Afghanistan Update From CO 1 R WELSH (RWF) 5

Dear all,

This will be my last update from Afghanistan (for now anyway!) and I'm sorry that I didn't have the time and opportunity to provide more updates during this current tour, although I know that Al Poole has periodically kept you informed.

We are now quickly approaching the end of this deployment and our replacements, 1 Royal Ghurkha Rifles (1 RGR) from Brunei are now here in force. We have finished our last operational deployment and are in the process of handing our vehicles, kit and equipment over for their use, although we are still maintaining a platoon sized Quick Reaction Force in case of significant incidents. All pax should be back in Kandahar Airfield (KAF) in the next few days from their current 'holding locations' and we are looking to handover all responsibilities to 1 RGR early next week. The Company Group will then fly to Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar for a 36 hour period of decompression before returning to Cyprus.

We have conducted six Op deployments during this 5 month tour and they have spanned the full spectrum of operations, from 'influence and re-assurance' operations to high intensity war fighting (as covered in Al Poole's last update). Although we have taken casualties (11 in total), all of the Ops have been deemed as successful and the guys have impressed everybody with their professionalism and determination. The last Op was historic in that we served alongside the Vandoos battle group (R22R of Canada). As many of you will know, the Vandoos is a 1 RWF affiliated regiment as we fought alongside each other in all of the major battles during the latter 2 years of WW1. We believe that this is the first time that we have served so closely together on operations since. Consequently, there has been a great deal of interest from the old-and-bold on both sides of the Atlantic. During our time in Afghanistan we have also worked for the Dutch Task Force in Urzugan Province, the Canadian Task Force in Kandahar Province, the Romanian Task Force in Zabol Province and the British Task Force in Helmand Province. All of the operations have been completely different and there has never been a dull day.

I have mentioned that we have had 11 casualties on this tour. Three have subsequently returned to duty in Afghanistan, whilst the others are convalescing or still under-going treatment. I won't list them all here, but I am sure that you would all like to know that CSgt Richie Jones 01 (Mortar Platoon), and Ruth his wife, have recently returned to Cyprus for a month before he returns to the UK to continue his treatment and rehabilitation. Richie has been in Selly Oak Hospital since 4 June after he received multiple gun shot wounds to his leg, which was unfortunately subsequently amputated below the knee. He was making good, if slow, progress until a couple of weeks ago when he fell on some concrete steps and broke the femur in his amputated leg. This has set his treatment and rehabilitation back, although he remains upbeat and determined to forge on and get mobile again. I hope that a month back in the Regimental fold in the warmth of Cyprus will work wonders rather than being stuck in a hospital bed.

Whilst Afghanistan has been ‘interesting’, I would like to comment on how well D Coy Gp has performed in Basra over the past 4 months. Unfortunately they have not had a high profile or even really rewarding role and they have been required to work 24hr shifts in extreme temperatures within the Coalition Operations Base (COB) in Basra on an extremely sensitive and potentially classified role. I visited them a month or so ago and I was impressed by their determination and work ethic. Whilst they would not have chosen their current task if they had had the choice, they were resolute in their determination to do it well. Everybody who I spoke with in Basra during my visit had been impressed by their dedication and performance. They are currently in the process of handing over their role and are due to depart Basra in the next few days in order to conduct decompression in Al Udeid and then fly onwards to Cyprus. The whole Battalion should therefore be complete on Cyprus for a joint Alma Day Dinner on Fri 21 Sep in the Officers' Mess. Traditionally both the Offrs and Sgts' Messes dine together on Alma Day to celebrate the closeness of the 2 messes during the battle of the Alma in the Crimea. In a break with tradition (or the start of a new one), this year's dinner will see the ladies attending the evening as a 'thank-you' for their support, fortitude and understanding during the past Op tours. This will be followed by a period of well earned leave for those who have been deployed. We also plan to hold a belated Alma Day celebration for all ranks and their families' in late October when everybody is back from leave.

No report would be complete without mentioning those who were left behind in Cyprus. A Coy Gp were all primed to deploy to Afghanistan to relieve B Coy Gp in early July but their deployment was cancelled 10 days prior to their departure as the General in KAF did not want to lose the hard won experience that B Coy Gp had accumulated by this time. This was obviously disappointing for them as they had trained hard and were focussed on their future role. However, they have continued to maintain their training levels and they have also taken on their fair share of routine duties in Cyprus. Not what they or I would have wished for, but they have accepted their lot with good grace and simply got on with life. That leaves the Battalion Operations Support Group (BOSG) (what you would all know as the Rear Party but which was renamed to reflect its real role) in Cyprus which was supporting 2 simultaneous deployments and A Coy's operational continuation training. This was no mean feat and they were all extremely busy, especially as they were also required to conduct on-island security tasks at the same time.

As you can all see, this has been a real team effort with everybody playing their part, as is the normal style of the Royal Welch. I would also like to thank all of you for your support and messages of goodwill throughout these deployments, especially when we took casualties. It is good to know that we have such strong support in the Principality and also further afield.

Although we will shortly finish these two Op tours, we remain the Theatre Reserve Battalion (TRB) for both Iraq and Afghanistan until 1 Jun 08, so we have over 8 months still to go. Whilst there are no deployments currently on the horizon, we will be at relatively short notice to deploy, should we be required, so we will need to maintain our focus and training levels for a while longer. We will, of course, make full use of the Cyprus weather and facilities in the interim and I'll attempt to keep you all informed of developments as they occur.

Regards,

Huw James

DRH JAMES
Lt Col
CO 1 R WELSH (RWF)

Very informative Col. James, many thanks. It's great to hear that the Battalion is doing such a fantastic job.
It's interesting to know that you have been working so close with the Canadians. Not too many rugby players amongst them I bet so the win by Wales on the weekend didn't upset them much. Some friendly banter here at the local bar watching the game on the big screen especially when Canada were ahead.
My brother-in-laws father was a Brigadier with the Canadian forces (WWI and WWII). Brig. Walter Bean. I'll find out what Regt's he was with.
Keep up the great work and enjoy some well earned rest.

Dilwyn (Thomas 15)

Many Thanks Col James and the Lads of the 1st Bn.
Return Safe.
Best Regards
BennytheBall and all at the Shotton and Deeside Branch RWFCA