Tpr Robert Pearson
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FRIENDS and colleagues have been remembering a “popular and respected” young soldier who was killed while helping to escort a supply convoy in Afghanistan.
Tpr Robert Pearson, of The Queen’s Royal Lancers, died when his vehicle hit a suspected mine en route to Camp Bastion in Helmand province on April 21.
The 22-year-old, who had served with the regiment for just over a year, was pronounced dead at a field hospital despite the best efforts of a medical team to save him.
One other soldier was injured in the blast and was being treated as this issue went to press.
Known to his friends as Chesney, Tpr Pearson had joined the QRL early last year and was quickly identified by his superiors as being both confident and capable.
As a member of A Squadron, he was trained to drive Viking all-terrain vehicles and deployed to Afghanistan in January in support of 52 Infantry Brigade.
Leading the tributes, QRL commanding officer Lt Col Richard Nixon-Eckersall said Tpr Pearson, who was from Grimsby, had “made a name for himself” in his year with the regiment.
He added: “He was a popular and respected individual, his outgoing and confident manner giving a strong indication to his chain of command that he was one to watch. For those that might question whether or not today’s soldiers are a match for their forebears, he was ample proof that they are every bit as good and more.”
Lt Col Nixon-Eckersall said his thoughts were with Tpr Pearson’s loved ones.
“Our loss, while great, is nothing compared to that felt by his family,” he added.
Defence Secretary Des Browne echoed the CO’s sentiments. He said: “Tpr Robert Pearson was, by all accounts, a very promising soldier who had a bright future.
“His loss is a tragedy and I was deeply saddened to hear of it. My thoughts are with his family, friends and comrades at what must be the most difficult of times.”
Rats ready for action
FIRED-up soldiers from the Desert Rats have been showing their teeth during an extensive series of manoeuvres to sharpen their skills for potential operations in the coming year.
About 2,800 troops from the 7th Armoured Brigade rolled out in Germany for their mission rehearsal exercise, working through a demanding package of serials.
Officers were satisfied with the performance of the soldiers who, they said, had proved themselves committed and prepared for operations.
Speaking from the Joint Mission Readiness Centre in Hohenfelds, Bavaria, brigade spokesman Capt Liam Wilson, of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, said personnel had gained a great deal from the exercise.
As well as 1 RRF, the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment and The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards had been among the battle-groups successfully proving themselves.
But Capt Wilson added that there had been shock at the death of Pte Scott Mugridge, 2 R Anglian, who was killed in a road accident at the outset of the manoeuvres. “This has been a very difficult time for his many friends,” he said.
“Our thoughts are with his family and it is tragic that he lost his life on this exercise. However, the soldiers have been getting everything together really well during this training and they are looking forward to going on tour once again.”
Capt Wilson said the brigade had been backed up by air support provided by Tornado fast jets from 617 (Bomber) Squadron RAF plus American F-16s and Apache helicopters.
“This is the second time a brigade from 1 (UK) Armoured Division has used this training area. It has allowed us to do serials including live firing.”
Soldiers taking part in the exercise said they had spent a hard but enjoyable time in Bavaria.
LCpl Steven Nicholson, Scots DG, said: “We have been ramping up for operations and morale is really good.”
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SOLDIERS deploying on ops can expect a smoother ride as a new multi-million pound IT system promises to improve the air bridge between the UK and theatres.
A secure PC package, Swift2Move, will bring the current MoD booking and tracking procedures up to date and give movers access to real-time bookings and cargo information.
It will also allow checking-in and booking systems to be set up anywhere with a laptop and printer, so that boarding passes could theoretically be provided at remote forward operating bases.
Gp Capt Andy Towler, RAF, one of the executives responsible for the MoD’s interests in the project, said military personnel always worked to keep disruption to a minimum.
Speaking to Soldier at the demonstration of the IT application, which is provided by French defence firm Thales under a £27 million contract, he admitted that the 1970s technology currently in service was showing its age.
“It is so old that it is getting to the stage that we are the only people using it,” he added. “If you have joined-up information systems you can see straight away what’s going on, which is the key requirement that is needed in-theatre.”
Gp Capt Towler was confident that Swift2Move would bring far-reaching improvements to military travel when it is introduced in September next year.
He said: “While we are introducing something that will give a greater capability, passengers must still allow themselves sufficient time to be processed.
“We have got to look at what the capability will do for defence as a whole and that is where the key changes are going to be.”
Telic hero killed
FRIENDS of a soldier who was killed in an accident while on manoeuvres have paid tribute to him for returning to duty despite being wounded in southern Iraq.
Pte Scott Mugridge, of the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment – who survived a rocket-propelled grenade attack on Op Telic 8 – had been on exercise in Germany when his Mastiff troop carrier was involved in a crash on April 14.
A dozen other troops were injured, one seriously, although no other vehicles were involved.
Military police officers are investigating the cause of the accident. According to reports, the Mastiff had been on a routine move as part of 7th Armoured Brigade’s latest mission rehearsal manoeuvres in Hohenfelds, Bavaria.
Lt Col Simon Browne, CO of Celle-based 2 R Anglian, said Pte Mugridge had been an inspiration to others for his good humour and upbeat outlook on life. The commanding officer added: “His death has had a very profound effect because he was not only a dedicated professional soldier but also a close personal friend.
“He was an ally, confidant and inspiration to so many and none more so than me.
“When I first met him he was lying on a bed in a field hospital in Iraq having been badly wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade attack on Op Telic 8. Despite his wounds he was cheerful, God alone knows why, and from that point on I noticed how upbeat he was about everything.”
Lt Col Browne said the loss of Pte Mugridge would be keenly felt, adding that the soldier’s willingness to return to operations after being seriously injured was humbling.
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A convoy of the latest heavy trucks are steaming across the Atlantic to British troops training in Canada. The shipment of 100 of the latest support vehicles were loaded by soldiers from 17 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC in Southampton, and will form part of the fleet at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (Batus). The vehicles feature more comfortable cabs than their predecessors, with air conditioning and automatic gearboxes. The lorries were provided under the £1.3 billion replacement Support Vehicle Programme awarded to manufacturer MAN Trucks, which will ultimately see more than 7,000 new cargo and recovery vehicles rolled out for service with the Army.
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in brief . . .
THE annual Buddhist conference will be held at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre in Amport, near Andover, from May 21-23.
Following the success of the meeting last year the event, which will include meditation and spiritual discussions, is open to all Service personnel and dependants. Space is limited and will be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis. For more information or to book a place contact Dr Sunil Kariyakarawana, Buddhist chaplain, 020 7414 3411 or email Sunilkari59@gmail.com
POLITICIANS gave officers and soldiers from 52 Infantry Brigade a warm welcome back from Afghanistan by hosting them at the Palace of Westminster. Members of the All Party Parliamentary Group, which aims to promote the Army among MPs, were full of praise for the returning troops, who served on Op Herrick 7.
Group chairman James Gray, Defence Secretary Des Browne and Michael Martin, the Speaker of the House of Commons, were among the high-profile politicians at the event.
ACTOR Ewan McGregor, musician James Blunt and comedian Al Murray are among the high-profile personalities backing a new charity event organised by BFBS.
Billed as the Forces’ own Red Nose Day, the Big Salute is running on the Armed Forces’ own TV and radio channels in the week from May 4-11.
The sale of merchandise, including special wristbands, will help raise funds with the cash earmarked for five high-profile Forces charities, including Combat Stress and the British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association. Visit www.ssvc.com/bfbs/bigsalute for further information.
WORLD-RENOWNED professor Mark Welland has taken on the mantle of the Ministry of Defence’s chief scientific adviser following the resignation of Prof Sir Roy Anderson.
Prof Welland will be responsible for providing quality scientific advice to ministers, senior officials and the Armed Forces to support military operations.
The 52-year-old will continue in his position as professor of nanotechnology at Cambridge University during his secondment to the MoD.
ARMY chaplains have raised £27,500 towards a £35m project to build a new infirmary at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. The money was raised from a variety of events organised by the Chaplain General’s Project, including collections from garrison churches, and takes the appeal fund to £26.5m.
A BRITISH soldier was killed in Iraq on March 26, the MoD has confirmed. He died as a result of gunshot wounds following an early morning firefight. In line with the family’s wishes, no further details have been released.
GERMANY-based sappers have been busy perfecting tactics with their new Titan and Trojan vehicles.
Troops serving with 35 Engineer Regiment gave the mechanical workhorses the thumbs-up after being put through a rigorous training package.
Based on the Challenger 2 platform, Titan can lay a 25-metre bridge in less than two minutes while its Trojan cousin can carry out tasks such as mine clearance and demolishing anything in its way with a raptor-like claw.
Lt Dave Luke, of 37 Armoured Engineer Squadron, said: “The vehicles do what they were designed to do, but the way to adapt is to start using Trojan and Titan in the same way as the old kit and change accordingly.”
Maj Andrew Devey, OC of the Paderborn-based squadron, believed the two new additions to the sapper armoury had yet to prove their full potential. He said: “There is a lot more to come from them. We haven’t found out the full capability of Titan and Trojan and they have not yet been deployed on ops.”
THE commander of British Forces in Gibraltar has praised his troops for their role in training African Union personnel heading to war-torn Darfur.
Cdre Matt Parr, RN, said his soldiers had played a key role in helping Gambian soldiers by passing on their knowledge and experience. He added: “The Royal Gibraltar Regiment troops performed well. Fewer than 100 of them went to Gambia and they were responsible for training 500 soldiers each day.
“There were only a small number of them but they provided a massive return in training the African Union troops. The service they provided
was vital.”
The contingent from the Rock spent just under a month in Gambia, instructing on key skills such as setting up vehicle checkpoints, patrolling and public order drills. As well as training infantrymen, the Gibraltar troops trained specialist intelligence operators, clerks and policemen deploying under a United Nations mandate to Darfur.
Maj Andrew Bonfante, who led the British Military Advisory Training Team, added: “Some of our junior NCOs found themselves giving lectures to about 150 troops, much bigger than any audience they would face in Gibraltar. This was an invaluable experience.” |
Charity hoping to coin it in
FAMILY members will be able to visit wounded soldiers in comfort as a result of a campaign launched by a leading Armed Forces charity.
In its latest cash drive, SSAFA Forces Help is appealing to the public to put £1 in a special envelope, and write a message of support to troops and their loved ones.
To date, £3.7 million has been raised towards the £5 million appeal target to buy and run two homes-from-home for families visiting their injured relatives at Headley Court in Surrey and Birmingham’s Selly Oak hospital, while the messages will be copied into books to be kept at the homes to inspire recovering personnel.
SSAFA Forces Help spokesman Michael Ivatt said the Pound for Your Thoughts campaign would provide much-needed havens for those visiting wounded soldiers.
He added that Norton House – named after George Cross winner Capt Peter Norton RLC – had already opened at Ashtead close to Headley Court and that a second property close to Selly Oak had been earmarked.
Special envelopes are available from SSAFA offices, across the Army community or online at www.ssafa.org.uk
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