Half a tonne of sprouts for troops in Afghanistan

Cracker time at Camp Bastions Christmas lunch. Picture: PA

More than four tonnes of food, along with thousands of party hats, streamers and Christmas crackers, were sent to Afghanistan so that personnel could celebrate despite being away from home.

Members of the army, Royal Navy and RAF deployed on operations over Christmas enjoyed the 25 December festivities.

At Camp Bastion and across the UK’s area of operations, around 6,000 personnel tucked into two tonnes of turkey, one and a quarter tonnes of gammon, half a tonne of Brussels sprouts and 8,400 mince pies.

Father Christmas even paid several visits to the troops.

With members of the military working dogs team, including Private Katie Gibson and Sugar, her English springer spaniel, already in the Christmas mood, members of 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery manning a 105mm gun were surprised when Santa, better known as Regimental Sergeant Major Scott Hawke, appeared on a lorry and delivered presents.

There was a Christmas Eve carol service outside Commander Task Force Helmand’s office, before hundreds of personnel attended Midnight Mass services in tented chapels across Bastion.

As Britain slept yesterday morning, hundreds of runners gathered in a corner of the Camp to start a half marathon round the British and American sectors, sporting everything from Christmas cracker body suits to traditional Santa hats.

They watched as Father Christmas waved from a Chinook helicopter then jogged into view to fire a 105mm artillery gun to set the runners on their way.

Senior Logistics Officer Major Luke Dance, from Oxford, is serving in Joint Force Support, Camp Bastion, over Christmas. He said: “Being away from home at Christmas is always difficult for any soldier.

“We have an important job to do here, but we try to make sure that as many people as possible get to sit down and have a traditional Christmas lunch.

“It’s a good morale boost and the small details help to bring a little bit of home to Afghanistan.”

With the drawdown already under way, all combat troops are due to have left by the end of 2014.

The Taleban yesterday claimed they fired four rockets at the American Embassy and said they inflicted “heavy” casualties while an Afghan official said a bicycle bomb was remotely detonated in a bazaar in Puli Alam, the capital of Logar province, east of Kabul, killing six people and wounding 13.

Two of the killed were policemen and four were civilians, said Abdul Wali Tofan, the deputy police chief in Logar province while several children were injured.

It is not just British men and women in Afghanistan who have enjoyed a Christmas dinner away from home.

Thousands of personnel deployed on ships or stationed around the globe, in Cyprus, the Falklands Islands or Gibraltar, have also enjoyed a festive meal.

HMS Illustrious, whose recent deployment was extended to deliver critical humanitarian aid to the Philippines, made special arrangements for Christmas.

The ship’s commander logistics, Phil Hally, said: “When our deployment was extended we arranged for Christmas boxes to be sent out for every member of the ship’s company.

“Everyone plays their part in the preparations, with officers helping to peel potatoes and serve, but leaving it to the professionals to cook the turkeys.

“Although it isn’t the same as having Christmas at home with our loved ones, Christmas lunch at sea in this iconic ship really isn’t a bad second best.”