Heroes welcome for returning Iraq battalion

THE families of Hull soldiers gave a heroes' welcome to some of the last troops to return from a six-month tour of duty in Iraq.

Waving banners and cheering loudly, dozens of wives, parents and children gathered to greet their loved ones who have been responsible for mentoring the Iraqi Army and guarding senior British officials.

The troops, from the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, are the final soldiers to return from the British Army's 20th Armoured Brigade, known as The Iron Fist, following last month's ceremonies to end the UK's combat mission in the Iraqi city of Basra.

They arrived at their base in Münster, north Germany, to a sea of colourful hand-painted welcome home banners that had been hung in front of the Battalion's Headquarters in Oxford Barracks, in the outskirts of the picturesque cathedral city.
Reflecting on what they have achieved whilst in Iraq, armoured vehicle driver,
Private Liam Blowman, 30, of east Hull, said the troops had made a real difference.

He said:: "I'm so excited to be back. I'm looking forward to getting out around Germany as much as possible this summer – just to have a good laugh and a few beers.
"We were the protection team for senior British and Iraqi officials. One of my jobs was as a driver for the rest of the platoon.

"It was a bit difficult at times because the roads can be a bit tight. I was in Iraq in 2007 and this time it seemed a bit more stable. You can definitely see the difference in how it was now and then."

Lance Corporal James Clark, 28, of Hull said: "It's just nice to be back now and see the kids and family.

"The kids have grown up so much and changed in the six months that I've been away.

"Now I'm looking forward to sitting down and having a cup of tea in my own home."

The soldiers will enjoy a period of normalisation before completing their homecoming by exercising the freedom of Hull and Beverley, with parades on Thursday, July 23.

Last 20 Brigade combat soldiers back home

The final combat troops from 20th Armoured Brigade (known as the Iron Fist) to leave Iraq arrived home in Munster, North Germany, on Saturday where they were greeted by overjoyed family members and friends.

The 40 soldiers from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (1 YORKS) were welcomed home from a six-month deployment to Iraq on Saturday 30 May 2009 with colourful hand-painted banners which were hung in front of the battalion's headquarters in Oxford Barracks.

In Iraq, 1 YORKS have been responsible for mentoring and training the Iraqi Army in locations across Basra province as well as guarding senior British officials in the Iraqi capital.

Officer Commanding A Company, Major Phil Bassingham-Searle, said:

"The battalion's been split between Baghdad and Basra. It's good to return and get back together. I didn't realise until today that we're the last combat troops from 20th Armoured Brigade out of Iraq. So it's good to be home, to see our families again, and the job well done by the boys.

"We've got a period of 'normalisation' back here in barracks for about 10 days, then a couple of weeks leave and then we've got some freedom parades.

"There'll be 150 soldiers on parade and it'll be nice for the people of Yorkshire to come out and show their appreciation for what the guys have done this year."

Armoured vehicle driver, Private Liam Blowman, added:

"We were the protection team for senior British and Iraqi officials. One of my jobs was as a driver for the rest of the platoon. It was a bit difficult at times because the roads can be a bit tight.

"I was in Iraq in 2007 and this time it seemed a bit more stable. You can definitely see the difference in how it was now and then."

Returning from his first tour of Iraq, Private Luke Hawkin said:

"It's good to say that 'I've been there and done that'. It was satisfying work in Baghdad, helping the General with his movements and protecting him. It was nice to be there and do our jobs professionally.

"We didn't have to fire our weapons, so to get a tour out of the way without anyone getting injured is the best bit of all.

"I'm now looking forward to a few weeks in Germany and then getting back to the UK. I can't wait to march through York, it'll be good."

Lance Corporal James Clark concluded:

"It's just nice to be back now and see the kids and family. The kids have grown up so much and changed in the six months that I've been away. Now I'm looking forward to sitting down and having a cup of Yorkshire tea in my own home."

1 YORKS will be exercising the freedom of a number of Yorkshire towns and cities at the end of July; on Tuesday 21 July 2009 they will march through York and Harrogate, and on Thursday 23 July 2009 they will parade in Hull and Beverley.

They will complete their Yorkshire homecoming with a parade in Leeds city centre on Friday 24 July 2009.

Waiting for the full-time whistle

In her fourth dispatch from Iraq, The Press reporter NICOLA FIFIELD highlights the vital role that York troops are playing in bringing peace and security to people living in Basra province.

IT is late afternoon, the heat is easing and the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (1 Yorks) has just suffered another crushing defeat at the hands of Iraqi soldiers.

Friendly football matches are a weekly event for soldiers living at Camp Sa’ad – a 15 minute helicopter ride north of the British and American Contingency Operating Base (COB) and the home of one of 14 military transition teams (MiTTs) in Basra province.

But while the Yorkshire lads might have a lot to learn from the Iraqi soldiers in terms of football skills, it is the Iraqi soldiers, or Jundhi as they are known, who are the pupils off the pitch.

The purpose of the MiTTs is to support and mentor the Jundhi as they learn to protect their country and keep the peace.

The aim is that by the summer, when British troops withdraw from Iraq, they will be able to do this job without the support of their mentors.

“Our aim is to MiTT ourselves out of a job so the Iraqi Army can stand on its own two feet,” said Pocklington man Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Price, commanding officer of 1 Yorks. “We are here to help and they recognise that. There is no animosity. We have a close and easy relationship.
“You can see that when you see the British soldiers playing football against the Jundhi – there is a normal competitive spirit, but there’s a healthy respect there too.”

As the very last troops to be deployed in Iraq, Lt Col Price, a former pupil of Pocklington School, said the success of 1 Yorks would define the British Army’s legacy in Iraq.

“The British Army has been running a marathon here in Iraq, but we have come round the last corner and we’re now in the last 100m,” he said. “We have got to get across that finishing line in good order because it’s how we cross the finishing line that will define our legacy out here.

“Troops from York and other parts of Yorkshire are the custodians of the UK’s investment in blood and treasure over the last seven years and that is a huge responsibility.

“When we go we have got to make sure that the people of Iraq look over their shoulders and say the British did a good job, thank you for what you have done and Iraq is now in a good place.

“We are hugely conscious of the responsibility that’s on our shoulders and that is a responsibility we have risen to and we are hugely proud of.”

Lt Col Price said he recognised that the threat of insurgency hadn’t completely disappeared, but he believed the Jundhi could handle that threat.

“I believe they are more than ready to meet the challenges that they now face in Iraq,” he said. “The threat is very much still there. “Just last week there was an incident in the city when one of our vehicles was targeted. A device went off, nobody was injured, but it was very sobering.

“There are still bad people out there that want to do bad things, but the militia is not there in the numbers they were last year.

“They are becoming increasingly marginalised as democracy takes root and the ballot box strengthens.”

Significantly, last month’s provincial elections passed off peacefully in a crucial test of democracy that saw Basra’s unpopular and ineffective governor thrown from power.

“Iraq is a different place to what it was seven years ago and it is for the better,” said Lt Col Price.
“The Iraqi people now have a vote, giving them more control of their own destiny. There is more stability and they are not living under a repressive regime anymore.

“Yes, the last few years have been somewhat turbulent, but they can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“They have more electricity and water. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than it was and people can see the progress and they can see where Basra is going.”

Private Dane Clark, 20, a York City fan from Easingwold, is one of the 30 troops from 1 Yorks based at Camp Sa’ad, which lies on the desolate banks of the Shatt al-Arab river.

It is his second tour of Iraq and he said the difference from two years ago was remarkable. “Compared to the last time I was here, there’s a big difference,” he said.

“It’s a lot safer than it was and I feel very privileged to have played a part in that. “We are showing the Iraqi Army what the military should be like, from a private soldier right up to the top.

“They have progressed really far and I think they are ready to take things over when we have gone.”

Going on ‘tour’ in Baghdad

In her second dispatch from Iraq, Press reporter NICOLA FIFIELD ventures out of the British camp for a spot of sight-seeing.

IT is a war-ravaged city that attracts few foreign visitors aside from high-level politicians, journalists and members of the military.

But standing at the foot of the famous Crossed Swords in central Baghdad, I felt strangely like a tourist. This is the monument that symbolises Saddam Hussein’s horrific dictatorship.

“Bad man,” said one Iraqi soldier to me as I looked up at the giant stone hands of the former Iraqi leader.

Beyond the Crossed Swords, the dusty parade ground – which was once the scene of Saddam’s annual celebrations to mark victory in the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s – lies eerily deserted.
Below the monument, dozens of green helmets belonging to dead Iranian soldiers are scattered in the ground. During Saddam’s military marches, these would have been trampled on by Iraqi soldiers as a mark of defiance.

Today, Iranians are helping the Iraqis to get back on their feet and there are plans to dig up these helmets and pull down the infamous swords. A row of half a dozen Iraqi armoured vehicles parked nearby are a reminder that the city has not yet left its troubled past behind.

But the soldiers were full of laughter and, sprawled across the top of their vehicles, you sensed that they weren’t expecting an imminent attack from insurgents.

Admittedly, we were inside the city’s International Zone – a secure area that was returned to the control of Iraqi forces on January 1.

But nonetheless, to be stood in Baghdad wearing no body armour or helmet shows just how far the city has come. Little more than 100 metres away from the Crossed Swords is Iraq’s national memorial – the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier.

Nearly one million Iraqi soldiers lost their lives in the Iran-Iraq War – many whose bodies were never identified. In this tomb lies the body of one of these unknown soldiers and the site has become a Mecca for hundreds of families who believe that it might be their son, husband or brother inside.

The impressive structure around the tomb is stooped in symbolism and although nobody is allowed to visit the memorial today without being escorted by an Iraqi soldier, I wasn’t the only one who sensed a fledgling tourist industry.

“We get to see the recognisable sites that most people have grown up seeing on TV and at times I do feel more like a tourist than a soldier,” said Private Glenn Hunter, from Barlby.

“Obviously we train for the worst case scenario, but thankfully we haven’t needed the training.
“It’s good that we can show people around. It proves that the job is nearly done and it’s safe to be here.”

Private Hunter, whose wife Nicola is waiting in Barlby for his safe return, was speaking as he drove me in his armoured car from the British camp to see these sites.

The 30-year-old is part of the One Star protection team that provides secure transport for the British brigadier generals in Baghdad.

“With the International Zone still being closed, there is still a threat here,” he said.
“But the arrival of tourists is not going to be too far away.

“The Turkish airline already flies into Baghdad International Airport and once one flies, the rest will follow.

“Personally, I would like to come back in ten to 15 years time and see how things have moved on.”

Captain Laurence Roche, who works for the 20th Armoured Brigade, to which the Yorkshire Regiment belongs, said he thought the tourist industry would be booming in Iraq within five years.

“It’s a country full of history,” he said. “It has the Garden Of Eden and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon – one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

“They say Sinbad The Sailor sailed from Basra and they are looking to build a Sinbad park there to encourage tourists.

“Iraq also has the third oldest mosque in the world and there are some genuine religious pilgrim sites as well.

“I don’t think it’s such a crazy idea that the tourists will come.”

Capt Roche said he believed foreign visitors would also be attracted to Iraq for the very reason it was a war zone.

He said: “There is a whole generation of soldiers who have fought here in the First Gulf War in 1991 and we have returned here since 2003.

“This place will mean something to them. It might not always have been happy memories, but there will be a lot of pride in what they have achieved here and many will want to return with their families to see the country that Iraq has become.

Thousands of people visit the site of the D-Day landings in France and I can see the same happening in Iraq.”

Capt Roche, who lives in Harrogate, will be returning to North Yorkshire later this month during a two-week break from his brigade’s six-month tour in Iraq.

The 32-year-old said he was looking forward to visiting one of York’s most popular tourist attractions – Betty’s tea rooms.

To protect and to serve

NICOLA FIFIELD reports from Baghdad in Iraq, where she has joined up with the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment during its last operational tour of the country.

AS our Puma military helicopter flew low over Baghdad, the rear gunner scoured the city through the open side door – ever alert for potential danger.

Our 12km journey took us from Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) inside the city’s insecure Red Zone, to the British base, which lies within the boundaries of the protected International Zone.

Half an hour earlier, I had been strapped into a canvas seat, sandwiched in the middle of a row of soldiers, on a Hercules plane bound for Baghdad.

The city was in darkness when the Hercules landed at about 2am and within minutes, a Puma helicopter had dropped down from the night sky in a cloud of dust to collect us and take us to our final destination.

On arrival at the heavily fortified British camp, we were finally able to remove the body armour and helmets we had been wearing since leaving Kuwait.

For civilians like myself, this body armour weighs at least eight kilos – but this is nothing compared to the 18 kilo kit soldiers have to carry.

The camp, called Albert Lines, is home to the 140 British military personnel serving in Baghdad.
Accommodation here is basic, but comfortable, and there isn’t a vac-packed meal in sight.

The team of six chefs serve up a varied menu in the canteen every day – ranging from steak, sausages and curry to chocolate rice crispy cakes and cheese cake.

The 1st Battalion’s “A Company” has been in Baghdad since last November as part of Operation Telic 13 – the last operational tour of Iraq by British combat troops.

With the majority of British troops in Iraq serving in Basra, the 71 members of A Company are among only a handful of British soldiers to have experienced life in the capital city.

Private Daniel Shewan, from Tadcaster, is one of them and the 20-year-old said he felt proud to be here.

“Not many people can say they’ve been to Baghdad,” he said. “But I’ve got the T-shirt.”
The company’s main role in Baghdad is to protect senior military British representatives – namely Lieutenant General John Cooper, who retires shortly as deputy commander of all coalition forces in the country.

“We are allowing senior British people to engage at a very high level with their contemporaries within the Iraq security forces and the coalition – and that is an important job to be doing,” said Major Phil Bassingham-Searle, officer commanding of A Company.

“They need our support and protection and that is why the company is here.
“We guard the location where the General and his support staff live and we protect him when he goes out and about doing his daily business.

“We are also on show as the only British troops in Baghdad – we are representing the British Army here.”

Running the gauntlet in danger zone
During my first day in Baghdad, I was lucky enough to join a convoy of Vector armoured vehicles as they ventured out into the Red Zone to collect the General from a meeting at BIAP.

“In the past, this route – Route Irish – had a bit of a reputation for being one of the most dangerous in the world in terms of attacks on coalition troops and insurgent attacks on vehicles,” Captain Laurence Roche, from Harrogate, told me.

“But the number of roadside bombs and coordinated attacks from insurgents has died down quite a lot in the past few months.”

As we trundled in convoy down Route Irish, two gunners on top scanned the roadside and nearby roof tops for any signs of roadside bombs or insurgents.

When I had the chance to poke my head out the top of the Vector, I discovered a city that has suffered from years of neglect and bombings.

It is a city overshadowed by wasteland and derelict buildings and the silence was also striking.
The hustle and bustle that characterises most capital cities was unmistakably absent and although Iraqi soldiers could be seen patrolling the route, civilians were few and far between.
Route Irish is the main road from the BIAP to the International Zone and all supplies have to come this way.

Although the security threat has significantly improved in recent months, the American Army still searches the route four times a day looking for roadside bombs.

Acting platoon commander Sergeant Duncan Simms said: “The Iraqi Army and police service have more or less taken over security here and these days the threat is more to them than to the British military.

“But we still have to be professional to do the job we have been brought here to do and we take the risks seriously.”

For me, professional is the very word that sums up all members of the Yorkshire Regiment I have met here in Baghdad – and their families back home in York and other parts of the county should be proud at the crucial role they are playing in getting the city back on its feet.