Royal
Anglian Regiment: Essex Boys dun good [10/03/10]
Lieutenant
Colonel James Woodham MC, commanding officer of 1st Battalion,
Royal Anglian Regiment, has been paying tribute to the men
under his command currently serving on the frontline in
Afghanistan.
Lt Col
Woodham explained how the Battalion has been playing a key
role in turning the tide "very fast" against the
Taliban in all four of the districts of Helmand - Lashkar
Gah, Gereshk, Musa Qaleh and Nad Ali - in which the guys
have been stationed.
He singled
out C (Essex) Company (NB this story has been taken from
an Essex newspaper) for their success in winning hearts
and minds in Nad Ali district. Engaging with the local people,
providing sustained security and working together with them
to rebuild their communities is what Operation Moshtarak
has been all about and 1 R Anglian has been making a big
difference in this regard - or as Lt Col Woodham puts it:
“It is changing the local dynamic, bringing an ungoverned
area back in to government hands”.
Lt Col
Woodham, however, also pointed out that all this success
has come at a high cost: two soldiers from C Company, L
Cpl Adam Drane and Pte Robert Hayes, were killed fighting
the Taliban in Nad Ali earlier in the year.
In praising
his men, their CO said: “It’s quite humbling to
see the guys suffer the most exacting loss, get on and go
back in to the same area to face the same threat. These
young men are the heart of the British Army and the nation.
At times, we are quick to have a go at the youth of today,
but it is my experience that with a decent environment and
training, they can do the most extraordinary things.”
Lt Col
Woodham went on to say: “We want to say a really big
thank-you to everyone back in Essex. You will see us marching
through the county’s streets this summer to show our
appreciation.”
And,
James, the people of Essex will be turning out to show their
appreciation and respect for the guys as well! [Parades
are scheduled for June 15th in Barking & Dagenham and
June17th in Southend.]
L/Cpl
Andrew Ferguson: the 'miracle of Helmand'
[03/03/10]
A
Taliban bullet passing through his neck a mere 3mm from his
spine isn't going to stop Lance Corporal Andrew Ferguson from
rejoining his mates in the thick of it in Afghanistan.
L/Cpl
Ferguson, serving with 1 R Anglian out in Helmand, was on
patrol and clearing a compound of insurgents when he was
hit by a sniper's bullet. Despite the near fatal injury
and also under heavy fire, he carried on giving directions
to his men until he was medivac'd by US helicopter to the
field hospital at Camp Bastion. After emergency treatment
there he was flown to Selly Oak for surgery.
That
was back in December. Now, instead of being so nearly paralysed,
Andrew is well on the way to making a full recovery. Already
on light duties back at his base in Pirbright, he says he
is looking forward to returning to the frontline.
He's
now known as 'the miracle of Helmand'; his mates tell him
he should have kept his head down!
A Norfolk
brewery has brought out a new beer to raise cash for the
Royal Anglian Benevolent Fund.
The
new beer, called appropriately "Hero", is being
produced by the Wolf Brewery of Besthorpe, Norfolk and for
every cask sold £7 will go to the Benevolent Fund.
The
Wolf Brewery has 200 pubs on its books and from next month
a bottled version of Hero will also be sold in local off-licences
and Tesco branches with 10p-a-pint going towards the well-being
of local troops and their families.
It was
local pub licensee Dougie Clarke who persuaded the brewery
to launch the beer after he was inspired by reading a book
about his own grandfather, Sgt Frank Clarke, who fought
with the 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment at the Battle of
Mons in 1914.
The
Norfolk Regiment was created in July 1881 as the county
regiment for Norfolk. It became the Royal Norfolk Regiment
in 1935 and was amalgamated with the Suffolk Regiment in
1959 to form 1st Battalion, the East Anglian Regiment. This
in turn was further amalgamated in 1964 into the Royal Anglian
Regiment. 'A' Company, 1st Battalion, R Anglian retains
the name "Royal Norfolk" in honour of this proud
regimental history.
Mr Clarke
said: “The Norfolk Company of the Regiment returns
from a tour of duty in Helmand Province in April and we'll
be throwing a party for the boys at [his pub] the Duke of
Wellington in early May to celebrate the launch of the beer
and their return from the war zone.”
John
Edwards, owner of Wolf Brewery, said: “We hope the
beer will play its part in demonstrating to our soldiers
that we are behind them in the difficult challenge they
face in a very dangerous part of the world.”
Sounds
like a good excuse for a pint - think I'll just nip round
to the pub.
Royal
Anglian Catterick Six - Soldiers walk for Veterans Aid[19/02/10]
Six
soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment are going to walk
the 230 miles from their base in Catterick, N Yorkshire
to the Barnet TA Centre in London ...... in 12 days. And
they're doing it all to raise funds for Veterans Aid.
The
man behind the fundraiser is WOII Danny Morgan and the other
five in the team are Cpl Lee Davison, Cpl Gav Watts, Cpl
Michael Foster, L/Cpl Dave Murray and Sgt Michael Butcher.
Not
content with simply walking the 230 miles, the guys are
planning to give it an extra twist by overlaying it with
the rigours of a Tactical Advance to Battle (TAB) - i.e.
adding in weighted patrol packs and moving at a rapid pace.
They
leave the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick on Monday
22nd February and will arrive at Barnet on Friday 5th March.
20 miles a day carrying 45lbs: piece of cake!
“At
the end of the day these men and women, who we and Veterans
Aid are trying to help, have given the best years of their
lives ensuring that the country in which we live stays safe
and free from enemies. And now they face the biggest fight
of their lives. So I feel that it is only right to show
that the bond and the brotherhood upon which the Forces
thrives extends beyond the day on which you hand in your
uniform.”
All
the best, lads!
Man
down – help now!
Visit
Veterans
Aid, click on "Donations" and select Soldiers
Walk for VeteransAid in the 'Additional
details - I would like my donation to support' box.
Soldiers
from C (Essex) Company 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment
are in the forefront of the current offensive against the
Taliban, Operation Moshtarak.
Attached
to the Grenadier Guards Battlegroup, the men from C Company
are currently involved in fierce fighting in and around
Check Point Paraang in the Nad-e-Ali District of Helmand
Province.
In
fact, according to their CO, Lt Col James Woodham MC, the
guys have been engaged in fierce fighting on an almost daily
basis ever since the Battalion returned to Afghanistan last
October. Since then, in spite of the heavy insurgent activity,
the Vikings have brought such a significant improvement
in security that the area is already seeing a steady return
of local people to their villages where they can begin to
rebuild their lives.
The
Battalion's achievements in Operation Moshtarak will mean
that they will be able to consolidate these security gains
by extending their control over a larger area. However,
sustained improvement in security will only be fully achieved
when responsibility for it is taken on by local forces.
To bring this about C Company will soon begin embedded partnering
with the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.
Just as the 2nd Battalion did so successfully in Iraq when
they worked alongside Iraqi security forces in the Military
Transition Teams, so too now will the 1st Battalion help
local Afghan forces bring peace and stability to their country.
It should
not be forgotten that all this success has sadly come at
a high cost: the loss of Pte Robert Hayes and L/Cpl Adam
Drane, killed fighting the Taliban in December and January.
R.i.P.
Private
Robert Foster was one of the nine soldiers of 1st Battalion,
The Royal Anglian Regiment who lost their lives in the service
of their country during the Battalion's previous tour in
Afghanistan in 2007.
Since
then his family has been trying to have Robert's name engraved
on the War Memorial in his home town of Harlow.
Both
the local branch of The Royal British Legion and Harlow
Council, however, have said that this cannot be done - that
the Memorial Cross has to be restricted to those who died
in WW1 & WW2. This is despite the fact that the War
Memorials Act allows a council to add names to a war memorial
whether it owns it or not. The name of Pte Aaron McClure,
a fellow Viking who was killed alongside Pte Foster, has
been inscribed on the War Memorial in his home town of Ipswich
and many other towns have been proud to honour their boys
in a similar way.
Harlow
Council have come up with an alternative proposal and now
intend to build a low curved wall to the back of the railed
area around the Cross, as a memorial to all of those with
a strong connection to Harlow, who have given their lives
in service in conflicts since 1945. Brass plaques would
be attached to the wall, setting out the name and regiment
of the deceased, the date of death, and the conflict in
which they were serving. This is an idea taken from the
Basra Memorial Wall (see below) which has recently been
repatriated from Iraq and re-erect in the grounds of the
Armed Forces Memorial at the National Arboretum, Arlewas.
War
memorials stand in every village, town and city across the
country. They are the focus of the Nation's remembrance.
It is absolutely right that the names of all those who have
given their lives fighting for their country should be honoured
and remembered on them.
As Robert's
parents said: "I don't think we're asking for the world.
We're just asking for a name to be put on a memorial."
....... "It's actually quite a simple thing, when you
think about it. It doesn't take much at all."........."To
finish the story his name should be on the War Memorial."
Poachers
win British Forces Germany boxing title [12/02/10]
Having
beaten 5 Rifles and 1PWRR in two previous rounds of the
competition, the boxing team from 2 R Anglian have now gone
on to beat 35 Engr Regt and become British Forces Germany
champions!
Not
only did the Poachers win a close, hard-fought competition
(5-4) last night, they did so away from home at the Engineers'
base at Paderborn.
Not
satisfied with one title, the Poachers are now going to
be taking on 2 Para in the semi-finals of the wider all-Army
competition on 11th March at Celle, 2 R Anglian's 's home
base in Germany.
Battle
of Sobraon: Royal Anglian battle honour [10/02/10]
In 1845
the unrest which had begun in Afghanistan spread to the
Punjab, to the north-west of the Indian empire.
This
led to the two Sikh wars of 1845–46 and 1848–49
and the eventual British annexation of the North-West Frontier
region.
The
Battle of Sobraon was fought between the British and the
Khalsa, the Sikh army of the Punjab.
The
British were victorious and this became the decisive battle
of the 1st Sikh War. Battle Honours were subsequently awarded
to the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment (10th Foot), now 2nd
Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment (The Poachers).
All
the 4s: Fundraising target exceeded! [08/02/10]
Last
year's walk through five English counties - 150 miles in
10 days - had aimed to raise £35,000 for The Royal
Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity.
As it's
turned out the hikers have at the latest count raised over
£44,000! This is an amazing achievement for chief
organiser Christine Bonner and her team.
It's
fitting that 44 thousand pounds has been raised for they
called their walk "All the 4s: 4 the boys, 4 the
families, 4 the fallen, 4 ever"
Christine
said: "People were so kind and it showed us that they
really do care about the boys in their County Infantry Regiment
- The Royal Anglian Regiment. We all thank you from the
bottom of our hearts."
The
country's four square behind you, Christine! Well done!
Josh's
Climb For Heroes
[07/02/10]
An intrepid
former Royal Anglian, Josh Butcher, will be setting off
next month to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for
Help
for Heroes.
Josh
served in Op Telic 8 and knows full well the terrible injuries
some of his comrades suffered in Iraq and how the work of
Help for Heroes has helped their recovery.
As he
says: "Having served in the Army in operational environments,
I am in a privileged position that I have come back safe
and well. Some are not so lucky, including some of my friends.
They have suffered horrific injuries and that ultimately
affected their futures. Help for Heroes is a charity that
aims to help and support our wounded troops and their families.
They believe, as I do "that anyone who volunteers to
serve in time of war, knowing that they may risk all, is
a hero".
RIP
Aaron James McClure - Fallen Soldier [03/02/10]
Royal
Anglian Regiment: Operational Honours and Awards [15/09/09]
The
Armed Forces Operational Awards List No.33 was published
on 11th September. The list recognises service on operations
in Afghanistan and Iraq and national operations for the
period 1st October 2008 to 30th April 2009. Of the 145 members
of UK Armed Forces listed, the following serve with the
Royal Anglian Regiment:
OBE
- Lieutenant Colonel Simon Browne MBE
MBE
- Captain Richard James Bredin
MC
- Staff Sergeant Brendan William Elliott
MiD
- Staff Sergeant Warren Gourley
MiD - Staff Sergeant Robert Stewart McGrory
QCVS
- Captain Benjamin Thomas Hawes
QCVS - Sergeant Christopher John Leach
In conjunction
with this list the Chief of Joint Operations has awarded
his Commendation for 'Distinguished Service in support of
United Kingdom Operations' and the General Officer Commanding
and Deputy Commander Operations have also awarded commendations
for valued service to the following Royal Anglians:
JCC
Commendation - Sergeant L J Pearce
JCC Commendation - Corporal M T Prescott
JCC Commendation - Lance Corporal D B Tanner
JCC Commendation - Private J G Tully
The
Regiment was formed on 1st September 1964 from the three
Regiments of the East Anglian Brigade (The Royal Norfolk
& Suffolk, The Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire
& Northamptonshire and The 16th/44th Foot) and The Royal
Leicestershire Regiment.
Royal
Anglians being "prepared for deployment"[26/08/09]
400
officers and men from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment
have just been told to prepare for imminent deployment to
Afghanistan.
The
Battalion last saw action in Afghanistan in 2007 when, during
a very tough tour, nine of their number lost their lives
fighting the Taliban.
Concerns
have been raised that, due to a shortage of combat troops,
the time devoted to pre-deployment training is being slashed
from six months to six weeks. One senior Army source said:
"This is a panic measure as we do not have sufficient
battle-ready troops. Six
months is the minimum required to bring troops up to battlefield
readiness."
Whilst
some in the Battalion will have first-hand experience of
fighting on the frontline, most - possibly as high as 70%
- will not have been to Afghanistan before.
An MoD
spokeswoman said: "1st Battalion, Royal Anglians, are
being prepared for deployment as part of prudent contingency
planning. They are at a high level of readiness. No troops
are ever deployed without full training." Regretfully
it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe such statements
from MoD spokespersons.
Cutbacks
in equipment, cutbacks in funding, cutbacks in compensation
and now cutbacks in training
Whatever
the real situation, the Vikings will do the country proud.
Police
bring charges against Luton Islamists [26/08/09]
On the
direction of the Crown Prosecution Service, Bedfordshire
Police have charged seven people in connection with the
"disturbance"
which happened at the Homecoming Parade of 2nd Battalion
The Royal Anglian Regiment on March 10th in Luton.
The
seven have been charged with Section 5 Public Order Offences
and will appear before Luton Magistrates Court on Wednesday
16th September 2009.
This
action by Beds Police goes against the
wish of labour ministers that a softly-softly line should
be taken in such situations for fear of further inciting
Muslim radicalism. So it could still hold true that we haven't
yet got a National Police Service. Good
for Beds Police.
Royal
Anglian veteran, Darren Jarrad, faces new battle .... with
UK Immigration [24/08/09]
Darren
Jarrad who fought for his country with the Royal Anglian
Regiment in Iraq and Afghanistan has been refused permission
by the UK Border Agency to bring his Canadian wife and daughter
to live in England.
In return
for Darren putting his life on the line in the service of
his country, he gets a kick in the teeth when he tries to
establish a family life in that same country.
“I didn't mind going out to Afghanistan and Iraq, I
didn't complain. I just don't understand why they won't
let us have the visa. I'm not a rich bloke, but we have
enough money, and I have never claimed anything off the
government.”
So this
is what it's like in nuLabour's Britain: a British war veteran
is banned from bringing his wife and child to live in his
native land while thousands of foreign "dependents",
economic migrants and "asylum seekers" from God
knows where and who have absolutely no commitment to the
UK pour into the country every month with the blessing of
the UK Border Agency.
Darren's
local MP has petitioned the Home Secretary Alan Johnson
to rectify this insulting, bureaucratic injustice. Unfortunately
the government's commitment to members of the Armed Forces,past
and present. is a joke; it would be better to get Joanna
Lumley to fight his corner.
email:
aquilavic[at]hotmail.co.uk
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