318 days ago today!
It seems like many moons ago since the Battalion
deployed to Afghanistan on their Op Herrick 11 Tour.
As I type this article, the Battalion deployed on
their Herrick Tour and returned home after loosing five
Coldstream Comrades, marched over 400 miles to raise
funds from Coldstream to London (7 Company), raised nearly a
half million pounds through the wristband appeal
campaign,
marched through many towns on their return and laid a
memorial wreath for fallen comrades at the Guards
Chapel. All this in just over three hundred days!
After
just finishing 23 years service with the Coldstream
Guards. I am extremely proud of the Battalion’s
achievements over the last couple of months. The
grit and determination of the Guardsman is indeed
‘Second to None’ and I now hope to do their recent
journeys some type of justice by covering the three
hundred days in
the article below. I will try and cover anything that
springs to mind, and try and keep it in chronological
order but I must however, apologise now for not including
some of the recent news …………… there’s just so much!
The past three hundred (and odd) days have been broken
down as follows, either just scroll down the page or
click on a link below to take you to that particular
section.
NOTE:
some words are hyperlinked (blue links) and take you to
articles that were displayed at that particular time (by
clicking on them).
PRE
DEPLOYMENT TRAINING AT A MOCK VILLAGE: August and September 2009 saw the Battalion train
hard for their forthcoming tour of Afghanistan and there
were many training exercises to fine tune the skills
that would be required to facilitate the harsh
conditions of their future home for the next 6 months.
Notably, the Battalion visited Thetford, (suitably named
‘Thietnam’ by so many)
where a mock Afghan village had recently been
developed for soldiers to train with, in an environment that
was both realistic and testing. Training was hard and
fast and key personnel even managed to get their faces
on
the news when the media took an interest in the
£14million village.
COMMANDING OFFICERS
DAY:
Back in Aldershot
(the home of the Battalion)
a Commanding Officers Day was organised at the end
of September 2009. The day would promise to allow
soldiers with experience of Afghanistan, and others with
useful tips and information, the platform to demonstrate
their skills so others could make use of them later in
theatre. The whole day was extremely well organised and
had many stands from making bread and cooking with
improvised ovens, D.I.Y gyms and fitness, hygiene and
even making furniture from wooden pallets! The event
ended with (probably) the largest organised aerobics
session in Coldstream History with
Sky News
there to capture all the moves!
xsell2
ONTO
THE SANDPIT - I BET REAR PARTY WILL BE BORED? The end of September '09, start of October saw the Battalion
deploy to Afghanistan and talks had previously taken
place with the Commanding Officers and Welfare Officer
to organise a ‘Wristband
Appeal Fund’. The appeal would see wristbands be
available for FREE to anyone wishing to support the
Coldstream Guards in Afghanistan, in return if they
wished to donate to the fund it would be most welcome.
Along with Barrack Guards, providing the Garrison QRF (quick
reaction force) duties, and anything else thrown their
way - the Rear Party would be far from bored!
It was hoped that the fund would do as well as the
previous appeal fund, organised for
Herrick 7, where an amazing total of nearly £80,000
was raised – little did everyone know that this figure
would be smashed! I volunteered to set up a section on
the website that would be titled ‘celebrities
wearing wristbands’ and would be used to display
celebrities who would allow a photograph taken of them
wearing the appeal wristband to be displayed. Nearly 300 packageswere
sent to well know celebrities with a letter from the
Commanding Officer explaining about the appeal and a
couple of wristbands – all we asked were for the
‘celebrity’ to send us an image of them wearing it. It
sounded as a good idea in principal but the reality of
these famous individuals finding the time in their
schedules to achieve this for us seemed like a long-shot
(even cheeky – as some said). Once again, we were
proven wrong when FLOODS of e-mails and images were sent
to the Battalion and ShinyCapstar with images of
Celebrities wearing wristbands, the first that deserves
a particular mention was from Ian 'THE MACHINE’
(see right) Freeman (cage-fighter, TV star and all round nice (but
extremely tough) guy), who I contacted through facebook (it was spare of the moment shot in the dark).
Ian sent not only an image of himself, but also his good
lady wife and training partners!
It was now October 2009, the Battalion had settled into
a routine (wherever that is possible in such a
hospitable location) and back on Rear Party the Welfare
Office Staff and Rear Party personnel were busy
promoting the appeal in all manor of places.
WOII ‘Mac’
McWilliams (The Recruiting Warrant Officer) and all the
Recruiting Offices around Britain were also heavily
involved in promoting the appeal ……………… then, on October
8th 2009,
Lance Corporal James Hillof the Mortar Platoon
attached to Number 1 Company was killed as the result of an
explosion near to Camp Bastion in Helmand Province.
LCpl Hill was an extremely popular member of the
Battalion and his death hit many so hard that they had
to dig so deep, knowing that they had lost a good friend
but also so aware that they must complete the task given
to them. LCpl Jimmy Hill was
laid to rest in Redhill, Surrey on the 27th
or October, hundreds were present to say farewell.
A VISIT TO THE
HARLEQUINS:
Back in the UK, the wristband appeal was going extremely
well and members of the Battalion Welfare Team were
invited down to the
Harlequins Stadium in Twickenham where the team
posed for photos of them wearing support bands, and even
donated a couple of signed rugby balls and a signed
Harlequins shirt.
As I was updating the site one rainy
day, I came across
a Liverpudlian Artist that was doing a painting in
aid of raising money for Help for Heroes in honour of
our brave servicemen and servicewomen. The painting was
outstanding and with such a worthy cause (and such great
talent) it deserved a mention on the forum.
Tony Sweeney was looking to raise £1,000 for Help the
Heroes and the finished painting was bought by the Royal
Marines Reserve at Merseyside taking his total to over
the target. Congratulations Tony (indeed, ShinyCapstar’s favourite artist), and you can still
donate here.
The update touched on the LCpl Hill’s untimely
depth and how his death had rocked all ranks in
Battalion. The
update also covered many of the Company responsibilities in
theatre.
QUOTE: ‘The
Babaji Battlegroup is a mix of 2 Coldstream Rifle
Companies; No 1 Coy and No 3 Coy, 2 Afghan National Army
Companies, some Coldstream Police Mentors, Afghan
National Police and representatives from the Royal
Artillery, Royal Engineers and many other regiments
across the Army. Some, we have worked with during our
training, others are new faces. I am delighted to report
that the human dynamic across the Battlegroup is
excellent.
To a man and woman, we believe
that we can make a difference to our area of
responsibility. There is a job to do; to provide
security for the local people and defend them from those
who would destroy what opportunity they have. Our area
of responsibility is predominantly agrarian. The basis
of the economy is agriculture. Before now, I never
anticipated that my 3 years as a student at the Royal
Agricultural College, Cirencester, would be of any value
in the military. How wrong could I have been!
ANOTHER GREAT LOSS TO THE BATTALION: Back in the UK more celebrities were sending in their
photos which now included Terry Wogan, Alan Titchmarsh
(who even wore it many times whilst on T.V), David ‘The
Haymaker’ Hayes (just days before his triumphant win
over the giant that was) and Ricky Hatton (to name only
a few).
Doncaster were also doing their bit by
organising ‘The
Red Friday’ event and the big news was that the
first total of the wristband appeal was announced and
£40,000 had been raised in only a few months!
On the 30th of November 2009, the MOD
confirmed the death of
Sergeant John Amer who died
from wounds sustained as a result of an explosion that
happened in the Babaji area, in central Helmand
Province. John was a great Coldstreamer and a great
friend to many and I had the pleasure of knowing John
and talking to him on many occasions.
He could be
picked out from a crowd as he would be the one smiling
no matter what the circumstances dictated. His death
shook many and his memory will live on forever in many
stories told in and around the Sergeants’ Mess Bar.
Sgt
John Amer was
laid to rest in Sunderland on the 17th of
November 2009. There were hundreds in attendance to
say farewell.
Late December saw Operation Lion’s Leap with soldiers
from Number 1 Company deploying to Kopak near Babaji.
They were inserted by Chinook helicopter a few
kilometres out from their patrol base to engage with
local villagers and disrupt enemy activity in the area.
A fantastic article was posted on the
Helmand Blog (ran by the UK Forces Media Ops Guys)
and included some superb images of Coldstreamers in
action.
A MESSAGE FROM
SOME FANS: Meanwhile back in the UK, planning was already afoot for
number 7 Company’s mammoth march from Coldstream
(Scotland) to London – 400 miles on foot! This was to
commemorate the 350th anniversary of General Monck’s
monumental march from Coldstream to London in 1650 and
promised to be a very taxing time to say the least.
A personal video message from pop sensation JLS was
also received for members of the Battalion in
Afghanistan and more images including Jimmy Carr, James Cracknell OBE, Frank Skinner and Phillip Schofield &
Holly Willoughby were sent in wishing the Battalion the
very best (location permitting) for Xmas and the New
Year and the wristband appeal fund was now at £75,000!
A
NEW YEAR UPDATE FROM THE BATTALION IN AFGHANISTAN: News from the Battalion in Afghanistan was received in
at the start of the New Year and had some
fascinating
articles from Battalion Headquarters, Number 1 Company,
Number 2 Company, Number 3 Company and Support Company
(referred to as 4SP by the chosen few). The newsletter
also featured an interesting article from the Mortar
Colour Sergeant (Benny – thank you), and also covered
Christmas in Afghanistan.
‘Life
remains relatively spartan, but the important things are
there in abundance and the company have risen together
to the challenges facing them in true Coldstream style.
As ever, support from home is the bond that holds us
together, and the company are hugely grateful for the
massive influx of mail that pours off each helicopter,
especially at Christmas – there’s only so much that
‘compo’ rations can do in the face of real mince pies!’
425 MILES ON FOOT FROM COLDSTREAM TO LONDON: Back in the UK, Number 7 Company had started on
their
epic journey ON FOOT from Coldstream to Londonto
raise money for the Army Benevolent Fund and the
Coldstream Guards, and the weather as not kind for the
start of their 425 mile trip. Images were sent in
following Number 7 Company on their way, and all towns and
cities welcomed them with open arms and a hot cup of
tea. It was also announced that the target of £100,000
for the wristband appeal had been reached ………… and was
still going very strong!
Telegraph readers had
aos helped raise the awareness of the campaign and at the
same time raise £10,000 for the appeal!
STARS SHOW THEIR
SUPPORT: More celebrities were flooding into the gallery to support
Coldstreamers (and attached personnel) in Afghanistan
including Ray Winstone, David Cameron (current Prime
Minister), The Dragon’s from the Dragons Den and the
darts legend Bobby George.
‘On arriving at the
checkpoint there was little in the way of creature
comforts and only the bare minimum of facilities: a
toilet area complete with WAG bags, a make shift wash
and shower area and a cooking area. This was going to be
hard work. Over the next few weeks we improved these by
cleaning and doing some building. This included an ops
room, defences and sleeping areas. The Coldstream way of
operating was a shock to the attached RMP. We would
start with a 0700 hours reveille and areas. This
included litter sweeps, burning the toilet bags,
cleaning tables and sweeping the dust out of the
compound. This however was not our main job the
improving of defences and living accommodation fell
second to patrols, mentoring the ANP and completing MSST
taskings.’
THE SISTER ACT: As Number 7 Company marched on through Newcastle, Selby
and Doncaster (amongst many other places), the
planning and training for ‘Team H-J’ was well under
way. Team H-J consisted of Sisters Carys, Rhian, Bethan
and Elinor Hampson-Jones who were running the Reading
Half Marathon on Sunday 21st March 2010. Carys husband
(LSgt Mark Clyde) was badly injured in Afghanistan and
was flown back to Selly Oak for emergency
treatment.
The Welfare system reacted quickly and efficiently
providing Mark and family with everything they needed.
The outstanding treatment that was received from the
Battalion inspired the Sisters to try and put something
back into the pot so others could benefit from the
assistance given. An original target of £2,000 was
given, then raised to £3,000 and at the time of this
article, the new target of £5,000 has been smashed, and
you can
still donate here.
"We decided to do this to
try raise money for the charity who provide assistance
to all ranks of the Coldstream Guards, both past and
present, their wives, widows, children and other
dependants.
"Only one of us has completed a half marathon before so
it is a big challenge and we have all been sticking to
our training regimes since the start of the year, albeit
sometimes in about five layers when running in the snow
and rain!
"We have still managed to clock up in excess of 400
miles between us so far, which is pretty impressive when
you think that before training started some of us hadn't
run further than to the doors of the shops for the
Christmas sales!
"It is our way of saying thank you."
MEDIC BY
DAY - QUIZ MASTER BY NIGHT!
Over in Afghanistan
BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Society) released a
small video featuring a man (legend to many) known by
many as having a talent with a microphone!
CSgt ‘Mac’
Mchugh (the Medical Colour Sergeant) had taken it upon
himself to organise a
Helmand Quiz Night. The
quiz, held each Friday where possible, would be attended
by many teams all trying to become victorious. The BFBS
Video below explains about the quiz and how many (from
the Commanding Officer downwards) look forward to it during the weekly excursions.
Back in the UK, the
new total for the wristband appeal is announced at
£131,000 and more celebrities from Bob Hoskins to Gordon
Ramsay sent in their photos and personal messages to the
Battalion.
LOOK OUT - THE GERMANS ARE COMING! On the 26th of January 2010, ShinyCapstar
announced the
Coldstream Guards Commemorative Capstar
project. As I had designed and created a few capstars
before I thought that it may be an idea for a few people
to get a piece of Coldstream Memorabilia and also raise
some cash for the appeal on the way. The idea was to
create a piece that would show an outlined Capstar
holding names of anyone wishing to add them. Each
person wanting their name was asked for a donation of £2
and the outside of the Capstar would depict images sent
in by anyone (chosen by a panel) and images from Op
Herrick 11.
Another exciting project was the release of
the book ‘Seelowe Nord’ – the Germans are coming,
by Andy Johnson (former Regimental Sergeant Major of the
1st Bn Coldstream Guards). Seelöwe Nord is a
war novel that tells the alternative history of
Operation Sealion, the proposed German invasion of
Britain in 1940 and in Andy’s debut novel, the invasion
actually takes place, but instead of falling on the
south coast of England as was expected, the Germans land
on the east coast of Yorkshire between Scarborough and
Skipsea. The invasion also involves a parachute attack
on RAF Driffield and a glider-borne assault against the
gun batteries on Spurn Head. In the days following the
invasion, the Germans fight their way south-westwards
through Holme-on-Spalding Moor in an attempt to cross
the River Ouse between Selby and Goole. The book
was released and has found
rave eviews on Amazon,
as this article is being prepared Andy is busy
‘beavering’ away with his prequel!
OUCH - MY FEET! On Saturday the 30th of January
2010,
Number 7
Company arrived at Tower Hill, London completing their
425 mile march from Coldstream to London. The route
took 7 Company through Berwick-upon-Tweed, Newcastle,
Durham, York, Selby, Doncaster, Worksop, Mansfield,
Loughborough, Market Harborough, Northampton, Milton
Keynes, Dunstable, St Albans, Barnet and Woolwich in
south-east London – arriving at Tower Hill 25 days after
setting off from Coldstream.
The march covered 425
miles on foot over 25 days (approx 25 miles a day),
during that time over 3500 eggs and 1000kg of meat was
eaten. Over 9,000 calories were burnt off
each day by those competing in the march and the coolest
day was a very 'fresh' -15c (including wind chill). Of the 25
days, Number 7 Company endured 10 of those days with
snow and 4 days of rain – and (gruesome fact here), over
300
blisters were popped and more than a mile of zinc oxide
tape was used to tape up blisters and delicate parts of
the feet!
TWO FALL FROM THE COLDSTREAM
FOLD: The second week in February (11th February
2010) saw another tragic loss to the Battalion with the
death of
Lance Corporal Darren Hicks, dying as a
result of an explosion that happened in the Babaji
district of central Helmand province. As much as this
shocked the whole Battalion, Rear Party, Family and
Friends – no one was prepared for the news that was
received one week later! The MOD and Battalion
announced that Lieutenant Douglas Dalzell was
killed in Afghanistan on Thursday 18 February 2010.
Both LCpl Hicks and Lt Dalzell were extremely popular in
the Battalion and their Eulogy’s reflect this with great
passion;
LCpl Hicks:
"The Coldstream Guards have lost one of
the finest Lance Corporals currently serving. Lance
Corporal Darren Hicks was at the top of the list to
attend the promotion course that would propel him to the
next rank of Lance Sergeant.
"He led his
men like a Lance Sergeant and they responded to his
leadership as if he were a Lance Sergeant; they
respected and loved him in equal measure. He was a
character amongst his comrades and a well known figure
throughout the Battalion. I always enjoyed the
occasional chat with Lance Corporal Hicks; he was
deferentially direct and a joy to soldier with.
Lieutenant Colonel Toby Gray, Commanding
Officer, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards
Lt
Dalzell:
"The gap he leaves in his Company, the
Battalion and Officers' mess is enormous. We all mourn
his death and will miss his gentle yet keen sense of
humour, but our loss is nothing to that of his family;
his parents, hi
s brother, Angus and sister, Liv and
many, many friends beyond the Army and Regiment.
"A bright
light has gone out in this glorious regiment. In his
memory I know all ranks will rise to the challenges of
the coming months so that Dougie's sacrifice is not in
vain – he would want us to push hard to the end. He
did."
Lieutenant Colonel Toby Gray, Commanding
Officer, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards
THE APPEAL RISES
TO £236,000! March '10 saw the wristband appeal rise from an amazing
£196,200 to an astonishing £236,700 and more celebrities
were sending in their images for display on the gallery
(Josh Lewsey MBE, George Osborn, Jedward (thanks Hoggie
for sorting them out), William Hague
and Chris Tarrant to name only a few). With the appeal
now at well over two hundred grand, what seemed like a
generous target of £100k had now been doubled ……… and
more generosity was still to come through the doors of
Planet Coldstream! Honour Our Troops, a concert
for troops risking their lives to keep ours safe, also
had a re-design of their website and later gained
charity status. This was in no doubt achieved
due to the hard work of the Team behind Honour Our
Troops (all volunteers) who work long hours into the
night after their normal jobs to help promote and
organise a concert for Soldiers - well done the H.O.T
Team.
The sit rep
touched upon the recent losses to the Battalion and the
move forward to achieve the goal.
‘Supporting
progress in governance, enhancing the indigenous Afghan
Security Forces and developing our understanding are all
key drivers in our operations. The companies are
fighting hard. In many cases the tales of courage and
gallantry are all too many to record. We fight to defeat
the enemy on the battlefield and to buy the time and
space to grow afghan capability in two vital areas;
governance and security. Rather like a sober man holding
a drunk at bay waiting for him to run out of steam, so
we hold the Taliban off as we support the government in
filling the void.
This has not been without pain
and sacrifice. Since my last situation report, all too
long ago, we have lost two of our finest in the fight
and suffered a number of casualties. The sacrifice has
not been for naught. The void is being filled. Children
trot happily to the temporary school as they watch their
permanent place of education develop day by day. Their
parents are witnessing a new health clinic take shape
along the new tarmac road as they buy their groceries
from the shops appearing along the route. Farmers
irrigate their fields with the free flowing water as it
passes down recently cleared ditches and many families
now enjoy the luxury of clean water from new wells and
electricity from mini-hydro electric turbines. These are
all projects delivered by the Battlegroup, as we strive
to improve the lives of the many innocent and often
beleaguered local people.’
In addition to this, the wristband appeal also surpassed
a quarter of a million pounds with a now total of
£261,000 and more images were coming through including
the living legend that is, Sir Ben Kingsley.
ANOTHER COLDSTREAMER FALLS: On the 1st of April 2010, on a day that would
normally be set aside for playing practical jokes on one
another, the tragic news of another Coldstreamer lost in
Afghanistan was received.
Guardsman Michael
Sweeney died as a result of an explosion that happened
in the Babaji District of central Helmand province. In
such a short time in the Army, Michael joined number 2
Company in 2008 and was then posted to Number 7 Company
a short time later.
He paraded on the Queens Birthday
Parade, deployed on exercise to Belize and then in early
2009 travelled with 7 Coy for an extended exercise in
Africa before returning for another Troop (Trooping the
Colour/Queens Birthday Parade). In December 2009 he was
posted back to Battalion and deployed to Afghanistan
with Number 1 Company. In such a relatively short time, Gdsm Sweeney crammed so much into such a small time
frame and as his Eulogy reflects he was destined to go
further in the Regiment.
Tragically, at 19 years of age
that was not to be.
Gdsm Michael Sweeney was laid to
rest on the 21st of April in Blyth,
Northumberland – the town centre stood at a standstill
as
more than a thousand mourners paid their last
respects.
FIT FOR A
COLDSTREAM CHALLENGE! The middle of April 2010 saw the announcement that the
wristband appeal fund had now reach an staggering
£316,000,
and there was probably more generosity to come
as many more thought of ideas to raise money for
support. Once of these ideas was the ‘Coldstream
Challenge’ which was a one off endurance event in June
2010, organised by a group of friends with the objective
of raising money for both the Help for Heroes charity in
the UK and the Wound Warrior Project in the US. It
starts in Coldstream in the Scottish borders on the 18
June 2010 and over the next six days the seven
“athletes” cycle over 300 miles and walk nearly two
marathons over 18 mountains in the Lake District and
North Wales.
At the time of this article the event had
finished with no injuries and over £40,000 has been
raised! (you can still donate here).
SHINY TO THE RESCUE! On the 14th of April ShinyCapstar was
contacted by a concerned Father, who was looking for
help for his Son who had ‘mis-laid’ his wristband that
he had got on a recent trip to London (he donated his
pocket money towards it!).
Obviously heart-broken, Andrew (the Dad) contacted
ShinyCapstar enquiring about 'how to get a replacement' for
Oliver (the Son). As the Welfare Office were out and
about, and the Battalion were preparing to depart the
‘Sandpit’, ShinyCapstar took it the gauntlet to try and
help.
Below is a explanation of the
incident, from Andrew;
We were away on a weekend break in London to meet one of our
elder son's who was completing some work experience,
which involved a few
days being a paramedic in the Big City, and also to visit a few
land marks (The Tower of London etc). We travelled
around on the tube and it was outside Kensington station
where we came across your Coldstream Comrades with the
appeal wrist bands.
Straight away, after seeing the soldiers, Ollie wanted to donate
(his pocket money) and was now very proud
to wear his support band.
We arrived at the Natural History Museum later that
afternoon, collecting a helium filled balloon on the
way.
On entering, we found that no balloons on strings were
allowed in the museum (could set off alarms ) so we
begame to hand them over to the attendant, who
fumbled the hand over and the said balloon sailed up to the
roof.
Oliver is at that stage of not wanting to part
with anything, especially a nice new balloon, sp he was most upset. After a chat mum
went off and came back with another balloon on a stick
which the museum would allow. So, thankfully, it was 'happy Oliver again'.
It soon
came around to closing time and Oliver needed the loo
before the journey back to the campsite. A few minutes
later, as we were approaching the bus stop for our
return journey, we realised
he had left his wrist band in the toilet! Even more
tears came, and a statement from Oliver of how stupid he was
but after much reassurance that we all loose things from
time to time I promised I would get in touch with the
Regiment and they would solve his problem (hopefully).
Which you have done admirably.
Oliver, Mum and I are very grateful to you and the rest
of your comrades for not only making Oliver a happy boy
again but for the valuable work you all do for everybody in
the country in very difficult circumstances.
We wish all in the Regiment safe tours of duty for the
future, and please be
assured our thoughts are always with you.
With warmest wishes and great respect, Oliver, Caroline
and Andrew Mills (in sunny Skegness).
Note: ShinyCapstar sent Oliver some brand new wristbands
(including the limited edition 'Geordie ones'), a
personalised Coldstream key-ring, Coldstream ruler and a
handy Foot Guards guide (how to spot the difference).
His observations were
sent to Regimental Headquarters and released to
ShinyCapstar and the Branches;
‘The Battalion has been
“thinly spread”, holding the line in Babaji to enable
additional resources to be applied elsewhere (where they
have been to good effect). This has meant a tough fight
– one of the companies estimated that they came into
contact with the enemy on 8 patrols out of 10 - but the
progress has been tangible. It is notable that their
successors, 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, will
be reinforced by two additional companies.’
The last six months had seen the Coldstream Guards
playing a leading role in Operation MOSHTARAK operating
in partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces
to build positive relationships with the local people,
enabling a move towards reconstruction and development
in the area. The Coldstream Guards had achieved
enormous amounts and made great progress, albeit
with great sacrifice – it was now time to come home!
BACK ON UK SOIL! The Battalion arrived back home at irregular intervals
(due to handover/takeover procedures) at the end of
April / start of May 2010 and although there were many
arranged welcomes the homecoming was “tinged with
sadness” because of the casualties experienced during
the Tour.
As the
Coldstream Guards left Afghanistan,
Brigadier Richard Felton, Commander Task Force Helmand
(the name given to UK-led forces in Helmand Province),
paid tribute to the sacrifices made since the Coldstream
Guards took command of the area from the Light Dragoons
in 2009.
Brigadier Felton said:
“The Coldstream Guards have done
an excellent job during their six months here.
They are leaving this area in a far better position
than when they arrived.”
Mac is a very keen Battalion Rugby
player, and two members of the Battalion Rugby Team were lost
in the recent tour of Afghanistan (LCpl Darren Hicks &
Lt Dougie Dalzell).
In memory of their two fallen
players it was organised for the Coldstream Guards Rugby Club
to tour the
South West finishing home at Aldershot.
Games organised were Penzance
& Newlyn RFC, Bude RFC, Crediton RFC, Ivel Barabarians
RFC (Yeovil), and the Old Radleyans (Aldershot
Stadium).
Hundreds (upon hundreds) of people attended the Memorial
Tour.
And, the wristband appeal fund was now at £351,000!
MEMORIAL MARCHES: On Wednesday 23rd June, No 2
Company participated in the 11 Brigade Homecoming Parade
in Winchester and a Memorial Service in Winchester
Cathedral. 650 soldiers from 11 Brigade were joined by
3 military bands, over 10,000 people and The
Duchess of Cornwall, who inspected the Brigade.
On Thursday the 24th of June 2010, the
Coldstream Guards held their welcome home parade through
Central
London. Coldstreamers and those present attended a very
moving memorial service for lost comrades at The Guards
Chapel at Wellington Barracks; before marching along
Birdcage Walk to the Guards Memorial on Horse Guards,
where Lt Col Toby Gray, Commanding Officer of the 1st
Battalion Coldstream Guards, laid a wreath to the fallen
men. Injured Coldstreamers and attached personnel
paraded side by side in wheelchairs along the entire
route.
On Saturday the 26th of June 2010, TENS
OF THOUSANDS of people gathered on the South Bay in
Scarborough to show their support for troops who have
just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Amongst them were the 1st Battalion
Coldstream Guards, 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment and the
standards, veterans and cadets parade, the event
featured a host of exhibits and displays.
Please find images
below (from various sources) of the Memorial Parade in
London
(it is not my
intention to break copyright - just preserve a
remembrance parade).
A public thank you must to to Lindsay Cooper for sending
some of the excellent images below.
Guardsman Michael Sweeney of No.1 Company,
1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, killed in action in
Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Thursday 01 April 2010. Lieutenant Douglas
Dalzell of No.1
Company, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, killed in
action in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Thursday 18
February 2010. Lance Corporal Darren
Hicks of No.1 Company,
1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, killed in action in
Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Thursday 11 February
2010. Sergeant John Amer
of No.1 Company, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, killed
in action in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Monday
30th November 2009. Lance Corporal James
Hill
of the Mortar Platoon, 1st
Battalion Coldstream Guards, killed in action in Helmand
Province, Afghanistan on Thursday 8th October 2009. Guardsman Christopher
King, 1st Battalion
Coldstream Guards, killed in action in Helmand Province
(Op
Herrick 10 - attached to the Welsh Guards),
Afghanistan on Wednesday 22nd July 2009.
The ShinyCapstar Forum holds messages of condolence that
you can add to or read messages any that have been
posted, to see them
please click here.
ldstream Comrades, marched over 400 miles to raise
funds from Coldstream to London (7 Company), raised nearly a
half million pounds through the wristband appeal
campaign,
marched through many towns on their return and laid a
memorial wreath for fallen comrades at the Guards
Chapel. All this in just over three hundred days!
treatment.
The Welfare system reacted quickly and efficiently
providing Mark and family with everything they needed.
The outstanding treatment that was received from the
Battalion inspired the Sisters to try and put something
back into the pot so others could benefit from the
assistance given. An original target of £2,000 was
given, then raised to £3,000 and at the time of this
article, the new target of £5,000 has been smashed, and
you can
and there was probably more generosity to come
as many more thought of ideas to raise money for
support. Once of these ideas was the ‘
Capstar was
contacted by a concerned Father, who was looking for
help for his Son who had ‘mis-laid’ his wristband that
he had got on a recent trip to London (he donated his
pocket money towards it!).
Obviously heart-broken, Andrew (the Dad) contacted
ShinyCapstar enquiring about 'how to get a replacement' for
Oliver (the Son). As the Welfare Office were out and
about, and the Battalion were preparing to depart the
‘Sandpit’, ShinyCapstar took it the gauntlet to try and
help.
touch with the
Regiment and they would solve his problem (hopefully). 
