UK: Deserted streets greet soldiers' parade on their return from Afghanistan

The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | October 6, 2007 | MICHAEL SEAMARK and ARTHUR MARTIN

[Stoat]

A homecoming fit for heroes? Deserted streets greet soldiers' parade on their return from Afghanistan

by MICHAEL SEAMARK and ARTHUR MARTIN - More by this author » Last updated at 00:45am on 6th October 2007

  After six months risking their lives against the Taliban in Afghanistan, they might have expected a token show of appreciation from a grateful public.

 

But as they paraded through Abingdon in Oxfordshire, these brave soldiers had the streets almost to themselves.

Four hundred men from the 4th Logistic Support Regiment - dressed in desert fatigues - were virtually ignored on their march to St Helen's Church for a thanksgiving service.

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Church parade - minus the congregation. As the men from the 4th Logistic Support Regiment march through Abingdon, the pavements are almost deserted

Admittedly there had been little local publicity for the parade. But the scene starkly underlines the warning issued by the head of the Army last month that troops' willingness to serve in conflict zones is being sapped by apathy at home.

General Sir Richard Dannatt said soldiers returning from dangerous tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan were dismayed to find the public could be "dismissive or indifferent" to their experiences.

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Back from the desert: The men in their fatigues head for their thanksgiving service

More than 1,000 troops from the 3rd and 4th Logistic Support Regiments, stationed at Dalton Barracks near Abingdon, have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One member of the 3rd - who are still in Iraq - was killed in Basra last month.

Sgt Mark Stansfield, 32, from Bicester, died in hospital after an accident while carrying out security checks at an ammunition supply point.

Nigel Warner, town clerk of Abingdon, watched the parade and said there were a "fair few people out - it's always difficult to be accurate with figures. I think there was a reasonable turnout in the High Street. The Mayor Lorraine Oates said some words to the troops".

He said the council had given both 3rd and 4th Regiments, which moved to the barracks ten years ago, the Freedom of Abingdon last July when there were "lots and lots of people out".

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United they stand on the streets of Abingdon in Oxfordshire

Mr Warner added that the authority is planning a joint celebration in the New Year when both regiments are at the barracks.

"The 3rd are not back from Iraq until November so we are planning to have a public event for both of them whereby the town gives thanks to the soldiers directly.

"It will be a large public event followed by some sort of civic reception. Today was something the Army organised and it was a fairly low-key event."

Nevertheless, the pitiful turnout provoked angry criticism of the nation's reluctance to show support for soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, where 170 troops have already died.

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A lone spectator applauds the soldiers as they parade through the streets

Tory defence spokesman Gerald Howarth said: "There is an apathy and it's dangerous. These guys do as they are asked by the government of the day and this is a critical part of being a soldier.

"If people seem completely uninterested - which they are - then they will have no real comprehension of what the Armed Forces do. They watch what's happening in Afghanistan and Iraq on the television and then go about their lives, detached from what is happening to our soldiers. These guys deserve our support."

Tory MP Patrick Mercer, a former infantry commander, said: "Sadly, if you have a parade every time a unit comes home we are going to have more parades than spectators. Nonetheless, this is terribly disappointing for an outstanding unit."

This week in the Daily Mail Colonel Jorge Mendonca, the decorated war hero who left the Army in disgust following his politically-motivated court martial, warned that Britain was in peril if we no longer respect our fighting men and women.

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What a contrast: Cheers, Union flags and tears of joy greeted the arrival of the Crew of HMS Ark Royal in 2003

 

A British Army commander killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan yesterday was the most senior UK serviceman to die in the country so far.

The major, who was serving with the 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles, brings the death toll since British forces began fighting in Afghanistan six years ago to 82.

He died when a booby-trap bomb blasted his armoured vehicle as his troops were returning to their main base in Kandahar, following days of fierce fighting against the Taliban in neighbouring Helmand Province.

The Vector armoured truck was one of a fleet purchased specially by the MoD last year to provide extra protection for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but its armour proved too weak to protect the soldiers inside.

The attack occurred in the desert around 20 miles west of the sprawling main Nato base in Kandahar Province.

• The Army is so short of soldiers that it has hired Group 4 Securicor to help train British troops heading for frontline operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The £7million contract will see the private company's staff being paid to demonstrate key military skills such as quelling riots, storming enemy compounds and carrying out vehicle checks - as well as dressing up to play the parts of enemy fighters or local civilians in training exercises.

Currently such demonstrations and play-acting are carried out by serving British soldiers who are drawn from other units to help their colleagues prepare for hazardous operations abroad.

But with the Army struggling to cope with the demands of simultaneous operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence admitted yesterday that the ground-breaking deal was intended to "free up resources".

Although the Army uses small numbers of civilians in specialist training such as language classes, this is the first time it has used private companies to provide more general training in front-line operationalskills.

Group Four Securicor stressed that it would use only former soldiers, mostly recentlyretired Gurkhas, to fulfil the training contract.

But the latest move was seen as a further sign of the severe overstretch facing the UK armed forces, who have faced drastic manpower cuts in recent years despite the heavy demands of fighting overseas.

The British Army is at its smallest in modern times, with only 99,350 trained soldiers according to latest MoD figures - and almost 2,500 posts left vacant owing to recruitment and retention problems.

[Stoat]

Admittedly there had been little local publicity for the parade.

Then the fault lies squarely at the feet of all relevant Governmental officials including the Mayor, Lorraine Oates and not necessarily the public. 

Abingdon Town Council - Town Councillor -Ward list

Here's an example of local publicity in the press:

Regiment To March Through Abingdon (from Abingdon Herald)

Regiment to march through Abingdon

By Herald Reporter

SOLDIERS from Dalton Barracks, near Abingdon, recently returned from a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, will march through the town's streets tomorrow for a Thanksgiving service at St Helen's Church.

The 400 soldiers of 4 Logistic Support Regiment will assemble outside the Guildhall at 10.30am, where they will meet town mayor Lorraine Oates and the Vale of White Horse District Council vice-chairman Alison Rooke.

From the Guildhall, the soldiers will march along East St Helen Street to the church for a service conducted by the vicar, the Rev Dr Charles Miller.

The parade will be led by the station commander, Colonel David Kelly, and the regiment's commanding officer, Lt Col Darrell Amison. Mrs Oates said: "The Army at Dalton Barracks was given the Freedom of the town last year and I welcome this event.

"The soldiers have returned safely from a very dangerous part of the world and deserve our thanks.

More than 1,000 troops stationed at Dalton Barracks have served and continue to serve in Afghanistan and Iraq. 4LSR is back home and, in November, another 500 troops deployed in Iraq with 3LSR will begin their return.

The regiment lost Sgt Mark Stansfield, 32, from Bicester, who died in hospital from injuries he received in an accident involving a forklift truck while carrying out security checks at an ammunition supply point at Basra air station.

9:00am Thursday 4th October 2007

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Apparently, things haven’t changed much since Kipling’s day.

Tommy
I went into a public-’ouse to get a pint o’beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:

O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,’’ when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s ``Thank you, Mr. Atkins,’’ when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-’alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!

For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide,
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.

Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap;
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.

Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy how’s yer soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll.

We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints:
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;

While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be’ind,”
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind,
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind.

You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.

For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country,” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
But Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

[Bahbah]

I’m pretty much speechless.

[padre35]

Wow, how unthoughtful of the populace of that town.

[Stoat]

More contact information if you would like to make your feelings known.

Abingdon Town Council - Resident Information & Useful Links

Abingdon Town Council is the parish office of the Town Clerk and Mayor of Abingdon

Town Council Offices                                01235 522642                 www.abingdongov.uk

Abingdon Information Centre                      01235 522711                www.abingdongov.uk
                                                                                                   info@abingdon.gov.uk 
Mayor's Personal Assistant                      01235 522642

[pissant]

That is really pathetic.

[MissEdie]

Seeing those pictures really ticks me off- they deserve a hell of a lot better than that. Makes me want to call the people of Britain ingrates.

[Stoat]

Wow, how unthoughtful of the populace of that town.

In fall fairness, I'm hesitant to put a lot of blame on the people there because of this line in the article:

Admittedly there had been little local publicity for the parade.

At this point I am most inclined to blame the Mayor and other officials for not providing the public with enough information.

[Stoat]

Seeing those pictures really ticks me off- they deserve a hell of a lot better than that.

Agreed.

 Makes me want to call the people of Britain ingrates.

Please don't be too eager to blame all of our British Friends.

In fall fairness, I'm hesitant to put a lot of blame on the people there because of this line in the article:

Admittedly there had been little local publicity for the parade.

At this point I am most inclined to blame the Mayor and other officials for not providing the public with enough information.

[OldCorps]

Just very, very sad!

[dighton]

Heartbreaking pics.

For what little it may be worth, thanks from across the pond to you British soldiers.

[NonValueAdded]

Then the fault lies squarely at the feet of all relevant Governmental officials including the Mayor, Lorraine Oates and not necessarily the public.

Indeed. Why, is an anti-war type wanted to generate a photo op to "show" how the public was unsupportive, they would be hard-pressed to find a better way to do it.

[mware]

About as pathetic as the treatment of our Marines at the Oakland Airport.

[pissant]

Indeed. But that was just a couple of boneheads, I assume.

[af_vet_rr]

If they didn't publicize it, and it's during a week day (if I'm reading it right), I'm not surprised.

The article definitely makes it sound like the Brits don't support the military, which is not the case - they do.

[mware]

I wish that was so, but I think it is more than that. Look how San Francisco would not even allow the Marines to film in their streets.

Oh God that have that woman from Code Pink trying to defend the attacks on Marine Recruit Building.

[mware]

Sorry about that last comment. I was so angry I did not even explain the woman from Code Pink was on Hannity & Colmes.

BTW here is one of the coolest video from the Royal Dragoons while in Iraq.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxQPbLIsmh4

[mware]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxQPbLIsmh4

[pbear8]

It’s a long way to Tipperary...

[Stoat]

t’s a long way to Tipperary...

My great hope is that it will be a very long time before the Mayor gets any peace from all of the righteous and completely justified anger directed at her.

This is inexcusable, and suggests either a willful neglect or a breathtaking level of incompetence on her part.

 

[popdonnelly]

I’m appalled.

[pbear8]

Or both.

[Stoat]

Sorry about that last comment. I was so angry.......

I have written some of my best emails while I've been angry.

 

Abingdon Town Council - Resident Information & Useful Links

Abingdon Town Council is the parish office of the Town Clerk and Mayor of Abingdon

Town Council Offices                                01235 522642                 www.abingdongov.uk

Abingdon Information Centre                      01235 522711                www.abingdongov.uk
                                                                                                   info@abingdon.gov.uk 
Mayor's Personal Assistant                      01235 522642

Abingdon Town Council - Resident Information & Useful Links

Abingdon Town Council is the parish office of the Town Clerk and Mayor of Abingdon

Town Council Offices                                01235 522642                 www.abingdongov.uk

Abingdon Information Centre                      01235 522711                www.abingdongov.uk
                                                                                                   info@abingdon.gov.uk 
Mayor's Personal Assistant                      01235 522642

[Robert A. Cook, PE]

“Natural” advertising does not happen accidentally, but deliberate antipathy also requires notice.....

[DesScorp]

How much does that suck for Britain when Americans appreciate their efforts more than their own people?

More than ever, I’m convinced that one day, England will be no more, and that a huge chunk of the valiant Britons will move to Australia and the US.

[mamelukesabre]

I’ve been involved with the bikers that form a line at funerals of fallen soldiers. I am a biker. I am not a former soldier.

I want to know if americans can show up at british homecoming ceremonies for british soldiers. i also want to know if our “esteemed” presedente can give a stipend to do so. i want to be amongst the americans that show up at british parades. I think it should be done. lets do it.

[mamelukesabre]

see my post 26

[monkeycard]

I am simply flabbergasted.

[nkycincinnatikid]

Ohhh for the good old days when hundreds of thousands would have stood and cheered for Jameson’s raiders and the army which created the murder facilities in Dutch Africa. Actions eventually have consequences.

[rottndog]

This is terrible. I can’t imagine being one of those soldiers marching through those empty streets.

Pathetic.

[2111USMC]

".... will march through the town's streets tomorrow for a Thanksgiving service at St Helen's Church."

Well this article gave a whopping 1 day notice. A normal work day to boot. It's no wonder there was a small turnout.

[Ciexyz]

Kudos to our British allies in the War on Terror.

[Stoat]

It's no wonder there was a small turnout.

Agreed.  Utterly incompetent planning, perhaps augmented by a willful neglect..

Shame upon the Mayor and her Council.

[Stoat]

This is terrible. I can’t imagine being one of those soldiers marching through those empty streets.

Agreed.  My hope is that this breathtaking insult to the troops, their families and to all of Great Britain will engender a reaction so severe and scathing that it will serve as a reminder to Mayors and Councils all across the UK that whatever their hysterical, anti-war, anti-Military and anti-Western brain dysfunctions may be, they had better darned well look after the soldiers and make sure that they are treated with the greatest possible respect.  Because if they don't, their lives will be made an absolute living hell for a very long time.....

[I_like_good_things_too]

Thanks for posting this Stoat; it is disgusting, but I place blame on the leaders of this town. I find that even in leftie Seattle, a vast majority of the people support the men & women in the military. I just can’t imagine it was a purposeful snub on the troops. Maybe I just can’t wrap my mind around it. I’ll make my thoughts known to the town leaders!

[pissant]

Thank you! I love seeing this stuff.

[Stoat]

I want to know if americans can show up at british homecoming ceremonies for british soldiers.

I don't see why not....I'm sure that American participation in an observance of a ceremony honoring their troops would be just as welcome as if some of our British Friends were to pay respects to our troops while they are over on this side of the pond....I'm sure that they would be delighted.

 i also want to know if our “esteemed” presedente can give a stipend to do so. i want to be amongst the americans that show up at british parades. I think it should be done. lets do it.

I would think that it would not be such a good thing if it became known that Americans were being paid by their Government to show up at British war ceremonies, but I'm sure that a personally-funded show of support would be sincerely appreciated by all.

[Stoat]

How much does that suck for Britain when Americans appreciate their efforts more than their own people?

In all fairness, I would urge reconsideration...the article states that there was little publicity for this event, so I would suggest that the Mayor and her Council should be faulted in this instance, and not the general public.

If the people didn't know about it, they can't very well be made to be at fault if they didn't come to the event.

[Stoat]

Thanks for posting this Stoat;

You're quite welcome and I'm delighted that you're participating in the thread  :-)

 it is disgusting, but I place blame on the leaders of this town.

Agreed.

I find that even in leftie Seattle, a vast majority of the people support the men & women in the military. I just can’t imagine it was a purposeful snub on the troops.

I don't fault the public in this case because there was very poor publicity for the event.  That being said, there's a chance that an anti-Military bias played a part in the Mayor's or the Council's lousy planning.  You may recall that not long ago there was a big flap down in Olympia because that city wouldn't allow a Navy ship to dock there, and there are constant squabbles over the Blue Angels flying over Seattle.

Government officials 'should' show open and unrestrained love and gratitude for the troops, particularly in a time of war.  To not do so suggests a lack of interest in supporting them, at the very least.

Maybe I just can’t wrap my mind around it. I’ll make my thoughts known to the town leaders!

Thank you....they need to be 'slapped upside the head'   :-)

[Rikstir]

“More than ever, I’m convinced that one day, England will be no more, and that a huge chunk of the valiant Britons will move to Australia and the US.”

If, as you say, England will be no more, then why would all the British people leave the UK? Get geography right mate.

[Rikstir]

your comments makes me want to call you far worse. As has been said, the PR for the parade was poor. It was a workday, and so some of us have jobs and stuff. How can we blamed for something we know nothing about?

The British people have utmost respect for the armed forces. More for the difficulty of the job and the professionalism that they conduct themselves with, than any imperial or political ideals. We might not do the parades well, but buying a returning soldier a beer or a offering a handshake in the pub means just as much.

[the scotsman]

Oh dear.

Firstly, the Dutch Boers were hardly African natives and I assume you are aware of how the Boers treated pro-British blacks during the Boer War. No?.Read up on Magersfontein and the other torchings of black villages by the lovely Boers between 1899 and 1902.

Secondly, as I have already posted on several other threads, the British And secondly the British DID NOT ‘murder’ the 28,000 Boer men,women and children who died...(in fact there was a public outcry in Britain at the deaths..) .Incompetence and stupidity, yes. Murder,never...

As I have already explained in other threads,the Boers had no immunity to the diseases that resulted from poor British running of the camps.That is why almost all the dead were women and children and the elderly.

‘In early March 1901 Lord Kitchener decided to break the stalemate that the extremely costly war had settled into. It was costing the British taxpayer £2,5 million a month. He decided to sweep the country bare of everything that can give sustenance to the Boers i.e. cattle, sheep, horses, women and children.

This scorched earth policy led to the destruction of about 30000 Boer farmhouses and the partial and complete destruction of more than forty towns.. Thousands of women and children were removed from their homes by force.They had little or no time to remove valuables before the house was burnt down. They were then taken by oxwagon or in open cattle trucks to the nearest camp.

Conditions in the camps were less than ideal. Tents were overcrowded. Reduced-scale army rations were provided. In fact there were two scales. Meat was not included in the rations issued to women and children whose menfolk were still figthing. There were little or no vegetables, no fresh milk for the babies and children, 3/4 lb of either mealie meal, rice or potatoes, 1 lb of meat twice weekly, I oz of coffee daily, sugar 2 oz daily, and salt 0,5 oz daily (this was for adults and children who had family members on commando).

Children who were under six years of age received 0,5 lb of meal daily, 1/2 meat twice weekly, 1/4 tin of milk daily, 1 oz sugar daily and 1/2 oz of salt daily. This very poor diet led to the rapid spread of diseases such as whooping cough, measles, typhoid fever, diphtheria, diarrhoea and dysentery, especially amongst the children.

There was a chronic shortage of both medical supplies and medical staff. Eventually 26 370 women and children (81% were children) died in the concentration camps.

The visit of the British humanitarian, Miss Emily Hobhouse, a delegate of the South African Women and Children’s Distress Fund to the camps in the southern Orange Free State led to an improvement in the conditions.

On her return to Britain the story she told of the conditions under which the women and children had to live shocked everyone not committed to believe in the inevibility of the war and the harsh measures that was to end it.

Her fifteen page report to the Committee of the Distress Fund was first circulated to MP’s and published in late June. From August to December 1901 the Fawcett Commssion visited the different camps and presented their report in December confirming in all essentials the accuracy of Emily Hobhouse’s account.

They berated the camp authorities for the red tape which complicated the running of the camps, the spread of diseases that should have been foreseen, elementary rules of sanitation that had been forgotten, the vegetables that should have been provided; and the fact that medical staff should have been rushed to the scene as soon as the epidemics broke out.

Their recommendations led to improvements within the camp system. By February the annual death-rate in the camps were to drop to 6.9 percent and soon to 2 percent.’

http://www.anglo-boer.co.za/concentration.html

‘The poor diet and inadequate hygiene led to endemic contagious diseases such as measles, typhoid and dysentery. Coupled with a shortage of medical facilities, this led to large numbers of deaths — a report after the war concluded that 27,927 Boers (of whom 22,074 were children under 16) and 14,154 black Africans had died of starvation, disease and exposure in the camps. In all, about 25% of the Boer inmates and 12% of the black African ones died (although recent research suggests that the black African deaths were underestimated and may have actually been around 20,000).’

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_camp

[the scotsman]

Oh, we didnt ‘invent the concentration camp’ either, as modern popular history would have you believe...

‘Contrary to what might be expected, the first recorded use of the expression “concentration camps” did not occur in either Germany or Russia. Nor, even, was the term originally English, as many also mistakenly believe. In fact, as far as it is possible to ascertain, the first person to speak of concentration camps or, more precisely, to speak of a policy of “reconcentración” - was Arsenio Martinez Campos, then the commander of the Spanish garrison in Cuba. The year was 1895, and Martinez Campos was fending off the latest in what seemed to be a never-ending series of local insurgencies. Looking for a permanent end to the Cuban independence struggle, he proposed, in a confidential letter to the Spanish government, to “reconcentrate” the civilian inhabitants of the rural districts into camps. Although he conceded that the policy might lead to “misery and famine,” it would also, he explained, deprive the insurgents of food, shelter and support, thereby bringing the war to a more rapid conclusion.

Martinez Campos didn’t manage to carry out the policy, but his successor did. Over the following two years, from 1896 to 1898, General Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau forcibly removed many thousands of Cuban peasants from their homes. As predicted, “misery and famine” ensued. Theoretically, the camps were meant to consist of suitably built-dwellings, on fertile land, near sources of water. In practice, the Cuban peasants were thrown into “old shacks, abandoned houses, improvised shelters,” wherever it happened to be convenient to thrown them. Food was distributed irregularly. Typhus and dysentery spread rapidly. Young girls prostituted themselves for a bit of bread. As many as 200,000 reconcentrados may have died.

Indeed, one contemporary Cuban historian has described these first, Cuban camps as a “holocaust of gigantic proportions.” Given the connotations of the word “holocaust,” this is an inappropriate description. Nevertheless, there is a curious and rather surprising chain of connections between these first Cuban concentration camps, and the Nazi concentration camps which came into existence less than four decades later.’

http://www.anneapplebaum.com/communism/2001/10_18_nyrb_horror.html

[BlessedBeGod]

That was awesome! :-)

[nkycincinnatikid]

I sincerely promise to read this as soon as possible, Till then remember that the greatest gift is to see ourselves as “ithers sae us”