Tears for the fallen

Published on Tuesday 14 July 2009 22:04

STEADILY they came, braving heavy showers on the "Highway of Heroes" to pay sombre tribute to the victims of the army's bloodiest 24 hours in Afghanistan.

Teachers, firefighters, businessmen, children, pensioners – all together in the market town of Wootton Bassett, in the wind, rain and sunshine, to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by eight young men in the heat and dust of Helmand.

They began arriving at 10am, remembering the fallen with laughter and tears – as a fierce political row over the growing number of British casualties, and the UK's commitment in Afghanistan, raged on. By late afternoon, their ranks had swollen to several thousand. At about 4:40pm, the eight black hearses bearing the bodies of determined, dedicated servicemen passed slowly through the town, to a respectful silence, and then, unexpectedly, to applause.

Earlier, the bodies had arrived at nearby RAF Lyneham, their coffins draped in Union flags. In a sombre military ceremony that has become an increasingly common sight during this war, colleagues carried the men from the C17 aircraft that had taken them home to their loved ones.

The dead included three teenagers – riflemen William Aldridge, James Backhouse and Joseph Murphy, all 18. They were killed, along with Corporal Jonathan Horne, 28, as they tried to rescue comrades from an explosion near Sangin in Helmand province on Friday. Rifleman Murphy was carrying Rifleman Daniel Simpson, 20 – who had been injured by the initial bomb – when all five, from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, were killed in the blast.

Also on the flight home was Corporal Lee Scott, 26, of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, who died in an explosion on Friday, just north of Nad-e-Ali, during Operation Panther's Claw – a huge allied offensive against the Taleban insurgency.

Making up the eight were two men killed in separate incidents on Thursday. Private John Brackpool, 27, of Prince of Wales' Company, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was shot at Char-e-Anjir near Lashkar Gah while on sentry duty. Rifleman Daniel Hume, 22, of the 4th Battalion The Rifles, was killed in an explosion on a foot patrol, again near Nad-e-Ali.

The deaths made it the bloodiest day for British front-line combat troops since the Falklands War.

A bugle player's lament was sounded as the first coffin was brought from the plane. The eight men's families watched from a nearby tent, before attending a private ceremony at the chapel of rest.

The funeral cortege left the base at about 4pm, slowly making its way to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, via Wootton Bassett, where tributes to fallen service personnel have become regular events.

Crowds were up to 20-deep on the High Street as townsfolk, along with friends and relatives of the dead, waited for the cortege to arrive.

Just after 4:30pm, the bells of St Bartholemew's Church began to toll, bringing silence to the masses. As the cortege passed, distraught relatives and friends showered the hearses with flowers, as veterans saluted. Tearful family members comforted each other.

And then, in a moment that echoed the public outpouring of emotion during Princess Diana's funeral, loud applause began to ring out.

A total of 15 soldiers have been killed in ten days, taking the number of UK military fatalities in Afghanistan since 2001 to 184 – surpassing the 179 who died in Iraq.

People had lined the "Highway of Heroes" not only to mark the terrible loss of sons, fathers, husbands and brothers, but to celebrate young lives cut tragically short while serving their country in a war that divides public opinion.

But most of those paying tribute wanted keep politics out of the sombre occasion. "This is not about whether the war in Afghanistan and Iraq was right or wrong. This is simply a tribute to fallen soldiers," said Des Morgan, in the crowd to pay his respects. "This is out of respect for what the guys have done in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Alison Aldridge, 40, from Bristol, Rifleman Aldridge's aunt, carried eight roses in tribute to the men.

She said: "It is extremely sad that his life was taken so swiftly, but I take comfort from the fact he had two very fulfilling years rather than a lifetime of regrets.

"As a boy he was loving and adventurous. He had a loving, caring mother and he got his strength of character from her. He was a family boy and that's what the army is all about.

"His ambition was the SAS – and he would have got there, too. He was mentally prepared. He had affection for people and that's what drives ambition. It's lovely that so many people are here – young and old. It's amazing how so many young people here understand and respect what's going on."

Michelle Jarvis, 17, who is with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, was a close friend of Rifleman Aldridge. Sobbing, she said: "I'm gutted he's gone. I was a cadet with him for three years. He was a laugh and knew how to lift people's spirits."

The procession was the largest to pass through Wootton Bassett since it became an official repatriation station in 2007. Steve Bucknell, the mayor, paid tribute not only to the fallen but to the locals who had turned out to give them such a fitting tribute.

"Every repatriation is a very sad event, whether it is one person or eight," he said. "What makes it so much sadder is when you see the friends and family of the fallen and it brings it home that these are real people with real lives – someone's son, grandson, brother and father. They will leave a hole in many lives.

"The people of Wootton Bassett are fantastic. They never fail to amaze me with their ability to always do the right thing."

But some were clearly angry that young men were being killed in a conflict they feel should not be fought.

Bianca Bond, 21, a former girlfriend of Rifleman Hume, said the continuing war made her "very angry". She said: "I just can't believe he's gone. I'm very proud of the people who have come here and so proud of him.

"I'm going to miss him. I hope it all stops soon – they should get Gordon Brown to go out there and fight himself. They are not doing anything about it."

As the hearses moved on their way to the John Radcliffe Hospital to await inquests to be held in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in the crowd stood members of the HMS Flying Fox naval reserves unit, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, veterans from the 1st Battalion the Royal Green Jackets and several branches of the British Legion proudly bearing standards.

Also present were members of 2 Rifles, comrades of five of the men who died. Captain John Mabb said: "We are here to look after the families of the fallen and represent the battalion. We are delighted by how many people have turned out to pay their respects today."

Gathered around the town's memorial were more than a dozen floral tributes. One read: "Our dear magnificent boys, we will never repay the debt we owe you. A Wootton family."

Another read: "From Bomber Boy to Hero. What an inspiration you are to us all."

Brown bolsters forces as 140 extra troops are deployed to Afghanistan

GORDON Brown has bowed to pressure over the lack of soldiers in Afghanistan by sending an extra 140 troops to the country.

The deployment for the volatile Helmand province was announced yesterday as the bodies of eight fallen soldiers were repatriated to a military base in England.

The single biggest loss of British military lives in battle in Afghanistan has sparked a debate about the strategy and resource constraints of the war.

It emerged yesterday that Mr Brown had also rejected a request from military chiefs for 2,000 more troops to be sent to the Helmand province in the face of a Taleban offensive. Instead he chose to send only 700, taking the total from 8,300 to 9,000.

But yesterday it was announced that soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, currently based in Cyprus, will be sent to fight in the offensive code-named Operation Panther's Claw.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The theatre reserve battalion provides a battle-ready and fully acclimatised reserve that is routinely deployed in and out of Helmand on particular missions. In this instance, the commander was keen to reinforce the momentum generated by recent operations and the chain of command agreed to the request."

Downing Street also denied that Mr Brown had previously turned down a request for more troops on the grounds of cost.

His spokesman said: "We have increased the amount of troops, we have significantly increased the amount of resources available to support the operation in Afghanistan."

Mr Brown will face more pressure, however, from the incoming head of the Army. General Sir David Richards, who has served on the frontline in Afghanistan, is believed to be preparing a request for 2,000 more frontline troops. He also wants the Army to be strengthened with an additional 3,000 soldiers.

Chancellor Alistair Darling yesterday said it was "absolutely essential" to support troops on the front line.

He told MPs the Treasury expected to spend more than 3 billion on "urgent operational requirements" for the military this year. Mr Darling spoke of the "tremendous sacrifice" made by the armed forces.

Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox questioned why Mr Brown had not given commanders the 2,000 troops they had requested.

He said: "Gordon Brown has said that our commanders will have whatever they require. When it comes to troop numbers, decisions must be based on advice from senior military commanders on the ground.

"If the government turns down any request, it needs to explain why."