Australian government to
attract the very best recruits.
"The people who come to us see the suite of benefits between our
salaries, our benefits, the health cover, the housing, the training we
provide them and they see that as an overall package, the ADF is a
pretty attractive place to serve."
At the weekend, two Australian soldiers who were killed in
Afghanistan were flown home to their families in Brisbane.
Jacob Moerland and Darren Smith died when they and their bomb
detecting dog were blown up an improvised explosive device.
It was the first time the Australian military has suffered a multiple
fatality in a single incident since the Vietnam War.
Thirteen Australians have died in Afghanistan since 2002.
Foxnwolf comments;
They well and truly deserve it. Just as our soldiers do. But, why the discrepancy in looking after our soldiers pay. The Aussies get £10,000 a year more plus £200 per day tax free whilst serving overseas. Finally, we all have allegiance to serve HM Elizabeth II.......
New Zealand
Private
NZ $40,646
40,646.00 New Zealand dollars = 18,821.95 British
pounds sterling
A taxi driver has gone on a shotgun rampage, killing 12 people and
wounding at least 25 before turning his weapon on himself.
Divorced
father-of-two Derrick Bird, 52, shot several colleagues in Whitehaven
in Cumbria, then drove his cab through the countryside of the Lake
District blasting other victims apparently at random.
Following a
frantic manhunt, police found his body 20 miles away in woods near the
hamlet of Boot three-and-a-half hours later.
Cumbria Police said
there were 30 separate crime scenes.
Witnesses spoke of their
terror as Bird drove through Whitehaven with the shotgun hanging out of
the window of his taxi.
Police said that, after leaving the town,
the gunman travelled south along the coast, shooting people in Gosforth,
Seascale and Egremont before turning inland and ending up in Boot.
Officers later recovered two weapons.
Rod Davies, landlord of
Gosforth Hall Inn, said the close-knit Cumbrian communities were shaken
by the tragedies.
"There's a lot of very strong feeling of
absolute shock. There's a lot of fear - a lot of people are expecting to
hear names of people they know," he said.
Bird was said to be
close to a fellow taxi driver he killed in Duke Street, Whitehaven, as
he started his rampage at about 10.30am.
Glenda Pears, boss of
L&G Taxis, said: "We just don't know what's happened. The lad that's
been killed was friends with him. They used to stand together having a laugh on the rank."
An election candidate outraged a soldier’s family after she wore a burka
as fancy dress to a charity fundraising party.
Parliamentray hopeful Charlotte Lewis offended a soldiers family
Charlotte Lewis, the British National Party parliamentary candidate
for Carshalton and Wallington and for the Shirley ward for Croydon
Council, was condemned by the mother of a hero soldier who lost
both his legs in Afghanistan for turning up to a Help for Heroes
fundraiser in a burka and fishnet stockings.
The woman, from Mitcham, who did not want to be named, claimed Miss
Lewis laughed in her face when she confronted her offensive behaviour.
She claimed Miss Lewis, 37, who wore suspenders with the burka and
drank alcopops, told her to “get a sense of humour” at the BNP organised
event, at Singlegate Working Mens’ Club in Mitcham.
The mother said her son, who is struggling to adjust to life without
his limbs as he rehabilitates in Headley Court, had been equally
disgusted by Miss Lewis’ behaviour.
She said: “My son was seriously injured by a bomb in Afghanistan and
still has shrapnel behind his eyes.
"The BNP said they would like to do something, but I said no as I
didn’t want to be associated with them.
“All they were interested in was an image of my son just so they could
use it to boost their BNP message, but I wouldn’t have it.
“They said they would do something for Help for Heroes anyway and I
decided to go just to support that.
“But obviously walking into that it was just beyond belief.
"I said 'it’s not funny, it’s not correct, to dress like that when my
son has lost his legs'.
“But she didn’t want to know. She said I didn’t have a sense of
humour. Can you imagine how I felt? It was so insensitive.
“My son was not pleased when I told him, he doesn’t want anything to
do with them. One of his best friends in the Army is black; they’ve both
fought for this country.
“They [the BNP] were riding on the back of wounded soldiers to help
themselves, it was insensitive.”
Miss Lewis used her Facebook account to post racist messages,
including one calling for foreign “Paki” criminals to be executed.
In another message she encouraged attacks on the home of a teenager
who killed a cat and said: “I hope she gets cancer.”
She told the Guardian she thought wearing the burka was “completely
acceptable” and “hilarious”.
Bryn Parry, chief executive and co-founder of Help for Heroes, said
the organisation would “strongly condemn anyone who used an H4H event to
cause upset”.
He said: “The money that we raise at Help for Heroes is used to
support wounded servicemen and women of every colour and creed and we
strongly oppose any individual or political party who believes
otherwise, and those who seek to use the charity’s name for their own
political gain.”
Charlotte Lewis said: "The quotes attributed to me in the article are
false – I did not say those things to that lady.
"I apologised for any offence I may have caused her, while at the same
time asserting my right to wear whatever fancy dress costume I like to a
Halloween party.
"I did not ‘laugh in her face’, and anyway even if I had then how
would she have been able to tell – as my face was covered?
"I could have gone as a witch or a ghost, but they’re not nearly half
as spooky/scary as militant Islam."
But what do you think?
Was the costume offensive, or merely harmless fun at a party?
Foxnwolf comment;
Just imagine if we shouted out "all Paki criminals should be shot" we would be rounded up and severley dealt with and probably "marked" for the rest of your life as a Racist. What will happen to her? absolutely nothing.......
To much namby pampering, ass licking, sorry heres £500 a week and a free house, free food vouchers, dial a ride, human rights legislators and ban the gay black whale groups... What about the rest of us???
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.
Genuine parachute heroes Peter Elcock, right, and Joe Harvey wore
disguises to hide their identity and tricked the landlord into telling a
tissue of lies
We just went in the pub and got him talking about the paras, but
after a while it was clear he was getting a bit nervous because his
stories were not adding up.
'When he went out for a cigarette we
turned to the people in the pub and told handed them copies of a list of
all the people who had actually won the Military Medal.
'When he
came back we were waiting for him wearing our maroon para tops and our
regiment badges.
'His jaw hit the floor when he saw what we were
wearing. I said, "You are not on this list, are you? Why is that?"
'First
he wanted to talk outside, but we told him no. We said he had some
questions to answer for everyone there.
'Eventually he admitted
that he had never been in the paras and then he ran away. He actually
ran out of his own pub.
Billy Dailly pictured
in his replica medals in a bar after last year's Remembrance Day service
'It's the kind of cowardice I would expect really, which is why he
was never with paras and never won the Military Medal.'
Mr
Dailly had served over ten years with the Gordon Highlanders in Ireland
and yesterday tried to defend his actions.
He said the deception
was only meant as a practical joke on a friend who had served with the
paras.
He said: 'I knew a guy who had been in the paras and when
he moved to Worcester 20 years ago I decided to wind him up by telling
him I had served with them too.
'It was just a wind up that got
out of hand. I hold my hands up and admit I was wrong, I can totally
understand why anyone would be upset about this.
'But I just
wanted to see how far I could take it. The medals weren't even real,
they were ones I made myself on a machine at work. They didn't even look
like the real thing.
Steel helmets
abandoned by Argentine armed forces who surrendered at Goose Green.
Dailly claimed he fought in the battle
'There was no malice
intended whatsoever. I regret starting this wind up in the first place
and I know I should have knocked it on the head ages ago.
'It's
just all been blown out of proportion and now I have to face all my
customers and try to explain myself.'
On a Facebook page
entitled 'We dislike Stolen Valour', outraged servicemen and their
families hit out at Mr Dailly's actions.
David Jones said:
'Hanging is too good for the Weasel!! Simple nail him up for as many
years as he's lied!!'
Alan Pitcher said: 'These people lead
very sad lives trying to be someone/thing they couldn't be. They
shouldn't be allowed out in public especially with the boys out in the
sandpit doing a brilliant job.'
The Military Medal, up until
1993, was awarded to British Army personnel below commissioned rank,
for bravery in battle.
A spokesman from Worcester police said:
'If the matter is reported and evidence is presented to us show an
offence being committed under the Armed Forces Act 2006 officers will
investigate the circumstances further.'
This latest fake
soldier comes after Roger Day from Hinkley, Leicestershire, was pictured
marching at a Remembrance Day parade wearing an impossible array of
medals last year.
The 61-year-old was exposed as a conman and
originally convicted of 'unlawfully using decoration' under section (1)
(b) of the Army Act 1955.
But all charges were dropped as the Act
was repealed by the Armed Forces Act 2006 11 days before Day took part
in the march.
A Royal Marine fired for whacking a
Taliban bomber with a welly boot said last night "This can't be
justice."
Comment on the courts decision here; (thanx to stephen
prior for this info)
The Office of the Judge Advocate General 9th
Floor Thomas More Building London WC2A 2LL Telephone: 020 7218
8089 Fax: 020 7218 8094 jennie.pooley@justice.gsi.gov.uk
Sgt Mark Leader, 34 - who had 18 years' service -
hit Mohammad Ekhlas, who he thought was trying to escape.
Ekhlas had been caught with a team of Taliban
"digging in" a roadside bomb in Helmand province. He was later released
by Afghan authorities.
Mark was convicted of assault and dismissed from
the Forces in a court martial at Bulford Camp, Wilts, earlier this
month.
He said: "I've lost my whole career - my life is
in ruins - but the Taliban bomber who was caught laying IEDs to blow up
our lads was let free."
Nearly 50,000 Facebook users are demanding justice
for Mark.
Support this Petition as well, click hereit all counts
Deep in the heart of the English countryside, just outside Aldershot in Hampshire, the calm of a hot spring morning is shattered by the roar of a 5.9 litre diesel engine. The Jackal 2 is the upgraded version of the Army's weapons mounted patrol vehicle and is making its public debut for the very first time.
Its predecessor - The Jackal - was deployed to Afghanistan in April
2008 to provide British forces with an off-road vehicle that could
travel long distances, provide fire support when needed and,
importantly, could offer a degree of protection against small arms fire
and roadside bombs and so-called improvised explosive devices (IED).
People are defending their
country with their lives, they deserve the best equipment money can buy
Quentin Davies MP
While
not impervious to all IEDs, they were seen as a safer alternative to
the Snatch Land Rover, a vehicle developed for use in Northern Ireland
in the early 90s which although providing some protection against small
arms fire, came in for criticism from some quarters, saying it did not
provide sufficient protection against the range of IEDs found in
Afghanistan.
In October 2008, Gordon Brown said £700 million
would be spent on new troop vehicles - the Protected Mobility Package -
which at the time pledged to buy 100 more Jackal vehicles.
Six
months later, the order has increased to 110 and the first vehicles are
due to roll off the production line in Honiton, Devon, as part of a £74
million deal with the vehicles manufacturer Supacat.
Of course,
what the army is now buying is called Jackal 2, although many of the
changes from its predecessor are rather subtle.
The basic
armament - a top mounted .50 caliber machine gun - along with a
secondary 7.62mm general purpose machine gun is still there, although
the .50 cal gun position has been moved forward.
"While firing
the gun on the old vehicle was very effective, the noise would give the
driver a very hard time," Sean Limbrick, the chief engineer behind
Jackal 2 told the BBC.
The
Jackal 2 can travel 1000km on a single tank of fuel
"The
new position makes all the difference and it also allows the gun to be
depressed [pointed downwards] far more, giving the operator more
flexibility."
Upgrade
The engine,
transmission and suspension are basically the same, however the chassis
has been upgraded allowing the vehicle to carry a greater load and give
it greater strength - vital if a vehicle is to survive the blast from a
roadside bomb. The majority of casualties linked to the Jackal in
Afghanistan were caused by IEDs.
On the floor of the vehicle,
underneath the gunners position, are a number of blast plates. The two
seats also have steel protection surrounding the underside and back.
The
Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, said that
amongst the troops in Afghanistan, The Jackal was one of the most
popular vehicles after the Mastiff protected patrol vehicle, despite
some casualties, and he expected Jackal 2 to be equally well received.
"The
object is to continually improve our portfolio of vehicles. We produce a
vehicle, it goes to the front line and we take account the experience
of the front line including disasters and fatalities.
The Jackal 1 has been in service in Afghanistan since April
2008
"We feed
that back to the engineers and see if we can improve the vehicle. And so
there is a continual process of improvement," he said.
The new
vehicle can now carry four soldiers, one more than the Jackal 1. There
are other changes that have been made as a result from feedback from
troops in the field.
The armoured door now locks back into the
open position, allowing troops travel while looking out the door.
"We
found that many soldiers wanted the ability to have a wide field of
fire, so the door can now be locked open," said Mr Limbrick.
The
rear of the vehicle has also been redesigned, allowing fuel or water
cans to be carried on the outside of the vehicle, allowing troops to
store their Bergens (backpacks), extra ammunition, or other equipment.
Mr
Davies said that although the Jackal 2 was expensive, it was money well
spent.
"People are defending their country with their lives,
they deserve the best equipment money can buy."
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.
'Urgent requirement': More than 400 U.S.-made Sharpshooter rifles will
be used by British soldiers in Afghanistan
Quentin Davies, Minister for Defence
Equipment and Support, said: 'Troops in Afghanistan are already
bristling with a variety of weapons they can use when fighting the
Taliban.
'The Sharpshooter rifle adds to this
arsenal and provides them with an additional, highly-precise, long-range
capability.
'This is a
concrete example of where we add to our range of equipment to ensure our
brave forces have the best kit available to them on the frontline.'
Sharpshooter rifles have a 'kill range' of up
to 900 yards, while the Army's standard issue SA80 A2 assault rifle,
which fires smaller 5.56mm bullets, is limited to around 300 yards.
Insurgents in Afghanistan are said to have
learned the effective range of the current issue weapons and return fire
from their AK47 rifles, which also fire 7.62mm bullets, from further
away.
The MoD said the
semi-automatic weapons, also known as L129A1 rifles, were the first new
infantry combat rifle to be given to troops in more than two decades.
Colonel Peter Warden, Light Weapons,
Photographic and Batteries team leader at Defence, Equipment and
Support, said: 'The Sharpshooter rifle is very capable and has been
bought to fulfill a specific role on the frontline in Afghanistan.
'It is a versatile weapon which will
give our
units a new dimension to their armoury.
'Initial feedback to the rifle has
been very
positive and the Army units deployed in Afghanistan are very keen to get
their hands on it.'
The L129A1
Sharpshooter is a gas-operated weapon that carries a 20-round magazine.
It is 945mm long and weighs 5kg. It will be manufactured by Lewis
Machine & Tool Company in the United States. Features include a
single-piece upper receiver and free-floating, quick-change barrels
available in 305mm, 406mm and 508mm. It has four Picatinny rails with a
540mm top rail for night vision, thermal and image intensifying optics.
We the undersigned, respectfully call on the Prime Minister , the Home
Secretary , the Minister of Defence and the Government of the United
Kingdom to overturn the court martial and sentencing of Royal Marine
Commando Sergeant Mark Leader.
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.
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.......
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.
Fortune favours the brave:
Flight Lietenant Ian Fortune landed his Chinook after being shot in the
face
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.”
MoD papers from 2007 reveal questions over relocation charges paid by
veterans
The Government has been accused of doing virtually
nothing about Gurkha veterans being charged "by unscrupulous middlemen"
for advice on settling in Britain, despite being made aware of the
allegations almost three years.
The issue was used, instead, by Defence minister
Kevan Jones "in a cynical and opportunist way" to "smear" the actor and
activist Joanna Lumley and other campaigners, it has been claimed.
Appearing before the Commons' Home Affairs Committee,
Mr Jones – speaking under the protection of parliamentary privilege –
criticised Lumley for not speaking out about the exploitation of
Gurkhas. "Her deathly silence," he said, "frankly irritates me."
Mr Jones and the Prime Minister subsequently
apologised to Lumley and stressed their commitment to upholding fair
treatment for the Gurkhas who had risked their lives fighting for
Britain. However, the Government has subsequently doubled the cost of
visas for dependants of Gurkhas from around £750 to £1,500 – an increase
which many of the veterans leading impoverished lives in Nepal simply
would not be able to afford.
Their inability to
bring over their relatives – on whom they rely for their welfare – has
also effectively meant that the elderly veterans have to abandon hope of
living in Britain. Gurkha welfare groups claim that this is the real
aim of the price increase.
The latest official
actions on Gurkha's rights have reignited the controversy which forced
the Government into a U-turn last year, amid claims that ministers had
deliberately tried to undermine campaigners.
At
his appearance before the Home Affairs Committee in March, Mr Jones also
ordered an inquiry into the veterans' payments, specifically naming the
solicitors Howe & Co – part of Lumley's campaign team – as a firm
which should face questions.
The Ministry of
Defence (MoD) has set up a free advice centre in the Nepalese capital,
Kathmandu, and "unscrupulous middlemen" were charging fees which were
needless, the minister said.
Mr Jones was later
forced to issue an "unreserved apology" to Lumley and the inquiry
carried out at the behest of the minister by the Legal Services
Commission (LSC) has now cleared Howe & Co. In a letter to the firm,
the LSC said it had "found no evidence" of malpractice and "we trust
that this satisfactory [sic] concludes the matter."
Gordon Brown was also involved in the controversy,
offering his own personal apology to Lumley in a telephone call. The
Independent has learnt that this was directly linked to a meeting the
Prime Minister had held with three members of the Gurkha campaign –
Joanna Lumley, Peter Carroll and Martin Howe, from the solicitors' firm –
at Downing Street in May 2009.
During the
meeting, the Prime Minister requested and obtained a promise from them
not to be vocal on the issue, while in return he would ensure that
changes they had demanded to the Bill allowing Gurkhas to settle in the
UK would pass into law.
The Independent has also
seen documents which show that a senior MoD official, Margaret Gilmour,
was aware of allegations that the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemens
Organisation (Gaeso) had charged for advice on settlement three years
ago.
In an email dated 4 September 2007, she
wrote to Howe & Co to say that the matter had been raised with Gaeso
whose "response was that they had every right to charge for their
services and they saw nothing wrong in taking on such cases if people
came to them."
However, in a statement yesterday
the MoD said that Gaeso had denied charging fees at a public meeting
where Ms Gilmour was present. "In 2007 MoD officials asked Gaeso to
respond to a number of accusations. However, these accusations were
strongly denied by the organisation during a public meeting and the MoD
recognises that Gaeso is a legitimate ex-service organisation," the
statement said.
A spokesman added that
officials had visited Nepal over a number of years "to use trustworthy
sources for information on immigration".
There
appears to have been doubts even among government officials whether the
inquiry ordered by Mr Jones would lead to a meaningful result. Howe
& Co had, in fact, been in touch with the LSC, the body which was
eventually to investigate them, after former Gaeso members contacted
them to express their disquiet about the fees being charged.
Interesting; On 2 June last year Davinder Sidhu, a solicitor at the
LSC, said in an email: "I am not sure what we can do here. Could you
express to Martin [Howe] that we do not want clients paying any
organisation for a referral for services that they are or may be
entitled to under the Access to Justice Act. Other than that I don't
think there is much we can do from here in the UK." The above was totally ignored and brushed under the carpet
Lumley was unavailable for comment last night, but a
source close to her said: "What was particularly upsetting was that
Joanna and the others agreed to work behind the scene at the request of
the Prime Minister, maintain silence, and then we had Kevan Jones
attacking her over that same silence. She will continue to help with the
welfare of Gurkha veterans as she has always done."
Kieran O'Rourke, a partner at Howe & Co, said:
"One can't help feeling that the actions of Kevan Jones were cynical and
opportunist. If Gurkhas are being charged on settlement advice this
should be properly investigated and not used as a political gimmick.
"We now have to face another very real problem, the
increase in the visa fees, which is having a really damaging impact on
the chances of veterans being able to come to this country."
If there was ever a case of "sloping shoulders" this must beat them all
Ottawa announced TODAY the formation of a new 500-man elite fighting unit called the: Newfoundland Special Forces (NLSF)
These Newfoundland boys will be dropped off into Afghanistan, and will
be given only the following facts about the Taliban and terrorists:
1. The season opened today. 2. There is no limit... 3. They taste just like moose. 4. They don't like beer, pickups, country music, or Jesus. 5. They are directly responsible for the fall of the Newfoundland Fishery.
Ottawa expects the problem in Afghanistan to be over by Friday, next.
"Joanna Lumley defends her
'silence' over Gurkhas" Reply on Sat` 27th March 2010 (and
misses the point in a few current concerns) "Click
Here"
24 Gurkhas living in desperate poverty
in country they fought for
(so why won't Joanna Lumley speak out now?)
They pose for a photograph, looking as dignified as their frail
bodies will allow, in the centre of the British Army town which they now
call home. Forgotten and alone, the old Nepalese soldiers spend their
nights in decrepit bedsits and their days searching for something they
can afford to eat.
What a sorry plight for the proud Gurkhas who fought for Britain
and won the right to settle here last year. No wonder they are growing
angry and the name on their lips is Joanna Lumley, the English actress
they once hailed as a goddess. They accuse her of staying 'chup' (or
'silent' in Nepalese) as they complain of their conditions in Aldershot,
Hampshire.
Begging for help, they blame the Absolutely Fabulous star for a
string of broken promises that have left them cold, hungry and penniless
in Britain.
Hard up: The men find Britain at odds with the idyllic existence they
expected
`She told us to come here and we are stranded in your country with
nothing,' said Padam Bahadur Limbu, his 66-year-old face etched with
fear and worry. 'We would like to speak to Joanna Lumley and tell her we
have been betrayed.'
Padam is caught up in a heartbreaking human tragedy. He is one of
thousands of Gurkhas who was promised a wonderful new life in the UK
during a campaign spearheaded by Ms Lumley last year. With massive
public backing, it forced the Government to give every Nepalese warrior
the right to settle in this country.
Within weeks, the veterans began arriving, their heads filled
with dreams for the future. The campaigners had told the Gurkhas they
would get pensions and state houses and have a comfortable retirement.
Astonishingly in the current financial climate, they were advised
they would get jobs paying £1,000 a month.
Yet the reality is so cruelly different. Most of the veterans have
never received a penny - nor since caught a glimpse of the people who
coerced them into uprooting across the world. Many cannot even afford a
cup of tea from the cheapest cafe. All they have left is the clothes
they stand up in, bought on the market stalls of Nepal.
They have nowhere to live apart from dingy rooms rented for
hundreds of pounds a week. After selling all their possessions and
borrowing huge sums at high interest to come here, the veterans are
struggling to survive.
All smiles: Joanna Lumley was the face of the Gurkhas' fight, but has
been strangely silent since concerns started being voiced
Last week, Defence Minister Kevan Jones ordered an inquiry into the
sad scandal amid allegations of ruthless exploitation of the ageing
Gurkhas, and today he plans to visit Aldershot to see their plight for
himself.
Earlier, in a private letter to Whitehall colleagues, he warned
that 'unscrupulous elements' in Nepal have created 'unrealistic
expectations' about British life and what services might be offered to
them here.
The inquiry will centre on the unconventional £500-a-head
payments charged by their own veterans' charity in Nepal for advice on
moving to Britain. It will also examine why more than £1million in Legal
Aid fees has been paid by British taxpayers to a London firm of human
rights' lawyers for assisting Gurkhas to fill in visa application forms
at Gaeso offices before they travelled from Nepal.
Meanwhile, Joanna Lumley, who campaigned alongside both officials
of the charity the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation (Gaeso) and
partners of the law firm Howe and Co of Ealing, is under mounting
pressure over her curious reluctance to speak out about the veterans'
plight, first exposed during an investigation by the Mail last month.
Ms Lumley is closely linked to Howe and Co. She approached the
law firm to offer her help when the campaign to bring the Gurkhas here
was flagging. Within weeks she was being pictured with their senior
partners at events to raise the profile of the Gurkha Justice Campaign.
Even now, calls by this newspaper to ask for her views elicit a
response from the law firm but a steadfast refusal from her to speak
out.
The firm's Martin Howe has told the Mail that he has never taken a
penny from any Gurkha or from Gaeso.
However, he confirmed his firm has received huge amounts of Legal
Aid for helping with their UK visa applications.
Kevan Jones last week told the Commons he was 'irritated' by the
'deafening silence' from the actress. It was all so different last
summer, when Ms Lumley stood outside Parliament, celebrating the
Gurkhas' victory.
No money: 67 year-old Nepalese farmer and ex-British army Gurkha Uman
Singh Gurung in his mouldy Aldershot bedsit
She was later taken on a 'thank-you' tour of Nepal by Gaeso to mark
the highly successful campaign. How the waiting Gurkhas cheered their
heroine when they saw her. In the capital, Kathmandu, and the second
city, Pokhara, she stepped off her plane garlanded in the traditional
marigold necklace of the Himalayan kingdom to greet the old soldiers who
waved banners calling her their goddess and daughter of their country.
There, watching her with delight was Padam and his fellow Gurkha
Guru Bahadur Thapa, who both came to Britain last November.There's no
doubt that Ms Lumley's campaign was well-intentioned.
Alas, the fear is that her victory has been exploited by
unscrupulous middlemen who have given Gurkhas an unrealistic expectation
of what life in Britain would be like. And now many of those old
warriors who have paid thousands of pounds to move here are bitter and
disillusioned.
The
fear is that Lumley's victory has been exploited by unscrupulous
middlemen who have given Gurkhas an unrealistic expectation of what
life in Britain would be like. And now many of those old warriors who
have paid thousands of pounds to move here are bitter and
disillusioned
As Mr Thapa, 66, told me sadly: 'I sold my house, land, everything
because of what the campaigners told me. But after just a few months
here, I have none of the money left.
'I have rented a room with a shower with another Gurkha for £580 a
month from the local estate agent. I do not know how I will pay the
rent next month unless I get some pension money from your Government.
'I have not eaten today because I cannot afford food. At the
Nepalese supermarket in Aldershot they are giving Gurkhas credit for a
little fruit and bread. We were not told it would be like this. We feel
we have been duped by Joanna Lumley and her campaigners. We are deeply
disappointed. Where is our Joanna now?'
He is among 400 Gurkhas who have headed to the towns surrounding
Aldershot and parts of London. Since leaving the British Army, the
majority have eked out a meagre living as peasant farmers earning 35p a
day by keeping a cow or a few goats and ploughing a small tract of land
in Nepal's mountainous villages.
Yet they show an amazing loyalty to Britain. Each Gurkha carries a
plastic bag containing a small red booklet called a Lal Kitab. It is
the record of his military career and proof that he was once a soldier
in the British Army. Few of them can even read the English words inside,
for they had never stepped foot in Britain, and half of the Gurkhas are
illiterate.
'This shows I once fought for your Queen Elizabeth II,' one
67-year-old told me solemnly yesterday through an interpreter. His
booklet states that he served for six years from 1968 with exemplary
conduct, leaving as a 24-year-old in 1974 when Army numbers were cut.
He
was discharged from Hong Kong, the Brigade of Gurkhas' base until the
hand-over of the island by Britain to China in 1997, when it moved to
Aldershot and later Yorkshire.
It was in recognition of such service that the Mail and huge
numbers of people supported Joanna Lumley and the campaign. For 200
years, the Gurkhas have fought valiantly for Britain, losing 50,000 men
in the last century alone during two world wars and numerous skirmishes
in the Far East. People believed it would repay a debt of honour if they
were welcomed into this country if that was their wish.
Concerned: Defence minister Kevan Jones has claimed some of the advice
being given to Gurkha veterans hoping to settle in the UK was misleading
The campaign had a particular poignancy for Miss Lumley. Her father,
Major James Rutherford Lumley, was an officer in the 6th Gurkha Rifles.
Serving in Burma during World War II, his life was saved by fellow
Gurkhas, including one who received the Victoria Cross for his valour.
With charm and determination, she forced Gordon Brown's
Government into a dramatic turnabout-and 36,000 of the old men, their
wives and dependants are expected eventually to settle here. More than
4,000 have applied for UK visas since the Lumley campaign and thousands
have already arrived. But it is a journey that too often ends
tragically.
Dr Hugh Milroy, the head of Veterans' Aid - a London-based
charity helping former servicemen - explained to the Mail: 'We see about
one new Gurkha a week struggling to survive in this country.
The most extreme case involved a family man who arrived with
borrowed money but no English. His mental and physical health
deteriorated rapidly. After several months he ended up on the streets.
This man was totally unequipped to deal with life in modern
Britain, and he was so badly traumatised by his experiences here that he
eventually asked to be flown back to Nepal.
'We gave him new clothes for his flight. All he left behind were
two flea-ridden blankets and a jacket with pockets full of cigarette
ends picked up from the streets.
'Staff at Veterans' Aid are used to dealing with the street
homeless. But many were shocked and moved to tears by his plight. He was
a truly broken human being.
'It is not our job to assign blame, but it was clear from the
start that this man didn't have the resources or skills to live in
Britain, where life is complex and expensive.'
What a different story is being woven in Nepal. I have
interviewed dozens of the Gurkha veterans there and in Britain. The
majority insisted that they had received promises from the Gurkha's
veterans association Gaeso and by the English lawyers at Howe & Co
about getting work, houses, and benefits in the UK - yet hardly any have
received a penny.
The local council in the Aldershot area, Rushmoor, agrees it is
struggling to cope with language barriers and numbers. Often the council
has been able to offer only a bus pass.
Typical is Bhoj Poudel, 63, who arrived in Britain last November.
He says: 'We were told in the Gaeso offices in Nepal to come to
Aldershot and we could claim a pension here. We were told we would find
work. We were excited.
'The Government would give us a home to live in. Our families? We
planned to bring them soon, too. But nothing has gone right for us.'
In a nearby coffee bar, I found Kul Bahadur Ale, who is in much
the same state. He is 63 and is blinded in one eye from a scything
accident on his small farm. The idea of him ever finding work is
ludicrous.
He has left a wife, son and daughter behind in Baglung, Nepal. He
borrowed huge sums to come here, money that he admits he will never be
able to repay. 'I walked two-and-a-half days to get to the bus stop to
catch a bus to Pokhara where there is an office of Gaeso. There, they
told me to pay 60,000 rupees (£500) for 'advice and paperwork'. Once I
had given them the cash, I was sent to the next office to see an
English-speaking solicitor. He helped me fill in the visa settlement
forms.
'So many Gurkhas in Nepal believe they have to go through this
process. They are told by Gaeso they will not get a UK visa unless they
do.
'We all believed we would have good life in your country, with
social benefits and work. I heard it from the Gaeso officials and the
lawyer, and so have all my friends.'
Sitting beside him was his cousin Padam Pun, 62. He comes from
the same village as Mr Ale, and also arrived four months ago.
'I have a wife and three children in Nepal,' he says sadly. 'I
borrowed money from friends to pay the Gaeso fee, the UK visa cost of
£480 and the single air ticket of £350, too. I have not received any
social benefits and I rent a room for so much money.'
Then he adds, with a shake of his gnarled head: 'I miss my family
so much. I don't know whether I will ever see them again.
'I do not have the money to go back or to bring them over here.
We may be apart for ever.'
Those words are enough to chill the heart of any caring person.
No wonder that the frail Gurkhas are growing angry with Joanna Lumley
and her continuing, baffling, silence. Now it remains to be seen who
will actually help the old soldiers who once helped Britain.
People are defending their
country with their lives, they deserve the best equipment money can buy
