daftandbarmy
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Let's hope that the RAF doesn't share the secrets behind their box lunches with them though, or the conflict could heat up again ;DCougarDaddy said:
British Military Current Events
- Thread starter daftandbarmy
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daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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Well done, Royal. I don't know about the Captain General, but I'll splice the mainbrace tonight in honour of this one...
Taliban lose 130 in three day battle with Marines
Royal Marines have killed 130 Taliban fighters during a major three-day battle in Afghanistan in which a key enemy stronghold was destroyed, the Ministry of Defence has said.
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:41PM GMT 26 Mar 2009
A force of 700 troops from 42 Commando along with Danish and Afghan troops swooped on the Taliban base of Marjah in a helicopter air assault that took three waves to offload the men.
With Marjah a main base for processing opium and training forces, the enemy put up a fierce fight as the commandos swept through a network of mud brick compounds.
Fighting was at very close quarters with troops using pistols, machine guns and in one instance a £49,000 Javelin rocket to take out the enemy.
They were also supported by Dutch F16 jets, British Apache attack helicopters and American Cobra helicopter gunships.
Only two commandos were injured during Operation Blue Sword compared to an estimated 200 to 300 Taliban wounded. It is believed that the enemy dead included a Mullah regarded as a “high value target” by the military.
The Taliban were said to have been so determined to hold onto the stronghold that reinforcements were called for from the Pakistan border 160 miles away.
“This was a very successful, deliberate joint operation that demonstrated clearly to the enemy that the Task Force continues to operate where and when it chooses,” said Lt Col Al Lister, chief of operations for Helmand Task Force. “Marjah has previously been a safe haven for the enemy; we have shattered that illusion and more will follow. We will continue to erode the capability.
“Marjah has long been a region that the insurgents claimed as their heartland, a place they felt secure and where they could gather, equip and train their forces,” the MoD said in a statement. “It was also where they moved and stored weapons and explosives, and where the links between the insurgents and narcotics trade have been at their strongest.”
The Marines also discovered an arsenal of weapons and ten Improvised Explosive Devices which were disarmed.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5054491/Taliban-lose-130-in-three-day-battle-with-Marines.html
Taliban lose 130 in three day battle with Marines
Royal Marines have killed 130 Taliban fighters during a major three-day battle in Afghanistan in which a key enemy stronghold was destroyed, the Ministry of Defence has said.
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:41PM GMT 26 Mar 2009
A force of 700 troops from 42 Commando along with Danish and Afghan troops swooped on the Taliban base of Marjah in a helicopter air assault that took three waves to offload the men.
With Marjah a main base for processing opium and training forces, the enemy put up a fierce fight as the commandos swept through a network of mud brick compounds.
Fighting was at very close quarters with troops using pistols, machine guns and in one instance a £49,000 Javelin rocket to take out the enemy.
They were also supported by Dutch F16 jets, British Apache attack helicopters and American Cobra helicopter gunships.
Only two commandos were injured during Operation Blue Sword compared to an estimated 200 to 300 Taliban wounded. It is believed that the enemy dead included a Mullah regarded as a “high value target” by the military.
The Taliban were said to have been so determined to hold onto the stronghold that reinforcements were called for from the Pakistan border 160 miles away.
“This was a very successful, deliberate joint operation that demonstrated clearly to the enemy that the Task Force continues to operate where and when it chooses,” said Lt Col Al Lister, chief of operations for Helmand Task Force. “Marjah has previously been a safe haven for the enemy; we have shattered that illusion and more will follow. We will continue to erode the capability.
“Marjah has long been a region that the insurgents claimed as their heartland, a place they felt secure and where they could gather, equip and train their forces,” the MoD said in a statement. “It was also where they moved and stored weapons and explosives, and where the links between the insurgents and narcotics trade have been at their strongest.”
The Marines also discovered an arsenal of weapons and ten Improvised Explosive Devices which were disarmed.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5054491/Taliban-lose-130-in-three-day-battle-with-Marines.html
daftandbarmy
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/marine-saves-unit-after-bullet-in-head-1654275.html
Marine saves unit after bullet in head
Serviceman is shot but stays in the front line and rescues ambushed comrades
Marine Sam Alexander saved the leader of his section, 11 Troop, after the corporal was shot twice in the groin during a firefight with insurgents in Helmand, Afghanistan
It had been a morning of fierce close-quarter combat with incessant fire coming from insurgents in the heart of Taliban country. As the Royal Marines edged their way past the high walls of a compound the section commander, a corporal, fell to the ground with two shots to the groin.
The team had walked into an ambush and Marine Sam Alexander knew that the only chance they had was to fight their way through. He picked up a heavy machine-gun and "traded lead" with the insurgents just 15 metres away. Running out of ammunition, he opened up with his 9mm pistol until that too was spent. The Taliban fighters were forced to withdraw and found themselves being hunted as they ran into other marine units coming in from the flanks.
By his bravery, 26-year-old Marine Alexander saved the life of the shot corporal and also earned vital minutes for the rest of the team from 42 Commando to gain cover. What made his actions even more remarkable was that just a few hours earlier he had been shot in the head, the bullet embedding itself in his helmet. Waving away offers to fall back, he had insisted on continuing with the others as they went through compounds clashing repeatedly with the insurgents.
Related articles
Marine Alexander continued with Operation Abii Toorah, Pashtu for Blue Sword, one of a series of missions led by the marines in Helmand which also involved Afghan troops and a Danish contingent with Leopard tanks. The fighting went on with little let-up for the two remaining days, until the Taliban withdrew from the area.
About 600 British and Afghan troops had taken part in an airborne assault supported by B1 bombers and Apache and Cobra helicopter gunships attempting to drive out the Taliban from entrenched positions near Marjah to pave the way for the planned surge which will come with arrival of up to 30,000 extra American troops.
The marines say they came across some of the fiercest resistance they have faced from the insurgents, who were being aided, it is claimed, by Pakistani, Chechen and Arab fighters. According to British forces, "several dozens" of the enemy were killed and more than 100 injured. It was also the first time the Taliban had carried out repeated night attacks, with large bands of fighters attempting to break through the lines while reinforcements arrived from surrounding regions over the days.
According to Afghan and Western officials, while the Americans build up their forces in Helmand and Kandahar, the Taliban are also building up their strength with hundreds of reinforcements arriving from across the Pakistani border.
Several more operations will be undertaken by Afghan and British forces in the next few weeks, with the aim of intercepting the flow of men and weaponry coming through southern Helmand while the Americans are due to carry out missions further east.
100
Number of enemy fighters injured in Operation Abii Toorah, with dozens killed.
Marine saves unit after bullet in head
Serviceman is shot but stays in the front line and rescues ambushed comrades
Marine Sam Alexander saved the leader of his section, 11 Troop, after the corporal was shot twice in the groin during a firefight with insurgents in Helmand, Afghanistan
It had been a morning of fierce close-quarter combat with incessant fire coming from insurgents in the heart of Taliban country. As the Royal Marines edged their way past the high walls of a compound the section commander, a corporal, fell to the ground with two shots to the groin.
The team had walked into an ambush and Marine Sam Alexander knew that the only chance they had was to fight their way through. He picked up a heavy machine-gun and "traded lead" with the insurgents just 15 metres away. Running out of ammunition, he opened up with his 9mm pistol until that too was spent. The Taliban fighters were forced to withdraw and found themselves being hunted as they ran into other marine units coming in from the flanks.
By his bravery, 26-year-old Marine Alexander saved the life of the shot corporal and also earned vital minutes for the rest of the team from 42 Commando to gain cover. What made his actions even more remarkable was that just a few hours earlier he had been shot in the head, the bullet embedding itself in his helmet. Waving away offers to fall back, he had insisted on continuing with the others as they went through compounds clashing repeatedly with the insurgents.
Related articles
Marine Alexander continued with Operation Abii Toorah, Pashtu for Blue Sword, one of a series of missions led by the marines in Helmand which also involved Afghan troops and a Danish contingent with Leopard tanks. The fighting went on with little let-up for the two remaining days, until the Taliban withdrew from the area.
About 600 British and Afghan troops had taken part in an airborne assault supported by B1 bombers and Apache and Cobra helicopter gunships attempting to drive out the Taliban from entrenched positions near Marjah to pave the way for the planned surge which will come with arrival of up to 30,000 extra American troops.
The marines say they came across some of the fiercest resistance they have faced from the insurgents, who were being aided, it is claimed, by Pakistani, Chechen and Arab fighters. According to British forces, "several dozens" of the enemy were killed and more than 100 injured. It was also the first time the Taliban had carried out repeated night attacks, with large bands of fighters attempting to break through the lines while reinforcements arrived from surrounding regions over the days.
According to Afghan and Western officials, while the Americans build up their forces in Helmand and Kandahar, the Taliban are also building up their strength with hundreds of reinforcements arriving from across the Pakistani border.
Several more operations will be undertaken by Afghan and British forces in the next few weeks, with the aim of intercepting the flow of men and weaponry coming through southern Helmand while the Americans are due to carry out missions further east.
100
Number of enemy fighters injured in Operation Abii Toorah, with dozens killed.
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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Good luck with that, Argies... :
PM slams Falkland talks
By STAFF REPORTER
Published: 28 Mar 2009
GORDON Brown today dismissed Argentina’s calls for talks over ownership of the Falklands.
The Prime Minister ruled out negotiations over the disputed territory during a 15 minute discussion with President Cristina Kirchner.
The bilateral meeting between the leaders took place at a summit in Chile where the groundwork is being laid for next week’s crunch G20 meeting in London.
A British official said: “The Prime Minister set out the British Government’s long standing position on sovereignty in very clear terms. He emphasised the importance of self-determination.
“Both sides agreed that they have differences of opinion.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2347504.ece
PM slams Falkland talks
By STAFF REPORTER
Published: 28 Mar 2009
GORDON Brown today dismissed Argentina’s calls for talks over ownership of the Falklands.
The Prime Minister ruled out negotiations over the disputed territory during a 15 minute discussion with President Cristina Kirchner.
The bilateral meeting between the leaders took place at a summit in Chile where the groundwork is being laid for next week’s crunch G20 meeting in London.
A British official said: “The Prime Minister set out the British Government’s long standing position on sovereignty in very clear terms. He emphasised the importance of self-determination.
“Both sides agreed that they have differences of opinion.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2347504.ece
- Reaction score
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daftandbarmy said:Good luck with that, Argies... :
PM slams Falkland talks
By STAFF REPORTER
Published: 28 Mar 2009
GORDON Brown today dismissed Argentina’s calls for talks over ownership of the Falklands.
The Prime Minister ruled out negotiations over the disputed territory during a 15 minute discussion with President Cristina Kirchner.
The bilateral meeting between the leaders took place at a summit in Chile where the groundwork is being laid for next week’s crunch G20 meeting in London.
A British official said: “The Prime Minister set out the British Government’s long standing position on sovereignty in very clear terms. He emphasised the importance of self-determination.
“Both sides agreed that they have differences of opinion.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2347504.ece
I thought Maggie made the Brits stance on the Falklands sovereignty pretty clear in 82. So quickly they forget. ;D
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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Here we go again... no, I'm not going to say I told you so!
Belfast paralysed by dissident bomb warnings
Belfast was paralysed by bomb warnings and security alerts last night as republican dissidents once again signalled their apparent determination to restart Northern Ireland’s Troubles.
The scale and co-ordination of the bomb alerts marked a step-change in the republicans’ ability to cause major disruption in areas hitherto under the de facto control of the Provisional IRA.
They were being interpreted as a riposte to Sinn Féin and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which had described republicans intent on pursuing a physical force agenda as “micro-groups” with no support.
Scores of people would have been required to organise and co-ordinate the bomb alerts.
Investigations were also taking place into an explosion at an electricity sub-station in East Belfast which left about 4,000 people without power. There was no immediate comment from police or Northern Ireland Electricity about whether terrorist activity was suspected.
It was the worst disruption for years in Belfast, marking the return of a tactic used for many years by the Provisionals as part of their campaign to bring the province’s economy to a standstill.
North Queen Street, Tennant Street, King's Way at Dunmurry, Blacks Road and Stewartstown Road – all major arterial routes – were closed because of alerts.
Hillview Road in the Oldpark area, Andersonstown Road in West Belfast were closed, as was Upper Newtownards Road after the Stormont Hotel, situated at the foot of the Stormont Parliament buildings, was evacuated because of a bomb warning.
The Ulster Unionists and the cross-community Alliance Party condemned republicans for the chaos. Sir Reg Empey, the Ulster Unionist leader, said that “criminals” would not succeed in dragging Northern Ireland back to its violent past if the whole community stood together.
Jim Allister MEP, leader of the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice, said: "This afternoon’s hijacking and burning spree confirms a pattern which I predicted – that as republican terrorists reassert themselves they will seek to demonstrate they can do everything the Provos perfected.
"The rundown in the police and security forces, all at the behest of Sinn Féin, has left us ill-equipped to deal with resurgent IRA violence.
"Firm action is required to stamp out the spread of insurrection and violence on our streets. An undermanned police service, hampered further by political constraints, puts society in a weakened position, whereas the message that needs to go out is that this violence will be nipped in the bud by a robust policing response.”
The alerts began at 4pm, as the rush-hour traffic began to flow, with a van being burnt on the Upper Crumlin Road in North Belfast, close to the Holy Cross Catholic church and the hardline Republican Ardoyne district.
Shortly after that an Army disposal unit had to deal with an abandoned vehicle near Tennant Road police station – setting a pattern which was replicated across the city as more suspicious vehicles were left near police stations.
An abandoned vehicle on the M1 forced the closure of Northern Ireland’s busiest motorway as traffic streamed out of Belfast towards Lisburn, Co Antrim.
Police also advised people to stay away from the Kilwilkie estate in Lurgan, Co Armagh, where a number of vehicles were hijacked. Rioting broke out on the estate, a stronghold of dissident republicans, a fortnight ago.
The upsurge in unrest to a level not seen in years comes three weeks after the Real IRA said that it shot dead two soldiers and the Continuity IRA claimed the murder of a police officer in the space of 48 hours.
Last week a 17-year-old boy and a 37-year-old former Sinn Féin councillor were charged with PC Stephen Carroll’s murder while a well-known republican and former IRA prisoner, Colin Duffy, was charged with the murders of Sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, of Birmingham, and Patrick Azimkar, 21, of London.
Republican Sinn Féin, widely regarded as the political wing of the Continuity IRA, declared last week that the killings were “acts of war” and said that the violence would continue for as long as Britain remained in part of Ireland.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6005209.ece
Belfast paralysed by dissident bomb warnings
Belfast was paralysed by bomb warnings and security alerts last night as republican dissidents once again signalled their apparent determination to restart Northern Ireland’s Troubles.
The scale and co-ordination of the bomb alerts marked a step-change in the republicans’ ability to cause major disruption in areas hitherto under the de facto control of the Provisional IRA.
They were being interpreted as a riposte to Sinn Féin and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which had described republicans intent on pursuing a physical force agenda as “micro-groups” with no support.
Scores of people would have been required to organise and co-ordinate the bomb alerts.
Investigations were also taking place into an explosion at an electricity sub-station in East Belfast which left about 4,000 people without power. There was no immediate comment from police or Northern Ireland Electricity about whether terrorist activity was suspected.
It was the worst disruption for years in Belfast, marking the return of a tactic used for many years by the Provisionals as part of their campaign to bring the province’s economy to a standstill.
North Queen Street, Tennant Street, King's Way at Dunmurry, Blacks Road and Stewartstown Road – all major arterial routes – were closed because of alerts.
Hillview Road in the Oldpark area, Andersonstown Road in West Belfast were closed, as was Upper Newtownards Road after the Stormont Hotel, situated at the foot of the Stormont Parliament buildings, was evacuated because of a bomb warning.
The Ulster Unionists and the cross-community Alliance Party condemned republicans for the chaos. Sir Reg Empey, the Ulster Unionist leader, said that “criminals” would not succeed in dragging Northern Ireland back to its violent past if the whole community stood together.
Jim Allister MEP, leader of the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice, said: "This afternoon’s hijacking and burning spree confirms a pattern which I predicted – that as republican terrorists reassert themselves they will seek to demonstrate they can do everything the Provos perfected.
"The rundown in the police and security forces, all at the behest of Sinn Féin, has left us ill-equipped to deal with resurgent IRA violence.
"Firm action is required to stamp out the spread of insurrection and violence on our streets. An undermanned police service, hampered further by political constraints, puts society in a weakened position, whereas the message that needs to go out is that this violence will be nipped in the bud by a robust policing response.”
The alerts began at 4pm, as the rush-hour traffic began to flow, with a van being burnt on the Upper Crumlin Road in North Belfast, close to the Holy Cross Catholic church and the hardline Republican Ardoyne district.
Shortly after that an Army disposal unit had to deal with an abandoned vehicle near Tennant Road police station – setting a pattern which was replicated across the city as more suspicious vehicles were left near police stations.
An abandoned vehicle on the M1 forced the closure of Northern Ireland’s busiest motorway as traffic streamed out of Belfast towards Lisburn, Co Antrim.
Police also advised people to stay away from the Kilwilkie estate in Lurgan, Co Armagh, where a number of vehicles were hijacked. Rioting broke out on the estate, a stronghold of dissident republicans, a fortnight ago.
The upsurge in unrest to a level not seen in years comes three weeks after the Real IRA said that it shot dead two soldiers and the Continuity IRA claimed the murder of a police officer in the space of 48 hours.
Last week a 17-year-old boy and a 37-year-old former Sinn Féin councillor were charged with PC Stephen Carroll’s murder while a well-known republican and former IRA prisoner, Colin Duffy, was charged with the murders of Sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, of Birmingham, and Patrick Azimkar, 21, of London.
Republican Sinn Féin, widely regarded as the political wing of the Continuity IRA, declared last week that the killings were “acts of war” and said that the violence would continue for as long as Britain remained in part of Ireland.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6005209.ece
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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MoD braced for a surge in suicide rate
A total of 67 Service personnel who served in Iraq or Afghanistan committed suicide or are suspected of having killed themselves, new figures show. The statistics suggest a suicide rate far higher than has been previously acknowledged by the Ministry of Defence.
Although they represent a tiny percentage of the troops who have undergone tours of duty – about 100,000 in Iraq and 50,000 in Afghanistan – there is concern that the risk of troops taking their own lives is increasing.
As The Times reported on Saturday, there is growing alarm about mental breakdowns in the Armed Forces – with three soldiers in Basra killing themselves between last December and February. Now the MoD has confirmed that 25 regular Service personnel and five reserves had committed suicide “postoperations” between August 2002 and February 2009. Another seven suicides “during operations” – five in Iraq and two in Afghanistan – have been confirmed, while another soldier took an overdose before he was due to go to Iraq for the first time in 2006.
The suicide toll for the past seven years of simultaneous campaigns is expected to rise significantly when inquests into a further 29 cases – including ten from last year – are complete.
The cases were disclosed yesterday by the MoD’s Defence Analytical Services and Advice (Dasa) organisation. It published statistics covering suicide or open verdict deaths from 1984 to 2008 and said that the data would have to be revised, “particularly for recent years”.
An MoD official said that there were 28 cases listed by Dasa still under investigation, all of which would have taken place within the past three years. when both campaigns were running hot. The other case – that of Private Ryan Wrathall, of the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment – who was found with a gunshot wound at the Basra Contingency Operating Base on February 13 this year, is not included in the figures.
The MoD said that that last year’s suspected suicides included two at the same base outside Basra in December. Corporal Lee Churcher, 32, of Headquarters 20th Armoured Brigade, and Lance Corporal David Wilson, 27, of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps, were both found with gunshot wounds.
The potential total of 67 suicides between 2002 and February this year brought a shocked response from the Royal British Legion. “It’s a concern that some young men on the front line feel they have no one to turn to and we urge the Ministry of Defence to look into these findings,” it said.
The MoD and Dasa emphasised that the overall suicide figures in the Armed Forces over the past 25 years – 718 between 1984 and 2008 – were lower than the rate for the general population, with the exception of young men under 20 in the Army. Dasa said that young soldiers had a 47 per cent increased risk of suicides over the period in comparison with the same age group in the general population.
Between 2004 and 2008 six soldiers aged 16-19 and nine aged 20-24 committed suicide. The MoD said that between 2002 and 2008 there were 102 suicides, many not involved in Iraq or Afghanistan deployments.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6011873.ece
A total of 67 Service personnel who served in Iraq or Afghanistan committed suicide or are suspected of having killed themselves, new figures show. The statistics suggest a suicide rate far higher than has been previously acknowledged by the Ministry of Defence.
Although they represent a tiny percentage of the troops who have undergone tours of duty – about 100,000 in Iraq and 50,000 in Afghanistan – there is concern that the risk of troops taking their own lives is increasing.
As The Times reported on Saturday, there is growing alarm about mental breakdowns in the Armed Forces – with three soldiers in Basra killing themselves between last December and February. Now the MoD has confirmed that 25 regular Service personnel and five reserves had committed suicide “postoperations” between August 2002 and February 2009. Another seven suicides “during operations” – five in Iraq and two in Afghanistan – have been confirmed, while another soldier took an overdose before he was due to go to Iraq for the first time in 2006.
The suicide toll for the past seven years of simultaneous campaigns is expected to rise significantly when inquests into a further 29 cases – including ten from last year – are complete.
The cases were disclosed yesterday by the MoD’s Defence Analytical Services and Advice (Dasa) organisation. It published statistics covering suicide or open verdict deaths from 1984 to 2008 and said that the data would have to be revised, “particularly for recent years”.
An MoD official said that there were 28 cases listed by Dasa still under investigation, all of which would have taken place within the past three years. when both campaigns were running hot. The other case – that of Private Ryan Wrathall, of the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment – who was found with a gunshot wound at the Basra Contingency Operating Base on February 13 this year, is not included in the figures.
The MoD said that that last year’s suspected suicides included two at the same base outside Basra in December. Corporal Lee Churcher, 32, of Headquarters 20th Armoured Brigade, and Lance Corporal David Wilson, 27, of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps, were both found with gunshot wounds.
The potential total of 67 suicides between 2002 and February this year brought a shocked response from the Royal British Legion. “It’s a concern that some young men on the front line feel they have no one to turn to and we urge the Ministry of Defence to look into these findings,” it said.
The MoD and Dasa emphasised that the overall suicide figures in the Armed Forces over the past 25 years – 718 between 1984 and 2008 – were lower than the rate for the general population, with the exception of young men under 20 in the Army. Dasa said that young soldiers had a 47 per cent increased risk of suicides over the period in comparison with the same age group in the general population.
Between 2004 and 2008 six soldiers aged 16-19 and nine aged 20-24 committed suicide. The MoD said that between 2002 and 2008 there were 102 suicides, many not involved in Iraq or Afghanistan deployments.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6011873.ece
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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Get some sky on your smock, lad....
Brigade practises air assault skills
Troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade have recently returned to safe ground following a major air skills exercise in Wiltshire which saw them parachuting from 800 feet (244 metres) onto Salisbury Plain.
Exercise Eagle's Flight trains parachute and air assault personnel in the essential air skills required within 16 Air Assault Brigade. Following the brigade's return from Operation HERRICK 8 in Afghanistan last summer, the exercise is designed to prepare those units with specialist skills for future deployments.
The troops were trained and tested on tactical air landing operations, air assault battle exercises, helicopter handling, and parachuting and rigging.
.
Major Will Horridge, in charge of the exercise, said:
"We had a very successful exercise where our soldiers were able to practise the air, aviation and parachute skills that are vital to us as a specialist air assault brigade. These skills will help to ensure that we are fully prepared for deployment on future operations.” All units involved in the exercise were deployed in Afghanistan last year and the high level of skills and experience gained on that tour was manifest in their performance on this exercise."
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland; 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment; 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment; 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment; 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery; and 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) were all involved in the exercise which saw the Service personnel flying from RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/TrainingAndAdventure/InPicturesBrigadePractisesAirAssaultSkills.htm
Brigade practises air assault skills
Troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade have recently returned to safe ground following a major air skills exercise in Wiltshire which saw them parachuting from 800 feet (244 metres) onto Salisbury Plain.
Exercise Eagle's Flight trains parachute and air assault personnel in the essential air skills required within 16 Air Assault Brigade. Following the brigade's return from Operation HERRICK 8 in Afghanistan last summer, the exercise is designed to prepare those units with specialist skills for future deployments.
The troops were trained and tested on tactical air landing operations, air assault battle exercises, helicopter handling, and parachuting and rigging.
.
Major Will Horridge, in charge of the exercise, said:
"We had a very successful exercise where our soldiers were able to practise the air, aviation and parachute skills that are vital to us as a specialist air assault brigade. These skills will help to ensure that we are fully prepared for deployment on future operations.” All units involved in the exercise were deployed in Afghanistan last year and the high level of skills and experience gained on that tour was manifest in their performance on this exercise."
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland; 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment; 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment; 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment; 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery; and 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) were all involved in the exercise which saw the Service personnel flying from RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/TrainingAndAdventure/InPicturesBrigadePractisesAirAssaultSkills.htm
Yrys
Army.ca Veteran
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Police hold 114 in power protest (in Nottingham) (Eco-terrorism)
More than 100 people have been arrested in Nottingham over a suspected plan to target
a power station. Police said 114 men and women were arrested in Sneinton Dale on
suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass and criminal damage.
Officers said they believed those arrested were planning to protest at nearby Ratcliffe-on-
Soar power station. Police said equipment including bolt-cutters was found and they feared
a threat to the safety of the site. A police spokesman said it was thought there was a
"serious threat" to the coal-fired power station, which is eight miles south-west of
Nottingham.
More than 200 police officers from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire
and British Transport Police were involved in the arrests at the Iona School.
'Real bedlam'
There were no reported injuries. The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station has previously been
targeted by members of the Eastside Climate Action, although the group has denied any
involvement in the latest suspected plot. Eleven people from the group were arrested in
April 2007 after chaining themselves to buildings and equipment at the site.
Eon, which operates the power station, said it was helping the police with their investigation.
City councillor David Mellen said the police raided the privately-run school as a result of
"an intelligence-led operation". He said: "I don't know whether it was the school itself being
used or the car park. "Neighbours reported a lot of noise after midnight. It seems to have
been used as a rendezvous for people from a wide area." No-one at the school was available
for comment.
Residents in the suburb of Sneinton contacted the BBC with reports of a large police presence
in the area. Tess Rearden, who lives near where the arrests were made, said she saw 20 police
vehicles. She said: "It was all slamming of doors and van doors and all these vans were coming
up here - police vans, riot vans. "My son came out of his bedroom and he said: 'Have you seen
what's going on out front?' "They were all up and down the roads here. It was bedlam, real
bedlam."
Residents said handcuffed suspects sang loudly as they were led away. Susan Lawson, 56,
who lives opposite the school, said: "The police said to me 'get in the house and don't come out'.
"Then I saw them bringing people out of the school gates in handcuffs and putting them into vans.
"The vans kept coming back to pick up more of them. Police had big black and yellow bin bags
full of something which they took away. "I was shocked, I couldn't get back to sleep afterwards.
It was terrible."
Speaking on behalf of Eastside Climate Action, Bob Andrews said: "We don't know anything about
the arrests last night. "It wasn't us and we don't know who has been arrested. "But if people were
planning to shut [the plant] down like we tried to do two years ago then that is great news. "We
would fully support people taking safe and responsible action to stop carbon emissions. "Ratcliffe
is the third biggest single source of CO2 in the country; it has got to be closed down if we are
serious about climate change."
More than 100 people have been arrested in Nottingham over a suspected plan to target
a power station. Police said 114 men and women were arrested in Sneinton Dale on
suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass and criminal damage.
Officers said they believed those arrested were planning to protest at nearby Ratcliffe-on-
Soar power station. Police said equipment including bolt-cutters was found and they feared
a threat to the safety of the site. A police spokesman said it was thought there was a
"serious threat" to the coal-fired power station, which is eight miles south-west of
Nottingham.
More than 200 police officers from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire
and British Transport Police were involved in the arrests at the Iona School.
'Real bedlam'
There were no reported injuries. The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station has previously been
targeted by members of the Eastside Climate Action, although the group has denied any
involvement in the latest suspected plot. Eleven people from the group were arrested in
April 2007 after chaining themselves to buildings and equipment at the site.
Eon, which operates the power station, said it was helping the police with their investigation.
City councillor David Mellen said the police raided the privately-run school as a result of
"an intelligence-led operation". He said: "I don't know whether it was the school itself being
used or the car park. "Neighbours reported a lot of noise after midnight. It seems to have
been used as a rendezvous for people from a wide area." No-one at the school was available
for comment.
Residents in the suburb of Sneinton contacted the BBC with reports of a large police presence
in the area. Tess Rearden, who lives near where the arrests were made, said she saw 20 police
vehicles. She said: "It was all slamming of doors and van doors and all these vans were coming
up here - police vans, riot vans. "My son came out of his bedroom and he said: 'Have you seen
what's going on out front?' "They were all up and down the roads here. It was bedlam, real
bedlam."
Residents said handcuffed suspects sang loudly as they were led away. Susan Lawson, 56,
who lives opposite the school, said: "The police said to me 'get in the house and don't come out'.
"Then I saw them bringing people out of the school gates in handcuffs and putting them into vans.
"The vans kept coming back to pick up more of them. Police had big black and yellow bin bags
full of something which they took away. "I was shocked, I couldn't get back to sleep afterwards.
It was terrible."
Speaking on behalf of Eastside Climate Action, Bob Andrews said: "We don't know anything about
the arrests last night. "It wasn't us and we don't know who has been arrested. "But if people were
planning to shut [the plant] down like we tried to do two years ago then that is great news. "We
would fully support people taking safe and responsible action to stop carbon emissions. "Ratcliffe
is the third biggest single source of CO2 in the country; it has got to be closed down if we are
serious about climate change."
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 26,579
- Points
- 1,160
Revealed: Untold story of how 22 Marines held off hundreds of Argentinians and disabled a warship on eve of Falklands War
By Matthew Hickley
Last updated at 7:39 AM on 15th April 2009
Told fully for the first time, how a force of 22 brave Marines held invading Argentines at bay in the run-up to the Falklands War
Grim determination etched on their faces, the Royal Marines pose for a final photograph in the frozen silence of South Georgia.
Thousands of miles from home and facing an unstoppable Argentine invasion force, few expected to survive until nightfall.
Heroes: Section Commander George Thomsen (standing centre, with a moustache) has recalled how he and 21 other Royal Marines held off an Argentine invasion of the island of South Georgia. This picture was taken seconds before the 1982 day-long conflict began
Moments after the photograph was taken on April 3, 1982, the peace was shattered as the first enemy helicopter arrived - and was promptly shot down by the Marines' rifle and machine gun fire.
In the heroic defence that followed, the tiny garrison numbering just 22 men fought on ferociously for hours to inflict heavy casualties, even crippling a 260ft Argentine warship.
Like their comrades defending the Falklands 800 miles away, the Commandos on South Georgia were eventually forced to surrender - but not before giving the invasion force a bloody nose.
Described as a modern-day Rorke's Drift, the 1879 battle in which 139 British soldiers fought off 5,000 Zulu warriors, the full story of the struggle has been revealed in a book by one of the Marines involved, George Thomsen.
In March 1982, Thomsen was days from returning home from the small Royal Marine Falklands garrison when he was ordered to take eight men to South Georgia to monitor a group of Argentinian scrap dealers who had landed illegally and raised the Argentine flag, the incident which was to lead to full-blown war in the Falklands.
Enlarge The Falklands War began shortly after the Marines successfully guarded South Georgia. Here, British soldiers disembark at a jetty at San Carlos Bay in June 1982
Along with 12 other Marines under Lieutenant Keith Mills they arrived on the desolate island in mid-March.
Two weeks later the crisis erupted when the Argentines invaded the Falklands. Section commander Thomsen and his comrades knew a large enemy force would descend on them within hours.
With no hope of reinforcements, they set about doing everything possible to prepare. They boobytrapped the shore and fashioned an enormous bomb beneath the jetty, packed with nuts, bolts and harpoon heads.
Thomsen, who was 24 at the time, said: 'There wasn't a single one of us that wasn't prepared to fight it out to the last man. We weren't expected to come back.
'It was a one-way ticket for me. It was just 30 seconds after we had that photo taken that the helicopter came in.'
Scurrying for cover they opened fire with rifles and machine guns and shot down the Puma gunship as it tried to land enemy troops.
'That was like a gift,' said Thomsen. 'That kicked off the battle, and we were 16-nil up from the start.'
As the battle raged, another Argentine helicopter was put out of action, but the Marines could not hold back the tide as hundreds of enemy soldiers swarmed ashore.
Still they kept up a fierce resistance, and when the Argentinian corvette the ARA Guerrico steamed into the bay, the Marines launched an audacious attack.
'It was raking us with its 40mm anti-aircraft gun until we wiped out the gun crew,' said Thomsen. 'We then used a bazooka, but three out of five rounds didn't go off.
'If they had we'd have sunk it. But we put it out of action and it was listing at 30 degrees.
'We whacked out its Exocet launchers with rocket launchers and hit the 4in gun on the front and disabled it. We were putting sniper fire through the bridge so they didn't-know where they were going. It was the first time in history anything like that had been done.
'At the same time they were landing troops from two or three other ships and we were outnumbered 50-1, or 100-1 if you count everyone on their ships.
'It was like Rorke's Drift, except the enemy was well armed.'
The fighting only ended when, in a 'brilliant bit of British bluff', Lieutenant Mills walked brazenly towards the Argentinians and warned his men would keep fighting unless they agreed to his terms - including safe passage off the island.
The Argentinians agreed - but were astonished to discover they had been facing just 22 Marines.
The Marines were flown back to Britain. They later joined the British task force which liberated the Falklands. South Georgia was recaptured on April 25.
Thomsen, 51, from Poole in Dorset, is married with two children and now runs a firm making hi-fi record turntables.
His book, Too Few Too Far, is published by Amberley.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1169911/Revealed-Untold-story-22-Marines-held-hundreds-Argentinians-disabled-warship-eve-Falklands-War.html
By Matthew Hickley
Last updated at 7:39 AM on 15th April 2009
Told fully for the first time, how a force of 22 brave Marines held invading Argentines at bay in the run-up to the Falklands War
Grim determination etched on their faces, the Royal Marines pose for a final photograph in the frozen silence of South Georgia.
Thousands of miles from home and facing an unstoppable Argentine invasion force, few expected to survive until nightfall.
Heroes: Section Commander George Thomsen (standing centre, with a moustache) has recalled how he and 21 other Royal Marines held off an Argentine invasion of the island of South Georgia. This picture was taken seconds before the 1982 day-long conflict began
Moments after the photograph was taken on April 3, 1982, the peace was shattered as the first enemy helicopter arrived - and was promptly shot down by the Marines' rifle and machine gun fire.
In the heroic defence that followed, the tiny garrison numbering just 22 men fought on ferociously for hours to inflict heavy casualties, even crippling a 260ft Argentine warship.
Like their comrades defending the Falklands 800 miles away, the Commandos on South Georgia were eventually forced to surrender - but not before giving the invasion force a bloody nose.
Described as a modern-day Rorke's Drift, the 1879 battle in which 139 British soldiers fought off 5,000 Zulu warriors, the full story of the struggle has been revealed in a book by one of the Marines involved, George Thomsen.
In March 1982, Thomsen was days from returning home from the small Royal Marine Falklands garrison when he was ordered to take eight men to South Georgia to monitor a group of Argentinian scrap dealers who had landed illegally and raised the Argentine flag, the incident which was to lead to full-blown war in the Falklands.
Enlarge The Falklands War began shortly after the Marines successfully guarded South Georgia. Here, British soldiers disembark at a jetty at San Carlos Bay in June 1982
Along with 12 other Marines under Lieutenant Keith Mills they arrived on the desolate island in mid-March.
Two weeks later the crisis erupted when the Argentines invaded the Falklands. Section commander Thomsen and his comrades knew a large enemy force would descend on them within hours.
With no hope of reinforcements, they set about doing everything possible to prepare. They boobytrapped the shore and fashioned an enormous bomb beneath the jetty, packed with nuts, bolts and harpoon heads.
Thomsen, who was 24 at the time, said: 'There wasn't a single one of us that wasn't prepared to fight it out to the last man. We weren't expected to come back.
'It was a one-way ticket for me. It was just 30 seconds after we had that photo taken that the helicopter came in.'
Scurrying for cover they opened fire with rifles and machine guns and shot down the Puma gunship as it tried to land enemy troops.
'That was like a gift,' said Thomsen. 'That kicked off the battle, and we were 16-nil up from the start.'
As the battle raged, another Argentine helicopter was put out of action, but the Marines could not hold back the tide as hundreds of enemy soldiers swarmed ashore.
Still they kept up a fierce resistance, and when the Argentinian corvette the ARA Guerrico steamed into the bay, the Marines launched an audacious attack.
'It was raking us with its 40mm anti-aircraft gun until we wiped out the gun crew,' said Thomsen. 'We then used a bazooka, but three out of five rounds didn't go off.
'If they had we'd have sunk it. But we put it out of action and it was listing at 30 degrees.
'We whacked out its Exocet launchers with rocket launchers and hit the 4in gun on the front and disabled it. We were putting sniper fire through the bridge so they didn't-know where they were going. It was the first time in history anything like that had been done.
'At the same time they were landing troops from two or three other ships and we were outnumbered 50-1, or 100-1 if you count everyone on their ships.
'It was like Rorke's Drift, except the enemy was well armed.'
The fighting only ended when, in a 'brilliant bit of British bluff', Lieutenant Mills walked brazenly towards the Argentinians and warned his men would keep fighting unless they agreed to his terms - including safe passage off the island.
The Argentinians agreed - but were astonished to discover they had been facing just 22 Marines.
The Marines were flown back to Britain. They later joined the British task force which liberated the Falklands. South Georgia was recaptured on April 25.
Thomsen, 51, from Poole in Dorset, is married with two children and now runs a firm making hi-fi record turntables.
His book, Too Few Too Far, is published by Amberley.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1169911/Revealed-Untold-story-22-Marines-held-hundreds-Argentinians-disabled-warship-eve-Falklands-War.html
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 26,579
- Points
- 1,160
"IT WAS A DESPERATE PLACE TO BE, UNLESS YOU ARE A PARA"
In 2006 the journalist Christina Lamb was embedded with C Coy 3 PARA when they were ambushed in Afghanistan. Her account that was published later was superb and won her a national press award. At the awarding ceremony in London she accepted her award on behalf of all the officers and men of 3 PARA.
Attached is third clip of 5 of that ambush. Narrated by Andy McNab but gives a good account of a tough day out. Other clips worth also watching as well but picked this one as it has some good quotes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdC9h-1hbZc&feature=related
In 2006 the journalist Christina Lamb was embedded with C Coy 3 PARA when they were ambushed in Afghanistan. Her account that was published later was superb and won her a national press award. At the awarding ceremony in London she accepted her award on behalf of all the officers and men of 3 PARA.
Attached is third clip of 5 of that ambush. Narrated by Andy McNab but gives a good account of a tough day out. Other clips worth also watching as well but picked this one as it has some good quotes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdC9h-1hbZc&feature=related
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
The answer to that is self evident,Maggie is long gone and the
socialists would be more than happy to give up the Falklands if
they could sell it to British public as a money saving move and
leave the graves of the soldiers who fought to defend it behind.
After all they have done it before,all over what used to be called
the British Empire.
Regards
socialists would be more than happy to give up the Falklands if
they could sell it to British public as a money saving move and
leave the graves of the soldiers who fought to defend it behind.
After all they have done it before,all over what used to be called
the British Empire.
Regards
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 26,579
- Points
- 1,160
First US Army officer to graduate from Sandhurst
The first US Army officer to graduate from Sandhurst has spoken of his pride at his British military education.
By James Kirkup
Last Updated: 8:56AM BST 11 Apr 2009
Kevin Heath was one of 199 officers to pass out from the British Army academy this week, and the first of several American officers who will pass through the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the coming years.
British and American commanders have agreed that US officers should attend the college in Camberley, Surrey, because of the extensive co-operation between the two armies in theatres such as Afghanistan.
Lt Heath will now return to the US Army's Ranger School before joining the 173 Airborne in Italy. His unit is set to deploy to Afghanistan, where he said he expects to work closely with British forces.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Lt Heath said his unique experience of the British military would be invaluable in Afghanistan. "It'll be a great help to have the comrades, the friends I made here, when I deploy out on the ground on operations," he said.
While two armies have very similar approaches to combat and other operations, he said the British system of military training has clear advantages. "Here it's more individual than in the US. At Sandhurst they work on developing you as a person."
A 26-year-old Chicago native, Lt Heath was a "UK virgin" when he arrived in the country for the first time to start at Sandhurst last year. He leaves a committed Anglophile: "I have nothing but good things to say about the country."
Political commentators have debated possible changes in transatlantic relations in the years ahead, but Lt Heath is clear that Britain and the US remain intertwined by shared experience, including going to war together.
Having US officers at Sandhurst "helps with the special relationship between the two countries. It's a great step in our collective history".
The new officers commissioned at the academy this week were addressed by John Hutton, the Defence Secretary, who paid an emotional tribute to the class, telling them: "Our gratitude for what you do knows no bounds."
He added: "Many of you will leave here for operational tours in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is the biggest challenge that currently faces our armed forces. Success is of paramount importance to the security of our country.
"The work we do in support of the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan will help to deny terrorists their safe havens, which in turn will prevent them attacking our loved ones here in the UK."
Officers from foreign armies are often sent to Sandhurst, and 26 different nationalities were represented in this week's graduating class.
In a week when several Pakistani citizens were arrested on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks in the UK, defence sources highlighted the example set by Umair Imran Qazi, the 21-year-old Pakistani Army officer who won the Overseas Sword of Honour as the best foreign student of his class at Sandhurst.
Lt Qazi will now return to Pakistan where he is expected to be deployed on the country's border area with Afghanistan, where terrorist groups blamed for plotting attacks in the West operate.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/5136185/First-US-Army-officer-to-graduate-from-Sandhurst.html
The first US Army officer to graduate from Sandhurst has spoken of his pride at his British military education.
By James Kirkup
Last Updated: 8:56AM BST 11 Apr 2009
Kevin Heath was one of 199 officers to pass out from the British Army academy this week, and the first of several American officers who will pass through the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the coming years.
British and American commanders have agreed that US officers should attend the college in Camberley, Surrey, because of the extensive co-operation between the two armies in theatres such as Afghanistan.
Lt Heath will now return to the US Army's Ranger School before joining the 173 Airborne in Italy. His unit is set to deploy to Afghanistan, where he said he expects to work closely with British forces.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Lt Heath said his unique experience of the British military would be invaluable in Afghanistan. "It'll be a great help to have the comrades, the friends I made here, when I deploy out on the ground on operations," he said.
While two armies have very similar approaches to combat and other operations, he said the British system of military training has clear advantages. "Here it's more individual than in the US. At Sandhurst they work on developing you as a person."
A 26-year-old Chicago native, Lt Heath was a "UK virgin" when he arrived in the country for the first time to start at Sandhurst last year. He leaves a committed Anglophile: "I have nothing but good things to say about the country."
Political commentators have debated possible changes in transatlantic relations in the years ahead, but Lt Heath is clear that Britain and the US remain intertwined by shared experience, including going to war together.
Having US officers at Sandhurst "helps with the special relationship between the two countries. It's a great step in our collective history".
The new officers commissioned at the academy this week were addressed by John Hutton, the Defence Secretary, who paid an emotional tribute to the class, telling them: "Our gratitude for what you do knows no bounds."
He added: "Many of you will leave here for operational tours in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is the biggest challenge that currently faces our armed forces. Success is of paramount importance to the security of our country.
"The work we do in support of the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan will help to deny terrorists their safe havens, which in turn will prevent them attacking our loved ones here in the UK."
Officers from foreign armies are often sent to Sandhurst, and 26 different nationalities were represented in this week's graduating class.
In a week when several Pakistani citizens were arrested on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks in the UK, defence sources highlighted the example set by Umair Imran Qazi, the 21-year-old Pakistani Army officer who won the Overseas Sword of Honour as the best foreign student of his class at Sandhurst.
Lt Qazi will now return to Pakistan where he is expected to be deployed on the country's border area with Afghanistan, where terrorist groups blamed for plotting attacks in the West operate.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/5136185/First-US-Army-officer-to-graduate-from-Sandhurst.html
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 26,579
- Points
- 1,160
Lieutenant Kevin Walton, GC
Lieutenant Kevin Walton, who died on April 13 aged 90, won a George Cross for rescuing a fellow member of an Antarctic research expedition from a crevasse in 1946.
Last Updated: 6:33PM BST 16 Apr 2009
Walton in Antartica, 1947
As a member of a Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey party sent to establish bases in the South Shetlands and on Goudier Islet, Port Lockroy, Walton was with a four-man team seeking a dog-sledge route up a steep glacier to the plateau of the Graham Land Peninsula on August 24. Around midday Major John Tonkin (who had won an MC in France just before D-Day) was walking ahead to encourage the dogs when he disappeared through a badly-bridged crevasse. He fell some 40 feet to become jammed at chest level in a narrow part of the ice. Ropes were lowered, and he managed to get loops around his forearms but found himself stuck fast.
As the most experienced mountaineer in the party, Walton volunteered to go down. On being lowered he found the hard blue walls bristling with large spine-like ice crystals and, when the crevasse narrowed to eight inches 30ft down, could go no lower.
He had himself pulled up, moved a few yards to the side and lowered again to arrive with his feet level with Tonkin's head. He then made himself a tool from the sawn-off spike of an ice-axe, diligently chipping away until he freed Tonkin sufficiently for ropes to be fixed around his shoulders. The men above hauled, and the trapped man came free like a cork from a bottle.
The rescue operation took over three hours, and the nerves in Tonkin's arms and wrists were damaged for six months before he was fully active again. When Walton arrived at Buckingham Palace to be invested with the Albert Medal he found himself engaged in a light-hearted exchange with King George VI for wearing the wrong ribbon. Albert Medals were revoked by Royal Warrant in 1971, but Walton elected to retain his instead of exchanging it for a George Cross.
The son of a missionary, Eric William Kevin Walton was born on May 15 1918 in Kobe, Japan. He was interested in climbing by his godfather, Howard Somervell, a member of the 1922 and 1924 Everest expeditions, and also by the sight of Shackleton's sledge, which was kept at Monkton Combe School, where he was educated.
He graduated in Civil Engineering from Imperial College, London, where he had enjoyed climbing on the roofs, and became an engineer officer in the Royal Navy. It was while serving in the battleship Rodney that he heard a sermon by the future Bishop Launcelot Fleming. The two men struck up a friendship and Fleming inspired Walton with a love of the Antarctic, derived from his own prewar expedition to Graham Land. After taking part in the pursuit of Bismarck, Walton was in the destroyer Onslow in 1942 when she was holed in the engine room and set on fire in the action off the North Cape against the pocket battleships Hipper and Lutzow. As the only one who knew how to rope himself, he went down the hole to reach the seat of the fire, and, ever cheerful and unflappable, played a crucial part in keeping his ship afloat. He was awarded the DSC.
Then serving in the destroyer Duncan, he was mentioned in despatches on North Atlantic convoy duties and was sent to Malta and the Far East. On being demobbed he was immediately offered a place with the Antarctic expedition, Operation Tabarin, from which he returned home to marry Ruth Yule, with whom he was to have one son and three daughters.
In the new next few years Walton was British secretary of the International Antarctic expedition, keeping huskies in the gardens of the Royal Geographical Society in London, and acted as mechanic for Aston Martin in the Le Mans 24-hour race. For six months he was the first instructor for the Outward Bound course in the Lake District and also spent six months on a yacht which landed agents in Albania until it was clear that the details were being leaked from MI6 by the double-agent Kim Philby.
For seven months he was second-in command of Duncan Carse's survey mission to South Georgia, where he made what he considered a far more dangerous rescue than that of Tonkin by saving a geologist who had fallen 200ft down a crevasse. On his return home he received the Queen's Commendation.
As a schoolmaster at Oundle from 1952, he worked with the engineering workshops, repaired the clocks of local churches and vintage Rolls-Royces, and led the boys on arduous courses in the Scottish mountains. But his climbing career came to an end after he sliced off three fingers in the workshop, though they were sewn back on. Walton joined the Tyneside company Merz and McLennan in the late 1950s, which was involved in the fledgling nuclear power industry and then was a surveyor with the power station being built at Trawsfynydd in North Wales.
He then spent five years as the engineering lecturer at Dartmouth before moving to Malvern College in 1969. There he started the Penguin sailing club for pupils, which still flourishes, and was given a wide remit to design a programme to foster understanding of engineering among secondary school pupils nationwide. This attracted additional funding from several companies, including Rolls-Royce, and a pilot scheme, "Opening Windows in Engineering", set up in 1975, was soon operating in six major industrial centres. Two years later his Great Achievements in Engineering was published.
A man of great charm and modesty, he was always ready to pay tribute to the courage of fellow members of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, whose exploits had required the taking of tremendous risks. As a mountaineer, he claimed to have been trained not to take chances.
Walton was awarded the Polar Medal with Antarctic clasp, 1946-7, and set up a press with Malvern School which mainly reissued classics of polar exploration. He wrote Two Years in the Antarctic (1955) and was a joint author of Portrait of Antarctica (1983) which contained a limited text but gave a fine impression of field operations since the 1930s. The other authors were Walton's son Jonathan, his nephew Paul Copestake and a son-in-law, Jim Bishop, who was killed on the international Karakoram expedition in 1980. Kevin Walton is commemorated by Mount Walton in British Graham Land.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/5166438/Lieutenant-Kevin-Walton-GC.html
Lieutenant Kevin Walton, who died on April 13 aged 90, won a George Cross for rescuing a fellow member of an Antarctic research expedition from a crevasse in 1946.
Last Updated: 6:33PM BST 16 Apr 2009
Walton in Antartica, 1947
As a member of a Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey party sent to establish bases in the South Shetlands and on Goudier Islet, Port Lockroy, Walton was with a four-man team seeking a dog-sledge route up a steep glacier to the plateau of the Graham Land Peninsula on August 24. Around midday Major John Tonkin (who had won an MC in France just before D-Day) was walking ahead to encourage the dogs when he disappeared through a badly-bridged crevasse. He fell some 40 feet to become jammed at chest level in a narrow part of the ice. Ropes were lowered, and he managed to get loops around his forearms but found himself stuck fast.
As the most experienced mountaineer in the party, Walton volunteered to go down. On being lowered he found the hard blue walls bristling with large spine-like ice crystals and, when the crevasse narrowed to eight inches 30ft down, could go no lower.
He had himself pulled up, moved a few yards to the side and lowered again to arrive with his feet level with Tonkin's head. He then made himself a tool from the sawn-off spike of an ice-axe, diligently chipping away until he freed Tonkin sufficiently for ropes to be fixed around his shoulders. The men above hauled, and the trapped man came free like a cork from a bottle.
The rescue operation took over three hours, and the nerves in Tonkin's arms and wrists were damaged for six months before he was fully active again. When Walton arrived at Buckingham Palace to be invested with the Albert Medal he found himself engaged in a light-hearted exchange with King George VI for wearing the wrong ribbon. Albert Medals were revoked by Royal Warrant in 1971, but Walton elected to retain his instead of exchanging it for a George Cross.
The son of a missionary, Eric William Kevin Walton was born on May 15 1918 in Kobe, Japan. He was interested in climbing by his godfather, Howard Somervell, a member of the 1922 and 1924 Everest expeditions, and also by the sight of Shackleton's sledge, which was kept at Monkton Combe School, where he was educated.
He graduated in Civil Engineering from Imperial College, London, where he had enjoyed climbing on the roofs, and became an engineer officer in the Royal Navy. It was while serving in the battleship Rodney that he heard a sermon by the future Bishop Launcelot Fleming. The two men struck up a friendship and Fleming inspired Walton with a love of the Antarctic, derived from his own prewar expedition to Graham Land. After taking part in the pursuit of Bismarck, Walton was in the destroyer Onslow in 1942 when she was holed in the engine room and set on fire in the action off the North Cape against the pocket battleships Hipper and Lutzow. As the only one who knew how to rope himself, he went down the hole to reach the seat of the fire, and, ever cheerful and unflappable, played a crucial part in keeping his ship afloat. He was awarded the DSC.
Then serving in the destroyer Duncan, he was mentioned in despatches on North Atlantic convoy duties and was sent to Malta and the Far East. On being demobbed he was immediately offered a place with the Antarctic expedition, Operation Tabarin, from which he returned home to marry Ruth Yule, with whom he was to have one son and three daughters.
In the new next few years Walton was British secretary of the International Antarctic expedition, keeping huskies in the gardens of the Royal Geographical Society in London, and acted as mechanic for Aston Martin in the Le Mans 24-hour race. For six months he was the first instructor for the Outward Bound course in the Lake District and also spent six months on a yacht which landed agents in Albania until it was clear that the details were being leaked from MI6 by the double-agent Kim Philby.
For seven months he was second-in command of Duncan Carse's survey mission to South Georgia, where he made what he considered a far more dangerous rescue than that of Tonkin by saving a geologist who had fallen 200ft down a crevasse. On his return home he received the Queen's Commendation.
As a schoolmaster at Oundle from 1952, he worked with the engineering workshops, repaired the clocks of local churches and vintage Rolls-Royces, and led the boys on arduous courses in the Scottish mountains. But his climbing career came to an end after he sliced off three fingers in the workshop, though they were sewn back on. Walton joined the Tyneside company Merz and McLennan in the late 1950s, which was involved in the fledgling nuclear power industry and then was a surveyor with the power station being built at Trawsfynydd in North Wales.
He then spent five years as the engineering lecturer at Dartmouth before moving to Malvern College in 1969. There he started the Penguin sailing club for pupils, which still flourishes, and was given a wide remit to design a programme to foster understanding of engineering among secondary school pupils nationwide. This attracted additional funding from several companies, including Rolls-Royce, and a pilot scheme, "Opening Windows in Engineering", set up in 1975, was soon operating in six major industrial centres. Two years later his Great Achievements in Engineering was published.
A man of great charm and modesty, he was always ready to pay tribute to the courage of fellow members of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, whose exploits had required the taking of tremendous risks. As a mountaineer, he claimed to have been trained not to take chances.
Walton was awarded the Polar Medal with Antarctic clasp, 1946-7, and set up a press with Malvern School which mainly reissued classics of polar exploration. He wrote Two Years in the Antarctic (1955) and was a joint author of Portrait of Antarctica (1983) which contained a limited text but gave a fine impression of field operations since the 1930s. The other authors were Walton's son Jonathan, his nephew Paul Copestake and a son-in-law, Jim Bishop, who was killed on the international Karakoram expedition in 1980. Kevin Walton is commemorated by Mount Walton in British Graham Land.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/5166438/Lieutenant-Kevin-Walton-GC.html
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
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- Points
- 1,160
British soldier escapes death when Taliban bullet passes through helmet
Private Leon "Willy" Wilson, 32, said he was left without a mark after the high-velocity round tore through his head protection.
The Territorial Army soldier, on attachment with 2nd Battalion of the Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters), was knocked flat on his back by the impact of the shot.
Pte Wilson had been manning a machine gun during a fierce battle with the Taliban in Helmand Province on April 10 when he was hit by the 7.62mm AK47 bullet, the Ministry of Defence said.
The father of three from Manchester said: "I took my finger off the trigger when the shot hit my helmet.
"I was knocked clean off my position and landed on my back. I had my eyes shut."
He asked another private next to him if he had been shot.
"He was just staring at me in amazement and swearing, and said 'Yes'," Pte Wilson said.
"The medic was looking queasy - I don't think anyone wanted to take my helmet off."
The soldier, who is a self-employed electrician when not on active duty, was back in the thick of the fighting within an hour after finding a new helmet.
He said: "(My commander) wouldn't let me go back up with that helmet. It took an hour to find another one, because they are personal issue, then I went back."
He added: "It shook me up but there is not much else you can do but get on with the job you are out here to do."
The gun battle came after British and Afghan soldiers destroyed an insurgent bomb factory in the village of Khowshhal Kalay. They were fired on after sheltering overnight in a compound.
Pte Wilson was wearing a Mark 6a helmet, which is made from several layers of Kevlar armour.
He is now back in Camp Bastion, where phoned his girlfriend.
"She was fine - well, as fine as can be expected," he said.
Pte Wilson's commander, Captain Rob Agnew said the "luckiest Private" in the army, adding: "Willy's a good lad - and a good soldier."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/5185889/British-soldier-escapes-death-when-Taliban-bullet-passes-through-helmet.html
Private Leon "Willy" Wilson, 32, said he was left without a mark after the high-velocity round tore through his head protection.
The Territorial Army soldier, on attachment with 2nd Battalion of the Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters), was knocked flat on his back by the impact of the shot.
Pte Wilson had been manning a machine gun during a fierce battle with the Taliban in Helmand Province on April 10 when he was hit by the 7.62mm AK47 bullet, the Ministry of Defence said.
The father of three from Manchester said: "I took my finger off the trigger when the shot hit my helmet.
"I was knocked clean off my position and landed on my back. I had my eyes shut."
He asked another private next to him if he had been shot.
"He was just staring at me in amazement and swearing, and said 'Yes'," Pte Wilson said.
"The medic was looking queasy - I don't think anyone wanted to take my helmet off."
The soldier, who is a self-employed electrician when not on active duty, was back in the thick of the fighting within an hour after finding a new helmet.
He said: "(My commander) wouldn't let me go back up with that helmet. It took an hour to find another one, because they are personal issue, then I went back."
He added: "It shook me up but there is not much else you can do but get on with the job you are out here to do."
The gun battle came after British and Afghan soldiers destroyed an insurgent bomb factory in the village of Khowshhal Kalay. They were fired on after sheltering overnight in a compound.
Pte Wilson was wearing a Mark 6a helmet, which is made from several layers of Kevlar armour.
He is now back in Camp Bastion, where phoned his girlfriend.
"She was fine - well, as fine as can be expected," he said.
Pte Wilson's commander, Captain Rob Agnew said the "luckiest Private" in the army, adding: "Willy's a good lad - and a good soldier."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/5185889/British-soldier-escapes-death-when-Taliban-bullet-passes-through-helmet.html
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 26,579
- Points
- 1,160
Paratroopers 'humiliated and assaulted naked teenage soldier because they thought he was a coward'
Five paratroopers 'humiliated' a 19-year-old soldier while on duty in Afghanistan because they thought he was a coward, a court martial heard yesterday.
He was stripped naked, handcuffed and held down and then indecently assaulted while other soldiers looked on, the hearing was told.
Prosecutors said the incident - alleged to have taken place in a tent in southern Afghanistan in the autumn of 2006 - was photographed and videoed.
Lance Corporal Ian Greenslade, Private Christopher Martin, and Lance Corporal Jamie Morton arrive at Colchester Garrison Military Court
The court was shown photographs of the soldier, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, lying naked with his hands and ankles bound.
The paratroopers - Corporal Simon Scott, Lance Corporal Peter McKinley, Lance Corporal Jamie Morton, Lance Corporal Ian Greenslade and Private Christopher Martin - deny ' disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind'.
All are believed to be in their 20s.
Private Christopher Martin (left) and Lance Corporal Jamie Morton are alleged to have been part of the 'humiliating' incident
Lieutenant Colonel Alex Taylor, prosecuting, said the soldier was 'unpopular'.
He told the hearing in Colchester that the teenager had missed a training exercise prior to troops being deployed to Afghanistan because of an Achilles tendon injury, had arrived two weeks later than the others because he was attending a course and had missed a mission in Afghanistan after becoming ill.
Lance Corporal Peter McKinley is alleged to have punched the soldier
The soldier told the court he experienced hostility after missing the training exercise.
Personal belongings were trashed, his bed was turned over and he was accused of lying.
The hostility continued after his delayed arrival and after he had to spend 36 hours in a field hospital with severe stomach pains shortly before troops went on an operation in Afghanistan.
He said that after he left hospital he 'was treated with a lot of ill feeling and open hostility'.
'I would come back and find some of my stuff had been overturned. I was told I was a liar. I was a useless soldier, a coward. Things of that nature.'
The soldier told the court the alleged assault happened after McKinley - who he said had shown 'open anger and dislike' towards him and once punched him in the face - and two other soldiers approached him.
The soldier said plastic cuffs had been attached to his wrists and ankles and his clothes had been pulled off.
He said he was dragged along the floor by McKinley and was then assaulted.
He had been held down by a number of people who were using 'a lot of force'. The soldier said he tried to 'roll around' and break the cuffs but could not.
The hearing continues.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1172956/Paratroopers-humiliated-assaulted-naked-teenage-soldier.html
Five paratroopers 'humiliated' a 19-year-old soldier while on duty in Afghanistan because they thought he was a coward, a court martial heard yesterday.
He was stripped naked, handcuffed and held down and then indecently assaulted while other soldiers looked on, the hearing was told.
Prosecutors said the incident - alleged to have taken place in a tent in southern Afghanistan in the autumn of 2006 - was photographed and videoed.
Lance Corporal Ian Greenslade, Private Christopher Martin, and Lance Corporal Jamie Morton arrive at Colchester Garrison Military Court
The court was shown photographs of the soldier, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, lying naked with his hands and ankles bound.
The paratroopers - Corporal Simon Scott, Lance Corporal Peter McKinley, Lance Corporal Jamie Morton, Lance Corporal Ian Greenslade and Private Christopher Martin - deny ' disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind'.
All are believed to be in their 20s.
Private Christopher Martin (left) and Lance Corporal Jamie Morton are alleged to have been part of the 'humiliating' incident
Lieutenant Colonel Alex Taylor, prosecuting, said the soldier was 'unpopular'.
He told the hearing in Colchester that the teenager had missed a training exercise prior to troops being deployed to Afghanistan because of an Achilles tendon injury, had arrived two weeks later than the others because he was attending a course and had missed a mission in Afghanistan after becoming ill.
Lance Corporal Peter McKinley is alleged to have punched the soldier
The soldier told the court he experienced hostility after missing the training exercise.
Personal belongings were trashed, his bed was turned over and he was accused of lying.
The hostility continued after his delayed arrival and after he had to spend 36 hours in a field hospital with severe stomach pains shortly before troops went on an operation in Afghanistan.
He said that after he left hospital he 'was treated with a lot of ill feeling and open hostility'.
'I would come back and find some of my stuff had been overturned. I was told I was a liar. I was a useless soldier, a coward. Things of that nature.'
The soldier told the court the alleged assault happened after McKinley - who he said had shown 'open anger and dislike' towards him and once punched him in the face - and two other soldiers approached him.
The soldier said plastic cuffs had been attached to his wrists and ankles and his clothes had been pulled off.
He said he was dragged along the floor by McKinley and was then assaulted.
He had been held down by a number of people who were using 'a lot of force'. The soldier said he tried to 'roll around' and break the cuffs but could not.
The hearing continues.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1172956/Paratroopers-humiliated-assaulted-naked-teenage-soldier.html
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 360
Some harsh words for the British government's handling of the war effort in both Iraq and Afghanistan:
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 26,579
- Points
- 1,160
Let's call a truce: The diary extracts and cartoons that shed new light on the amazing events in No Man's Land 95 years ago
It was one of the few tender moments of the Great War - the incredible coming together of British and German troops in the Christmas truce of 1914.
Troops famously put down their arms and handshakes replaced bullets on the shell ravaged battle ground of No Man's land.
Now an extraordinary account of the remarkable exchange has been made public for the first time in the form of never before seen diary extracts and cartoons from a former army captain and officer.
Captain Robert Hamilton, of the 1st battalion Royal Warwickshire regiment, was present that morning when British Tommies rose warily out of their trenches and trudged over to meet the enemy, and his account of events has been presented by former history teacher Andrew Hamilton.
The tender moments have been immortalised forever as a moment of compassion amidst the senseless slaughter of the First World War, as British and German troops ate together, swapped gifts, buried the dead from both sides and even played football.
But not so widely known is the role Captain Hamilton played in paving the way for the truce on freezing Yuletide morning near the Belgian hamlet of St Yvon.
Writing in the small leather bound journal he kept with him, he recalls clamouring above the trench into the mud of No-Man's Land and meeting a German officer halfway.
After the initial uneasiness, the pair shook hands, which signalled the start of hundreds of other battle-weary troops on both sides to leave their dug-in positions and join them.
In his original diary, dated December 25, 1914, Captain Hamilton writes: 'A DAY UNIQUE IN THE WORLD'S HISTORY.
'I met this officer and we arranged a local armistice for 48 hours - as far as I can gather this effort of our extended itself throughout the whole time, as far as we could hear.
'A merry merry Christmas and a most extraordinary one but I doubled the sentries after midnight.'
On Boxing day he writes: 'The truce continues; we talk with the Germans at half way - our guns opened fire on the German trenches, but not a rifle shot was fired all day.
'I am told the general and staff are furious - but powerless to stop it.'
Accompanying Captain Hamilton was Bruce Bairnsfather, a celebrated cartoonist who captured the brief armistice in a series of illustrations.
The pair had known each other from days spent in their home town of Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire.
Andrew, 55, and historian Alan Reed, have collated more than 100 photographs, cartoons, maps and sketches to retell Captain Hamilton's story and his involvement in the famous truce.
Captain Hamilton writes: 'Xmas Day - I went out and found a Saxon officer of the 134th Saxon Corps, who was fully armed.
'I pointed to his revolver and pouch. He smiled and said, seeing I was unarmed, "Alright now".
'We shook hands and said what we could in double dutch, arranged a local armistice for 48 hours and returned to our trenches. This was the signal for our respective soldiers to come out.
'As far as I can make out, this effort of ours extended itself on either side for some considerable distance.
'The soldiers on both sides met in their hundreds and exchanged greetings and gifts. We buried many Germans and they did the same to ours.'
Bairnsfather, officer in charge of the Battalion's machine-gun section, painted an equally vivid picture of the truce in sketch form.
In one picture he depicted British soldiers exchanging buttons with their German counterparts.
In another sketch, a British tommy is seen poking his head above the trench that Christmas morning and surveying a deathly quiet battlefield, marked only with a bombed out barn and smouldering shell holes.
Andrew was inspired to share his grandfather's extraordinary experiences after his daughter took the diary with her on a school trip to the battlefields of France and Belgium.
He explained: 'That's how myself and Alan met. He was leading my daughter, Alice, on a school trip around the trenches and she gave him the diary to look at.
'We found we both shared a deep interest in the First World War and agreed to research my grandfather's experiences.
'For me it was a fascinating following my grandfather's campaign footsteps and pinpointing the exact spot where he met a German Officer, two miles from the Belgian hamlet St Yvon on Christmas Day.'
During a trip to Belgium they visited villages the troops would have passed through - uncovering pictures and postcards from the time.
When his grandfather returned home to England in 1915, he typed up his diary which had been filled in using crayon and pencil.
Andrew said: 'The diary was amazing in itself - not just for the information about the Christmas truce - but because it gives a great insight into life on the frontline.
'It was really quite moving to find the Truce's exact location and it was humbling to think that he had been involved in an event that has really captured the imagination of four generations and doubtless more in the future.
'My grandfather obviously wanted to reach a wider audience with his diary account of his six months in France and Belgium and that's why he took the time and trouble to type it up on his return to England.
'For whatever reason his account never made it past the family so I'm pleased to have brought his experiences to a far wider audience than he could ever have imagined.
'Robert was in no doubt about the importance of the event as he headlined his entry for Christmas Day in his original diary - 'A Day Unique in the World's History'.
'His description highlights the courage and determination of the soldiers who took part in trench warfare and the incredible hardship and dangers they encountered.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1173933/Lets-truce-The-diary-extracts-cartoons-shed-new-light-amazing-events-No-Mans-Land-95-years-ago.html
It was one of the few tender moments of the Great War - the incredible coming together of British and German troops in the Christmas truce of 1914.
Troops famously put down their arms and handshakes replaced bullets on the shell ravaged battle ground of No Man's land.
Now an extraordinary account of the remarkable exchange has been made public for the first time in the form of never before seen diary extracts and cartoons from a former army captain and officer.
Captain Robert Hamilton, of the 1st battalion Royal Warwickshire regiment, was present that morning when British Tommies rose warily out of their trenches and trudged over to meet the enemy, and his account of events has been presented by former history teacher Andrew Hamilton.
The tender moments have been immortalised forever as a moment of compassion amidst the senseless slaughter of the First World War, as British and German troops ate together, swapped gifts, buried the dead from both sides and even played football.
But not so widely known is the role Captain Hamilton played in paving the way for the truce on freezing Yuletide morning near the Belgian hamlet of St Yvon.
Writing in the small leather bound journal he kept with him, he recalls clamouring above the trench into the mud of No-Man's Land and meeting a German officer halfway.
After the initial uneasiness, the pair shook hands, which signalled the start of hundreds of other battle-weary troops on both sides to leave their dug-in positions and join them.
In his original diary, dated December 25, 1914, Captain Hamilton writes: 'A DAY UNIQUE IN THE WORLD'S HISTORY.
'I met this officer and we arranged a local armistice for 48 hours - as far as I can gather this effort of our extended itself throughout the whole time, as far as we could hear.
'A merry merry Christmas and a most extraordinary one but I doubled the sentries after midnight.'
On Boxing day he writes: 'The truce continues; we talk with the Germans at half way - our guns opened fire on the German trenches, but not a rifle shot was fired all day.
'I am told the general and staff are furious - but powerless to stop it.'
Accompanying Captain Hamilton was Bruce Bairnsfather, a celebrated cartoonist who captured the brief armistice in a series of illustrations.
The pair had known each other from days spent in their home town of Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire.
Andrew, 55, and historian Alan Reed, have collated more than 100 photographs, cartoons, maps and sketches to retell Captain Hamilton's story and his involvement in the famous truce.
Captain Hamilton writes: 'Xmas Day - I went out and found a Saxon officer of the 134th Saxon Corps, who was fully armed.
'I pointed to his revolver and pouch. He smiled and said, seeing I was unarmed, "Alright now".
'We shook hands and said what we could in double dutch, arranged a local armistice for 48 hours and returned to our trenches. This was the signal for our respective soldiers to come out.
'As far as I can make out, this effort of ours extended itself on either side for some considerable distance.
'The soldiers on both sides met in their hundreds and exchanged greetings and gifts. We buried many Germans and they did the same to ours.'
Bairnsfather, officer in charge of the Battalion's machine-gun section, painted an equally vivid picture of the truce in sketch form.
In one picture he depicted British soldiers exchanging buttons with their German counterparts.
In another sketch, a British tommy is seen poking his head above the trench that Christmas morning and surveying a deathly quiet battlefield, marked only with a bombed out barn and smouldering shell holes.
Andrew was inspired to share his grandfather's extraordinary experiences after his daughter took the diary with her on a school trip to the battlefields of France and Belgium.
He explained: 'That's how myself and Alan met. He was leading my daughter, Alice, on a school trip around the trenches and she gave him the diary to look at.
'We found we both shared a deep interest in the First World War and agreed to research my grandfather's experiences.
'For me it was a fascinating following my grandfather's campaign footsteps and pinpointing the exact spot where he met a German Officer, two miles from the Belgian hamlet St Yvon on Christmas Day.'
During a trip to Belgium they visited villages the troops would have passed through - uncovering pictures and postcards from the time.
When his grandfather returned home to England in 1915, he typed up his diary which had been filled in using crayon and pencil.
Andrew said: 'The diary was amazing in itself - not just for the information about the Christmas truce - but because it gives a great insight into life on the frontline.
'It was really quite moving to find the Truce's exact location and it was humbling to think that he had been involved in an event that has really captured the imagination of four generations and doubtless more in the future.
'My grandfather obviously wanted to reach a wider audience with his diary account of his six months in France and Belgium and that's why he took the time and trouble to type it up on his return to England.
'For whatever reason his account never made it past the family so I'm pleased to have brought his experiences to a far wider audience than he could ever have imagined.
'Robert was in no doubt about the importance of the event as he headlined his entry for Christmas Day in his original diary - 'A Day Unique in the World's History'.
'His description highlights the courage and determination of the soldiers who took part in trench warfare and the incredible hardship and dangers they encountered.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1173933/Lets-truce-The-diary-extracts-cartoons-shed-new-light-amazing-events-No-Mans-Land-95-years-ago.html
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