It was reported in the Daily Telegraph of March 10th that British
Soldiers “would be alive” if they had the right equipment.
The relatives’ of the first female soldier Cpl Sarah Bryant killed in Afghanistan in 2008 would be alive if the Labour Government had provided the proper much needed equipment and training.
The coroner’s verdict was that they were killed unlawfully
The coroner said that they did not have the proper equipment
The prime minister said today 10th March 2010 that the training was being improved and equipment was being improved but this is all too little to late. He has been the Chancellor since 1997 for some 11 years so it is pathetic that he is only NOW sending more equipment and arranging for better training.
Cpl Sarah Bryant was killed in Helmand Province in Afghanistan on June 17th 2008. With her were killed Cpl Sean Reeve, L/Cpl Richard Larkin and Trooper Paul Stout when their Snatch Land Rover was hit by a roadside bomb. The Snatch Land Rover was not designed for Afghanistan it had previously been deployed in Northern Ireland. This vehicle has been involved in 37 deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The inquest was told how British soldiers had repeatedly asked for Wimik Land Rovers which have much better off road ability where as the Snatch is designed for use on Tarmac Roads.
When the British soldiers were informed that they would only have the Snatch Land Rover for their specific operation they greeted the news with some “disbelief” indeed soldiers had nick named these vehicles as “Mobile Coffins”.
They were made to use regular routes as they could not drive off road.
They had used a metal detector to check a water course for mines but some 70 metres later the Snatch vehicle detonated a mine hidden in a shallow ditch. The blast was described as huge. All four died almost instantly. IF and I know if is a big word but IF they had been driving a Wimik they would very probably have driven either side of the water course and therefore would have had a far greater possibility of surviving.
A former infantry commander called this vehicle a “death trap” and Dr Richard North a defence expert had advised that it was “totally inadequate” for dealing with mines and bombs.
Major Sebastian Morley the SAS squadron commander in Helmand province resigned four months after this terrible incident and he accused the Labour government of being “Cavalier at best Criminal at worst “ over equipping troops. He accused Whitehall officials of or continually ignoring warnings that people would be killed if they continued to allow troops to be transported in Snatch Land Rovers.
At the inquest into their deaths evidence was heard that they were forced to use this vehicle because of vehicle shortages and that they lacked training in the use of metal detectors. Rather crucial I would have thought when you need to detect mines that are made of metal.
The Labour Government says that the defence budget is rising but that is the very least that you would expect if you have two wars to fight one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan..
They failed to plan
They failed to act
They failed to equip the troops with the proper equipment
Therefore the deaths of these Soldiers must fall on their conscious. This is the Blair Brown legacy soldiers sent to war ill equipped not properly trained now two years AFTER these soldiers death Brown is arranging for new equipment to be delivered in the later half of 2010 he has missed the boat – to little too late he has been the chancellor since 1997.
Yes this is the Brown Blair Legacy unlawful killing (Coroners verdict) of British Soldiers which is brought home to us every week as those lines of Black Hearses proceed through Wooton Basset bringing back our dead heroes.
The time has come now for the electorate to remove these people from power we cannot afford to waste any more lives.
Gordon Brown has let down the bravest in the British Army and the British People he can not be allowed to continue. Giving incorrect statements to the Chilcott enquiry (lying) about the funding of the Army. Allowing our bravest and dearest to be unlawfully killed due to lack of equipment and proper funding. It is a total disgrace.
Before the Chilcott enquiry he said that the budget was always increased after allowing for inflation and he had to withdraw that statement as it was a lie. But the real failure is that when he was Chancellor and as Prime Minister he never set a proper war budget.
