by Richard Kemp
Hornigold, Steve 379–80
Horrocks, Sgt A 422
Howard, Pte S 422
Howard, Pte SL 419
Howe, LCpl Andy J 122, 127, 419
Howell, Pte Peter J 218, 329, 422
Howes, 2Lt Ben J 4187, 430
Operation Silicon 49, 50–51, 53, 54, 57, 71–5
at Heyderabad 136, 144, 151, 152, 173–4
Operation Ghartse Ghar 221, 222–3, 226, 228, 235, 237, 238, 240, 241, 242
HRF see Helmand Reaction Force
Hubbard, Pte B 423
Hudson, Capt GDR 416
Hughes, Pte Martin 415, 422
Hughes, Gnr Thomas 202, 237, 415
Humphrey, Pte BJ 418
Hunt, LCpl Kieran J 361, 418
hydroelectricity project 38, 99, 279, 340, 403–4
Hyett, Pte ML 420
Illsley, Pte Simon E 18, 19, 417
a committed Christian 19, 32
shoots his first enemy 19–20, 32
air attack mission 261
Inkerman see FOB
Inkerman Iran, terrorists from 266
Iraq 50, 51, 59, 101, 120, 190, 295, 330, 365, 407
1st Battalion’s mid–2005 tour 46, 251
1st Battalion’s tour of southern Iraq (2006) 37, 92
suicide car bombs 192
Iraqi police force 37
ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) 251
Isatullah, Governor 187, 250, 252–3, 254, 266
Jacks, Pte MA 419
Jackson, LCpl N 418
Jackson, LCpl NJ 421
Jackson, Cpl S 421
Jakes, Pte M 421
James, LCpl BL 419
James, Pte TD 423
Jan, Tor 215, 237
Jarrad, Pte DK 417
Jarvis, LCpl NC 423
Jay, WO2 L 422
Jeary, Pte RP 420
Johnson, Cpl A 419
Johnson, Pte AJ 417
Johnson, Cpl Dean 415, 421
Johnson, Pte GP 417, 423
Johnson, Pte JG 421
Johnson, Pte Matthew 414
Johnson, Pte MW 419
Johnson, Sgt SM 423
Johnson, LCpl T 417
Jones, Gdsm DA 301, 420
Jones, Pte DR 423
Jones, Pte LC 423
Jones, Cpl R 423
Jones, Pte RA 4201
Jones, Pte RC 417
Jones, Capt T 422
Jones, LCpl TW 422
Jordan, Cpl S 421, 423
Joseph, Pte D 420
Juby, Pte SP 419
Jusulay, Afghanistan 227, 228, 297
irrigation project 249, 267, 306
Jusulay track 285, 286, 289
Kabul 8, 50, 251
retreat from (1842) 130
1st Battalion’s six–month stint in (2002) 39, 251
2nd Battalion’s stint in (2003) 39
suicide car bombs 192
Kajaki 250, 277, 282, 283, 304, 305, 317, 369
C (Essex) Company deployed in 38, 42, 99, 281
bridge at 216
company–strength fighting patrols 341
Taliban sniper 342–3
memorial service on the hillside 373
increased enemy activity 401
Kajaki hydroelectric power dam 38, 99, 279, 340, 403–4
Kak e Jinan, Afghanistan 127
Kandahar 160
fall of (2001) 40
Kandahar Province 99, 279, 404
Kane, Sig J 422
Karzai, President Hamid 40, 131, 250, 253, 403
Katowzay, Afghanistan 227, 228, 231, 237, 240, 408
Kearney, Cpl Paul M 96, 420
Keeley, Gdsm KJ 417
Keen, LCpl RA 422
Keene, Capt 204
Kelly, Capt PMJ 420
Kemp, Pte JAK 420
Kemp, Ross 259
Kennedy, LCpl Paul 222, 418
Kenny, Pte E 422
Kent, Pte NPL 423
Kent, Pte PM 420
Kenya, training in 43, 102, 262
Kerner, Pte S 422
Kerrin, LCpl ARP 419
Khan, Pte MTS 419
Khvolehabad, Afghanistan 120, 121, 126, 130, 342, 351, 352
King, LCpl John 240, 287, 415, 421
King’s Lynn, Norfolk 103
Kingsey, LCpl MJ 421
Kipling, Rudyard: ‘The Young British Soldier’ 129–30
Kirby, LCpl AK 419
Kisby, LCpl 16, 22–3, 417
Kneller, Pte C 421
Knowles, LCpl Daniel AH 357, 418
Korean War 407
Kshatah Malazi, Afghanistan 226, 227
Kushinga, Pte S 418
Lake, LCpl Ben 312, 316, 420
Lambell, LCpl JS 418
Lambell, Pte JS 419
Landrigin, Maj FR 421
Langdon, Cpl MR 423
Langridge, Pte G 420
Langton, Pte A 419
Lappage, Pte JS 421
Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan 43
Law, Jude 400
Lawrence, Pte B 422, 423
Lee, Pte Josh O 137, 138–9, 158, 344, 414, 419, 430
Operation Silicon 70
Heyderabad 168, 171
Waterloo patrol base 189, 190, 191
volunteers to be top cover for his section’s Viking 192–3
the ambush (17 May 2007) 194, 195, 196, 198, 202, 203, 205, 207, 208
Mazdurak patrol 341, 352
‘friendly fire’ attack 354, 355, 357, 358, 359
at his friends’ funerals 408
Lee, Pte NA 418
Lee, Gdsm OT 417
Leek, Capt G 423
Leonardi, Pte MP 417
Lewis, Pte Joel 161, 167, 176, 178, 419
Lewis, Cpl S 422
Light Dragoons: C Squadron 375–6
Lindsell, Capt Jamie 273–4, 276
Ling, Cpl DW 420
Lingley, Pte M 418
Linsley, LCpl S 422
Lizzi, Pte SM 418
Lockley, LCpl JA 171, 418
Lomas, Cpl GJ 422
London Underground bombings (July 2005) 409
Londonderry 340
Long, Pte Jimmy L 6, 7, 417
Long, Pte T 421
Lorimer, Brig John 38, 279, 430
commander of Task Force Helmand 41
plans Operation Silicon 41, 42
priorities for reconstruction 42, 211
headquarters at Lashkar Gah 43
Operation Silicon 63, 86, 98, 131, 211
Sangin plan 131, 133
concept for Task Force Helmand 402
on the Battle Group 404
Love, Sgt Nathan J 322, 326, 329, 421
Lovett, Sgt L 423
Lowe, Pte GJ 418
Luff, Lt AK 418, 421
Lwar Malazi 218
M5 wadi, Afghanistan 103
McCabe, Pte Harrison R 286, 287, 293, 318–23, 325, 326–7, 329, 415, 421
McCall, LCpl R 418
McClure, Pte A 419
McCluskey, Pte PJ 418
McColl, General Sir John 407
McDermott, Pte S (‘Rooney’) 109, 420
McDonald, Cpl RDG 421
McGowan Griffin, Cpl VC 421
McIlroy, Pte Ian S 75, 76, 418
McKelvie, Pte Allie 60–61, 419
McKendrick, Pte C 418
McKenna, Cpl JK 423
McLaughlan, Cpl RB (Mac) 146, 161–7, 176, 178, 189, 344, 408, 412, 422
McLaughlin, Pte RH 421
Maclay, Capt AI 422
McLeod, Pte Jemail AA 390, 417
McLure, Pte Aaron ‘Troy’ 139, 167, 191, 347, 430
Operation Silicon 70, 76–7
fearlessness 158
friendship with Geater 347–8
Mazdurak patrol 349, 352, 354
super–fitness 349
considered to have great potential 349
killed in F15 ‘friendly fire’ attack 354–9, 359, 380, 408
memor
ial ceremonies 372–3
his funeral 408
McNeil, Marine 197, 199
McPhee, LCpl SM 420
McRoberts, Pte M 423
Madams, Cfn A 422
Magee, LCpl B 417
Magee, Sgt K 422
Main, WO2 Kevin 414, 416, 430
Malaya 41
Malembe, Pte KV 421
Mall, Pte J 423
Manchester United FC 219
Mann, Gdsm AJ 421
Mann, LCpl CS 154, 156, 170, 171, 174, 175, 176, 341, 418
Mann, LCpl Tom M 363–71, 375, 419
Manning, Sgt AE 416
Marano, Pte J 417
Marley, LCpl NA 417
Marshall, Cpl MH 423
Martin, Sgt Stephan 70, 145, 146, 150, 152, 154, 158, 161, 163, 165, 167, 170, 418
Masiwini, LCpl D 422
Mason, Pte DAK 417
Mason, Cpl Tom B 50, 222, 223, 418
Mataceva, Cpl A 421
Matai, Gdsm Jope B 299–300, 303, 304, 420
Mathieson, Pte S 416
Mati, Gdsm ET 421
Mauley, Pte Jamie 78, 79, 218–19, 418
Mavin, Pte CR 422
Mayer, LCpl B 422
Mazariel, Pte SC 420
Mazdurak, Afghanistan raid on 3–4 May 2007 111–30, 279, 297, 406
Messenger’s briefing 111–13
stiff Taliban resistance to raid expected 112
the mission 112
Taliban caught sleeping 116–17
fire from Khvolehabad 120, 121
Taliban reinforcements 121
fired on by A10s 126, 130
casualties cleared 127–8
10 and 11 Platoons move out 128–30
C Company weakens Taliban’s grip on their stronghold 131
B Company patrol 340–43, 347–53
B Company in major battle (6 October 2007) 401
‘friendly fire’ attack 353–62, 380, 408
Meadows, Cpl LG 417
Medlock, Pte James C 161, 419
Meean Rud wadi 329, 330
Meighan, Pte Kenny J 413, 416, 430
Meiring, Dmr D 420
Mensa, Pte F 423
Mercer, LCpl NA 19, 20, 417
Mercer, LCpl S 420
Merlo, Pte AL 419
Merzie, Afghanistan 342
Messenger, Maj Phillip J 279, 281, 400, 414, 419, 430
military career 99–101
commands C Company 38, 99, 101
decides to destroy old Russian trenches 103
and Woollard’s mine injury 104, 107, 111
Mazdurak raid 111–15, 120, 121, 125–8, 406
briefed on the situation at Inkerman 277
briefed by Moxey 283–4
observation of a river crossing point 284–5
explosion incident 286–90, 292
R and R 294, 295, 330
leads a successful patrol out of Inkerman 363–71
flushing out of Taliban IED team 400–401
Metcalf, Cpl SH 421
Milam, Cpl 419
Military Police 264
Minden, Battle of (1759) 410
Ministry of Defence (MOD) 37
Mitchell, Sgt DJ 422
Monks, Pte C 418
Moore, Cpl MJ 420
Moore, Cpl Robert (Billy) 14, 414, 430, 417
army career 13
wounded 15, 16, 17, 21, 24, 25, 30, 34, 38–9
Moore, Pte SP 420
Moore, Pte Stephen 415
Morfitt, LCpl DJ 416
Morris, Cpl Michael J 240, 326, 421
Moxey, Capt Phil C 134, 135, 421, 430
Operation Silicon 63, 64, 87
and the ambush of 17 May 2007 201, 204
Operation Ghartse Ghar 217
tells Messenger of Taliban movement 283–4
Moxham, Sgt 166
Muhammad (interpreter) 264
mujahideen rumours about 3, 343
slaughter of Russian soldiers at COP Zeebrugge 101
use of Type 63–2 107mm rocket against Soviets 153
ambushes a Russian motor rifle platoon 194
Mulholland, Gdsm RM 421
Murphy, LCpl J 418
Murphy, Cpl James 399, 418, 430
Operation Ghartse Ghar 218–19, 224, 233, 234, 241–44
Murray, LCpl DP 416
Murray, Pte SE 420
Murton, LCpl T 422
Musa Qalah, Afghanistan 98, 205, 212, 213, 271, 279, 292, 371, 383, 398
Nadriva, Pte Luke C 414, 418, 430
Operation Silicon 57, 64, 89
anti-tank mine incident 180, 181, 184
narcotics trade 250
NATO 211, 311, 351
and the Green Zone 43
and Operation Silicon 98
military arsenal 405–6
NATO Regional Command South 360
Naylor, Cpl Jimmy MH 71, 77, 89, 351, 353, 417
Ndego, Pte MN 417
Neal, CSgt Stephen 199, 254, 415, 422
Neal, CSgt T 422
Neil, Pte AR 423
Newton, WO2 Timothy R 133, 135, 142, 414, 417, 430
Operation Silicon 51, 54, 55, 72–3, 90, 91
in Heyderabad 150, 163, 166, 176–7
anti-tank mine incident 183, 184
attack by a lone Taliban fighter 186
the ambush of 17 May 2007 197–8, 199, 203, 205, 207
and the ‘friendly fire’ attack 360
and the search for Foster 361
Nicholas, Maj MA 421
Nicholls, Cpl MB 420
Nicholls, Pte SM 417
Nieves, Angie 181
Nieves, Harry 181
Nieves, CSgt Keith 418, 430
Operation Silicon 49–50, 57, 64
personality 179
anti-tank mine incident 180–84, 187, 408
Nieves, Peter 181
Nim Shir, Afghanistan 284, 285
Nipple Hill 103
Njie, Pte ML 417
Northern Ireland 8, 50, 101, 120, 330, 407
Nowzad 8, 37, 81, 277, 279, 281, 331
Nowzad District Centre (DC) 9, 17, 18, 24, 29, 218, 219
described 33
Nurse, Pte GA 419
Oaks, LCpl GD 421
O’Connor, Pte Liam K 124, 130, 420
O’Ddell, Pte Clinton 341, 346, 355, 415
Okotie, Pte OT (‘James’) 18, 261, 417
Oldfield, SSgt RM 423
Olen, Pte LM 420
Olivier, Lt Hermanus JJ 277, 420, 430
Mazdurak raid 114, 127
at Putay 300, 301, 302
at Regay 306, 308, 310, 311, 312–13, 316
Taliban attack on Inkerman 328–9, 331
Oliviero, Pte Fabio 408, 409, 414, 416, 430
extraction of Holmes 25–8, 381
friendship with Thrumble 380, 385
friendship with Sam Hicks 381
Operation Palk Ghar 381, 383–9, 392–5, 396, 398–9
contact with local community in Sangin 381–2
Omar, Mullah 40
OMLT see operational mentoring and liaison team
Operation Ghartse Ghar 215–47, 249, 259, 277, 279, 284, 381, 383, 384
planned 215–17
B Company at FOB Fox 218–21
intense fighting in the Green Zone 222–6, 231–3, 242–6
Katowzay 227, 228, 231, 406
evacuation of Watson 229–31
rallying point in a compound 237–42
casualties in 246
successes of 246–7
Operation Lastay Kulang 212–16, 249, 260, 375
Operation Minimise 380
Operation Palk Ghar 375–99
planning of 375–6
physical demands of 376–7
briefing 382–4
preparing for battle 384–5
the JTAC’s heat exhaustion 387–8
firefights 389–98
Taliban deaths in 400
Operation Silicon 41–98, 131, 1
41, 156, 169, 170, 211, 212
planning 41–9, 51–2
departure from Gereshk harbour 53
Objectives 1–14 55–6
kit carried 56
Red Fort 58
bloody battle between BRF and Taliban 63
air strike 64–6
6 Platoon surrounded by Taliban 73, 74, 77
heat exhaustion 77–9
attack on Habibollah Kalay 80–85, 406
Royal Anglian Battle Group’s success 86
permanent patrol bases 93–4, 97, 277–9
number of Taliban killed 97
significance of 97, 403
Operation Silver 133, 187, 249, 250, 403
operational mentoring and liaison teams (OMLTs) 63, 187, 193, 205, 333, 406
Operational Training and Advisory Group 351
Ops Box Thalatta 45
O’Reilly, Pte L 422
Ormiston, Cpt Oliver B 81, 94, 97, 218, 221, 281, 284, 285, 298, 319–20, 415, 421
the attack on FSG 287, 289
the attack on Inkerman 322, 326, 329, 331
Osborn, Pte TJ 417
Overton, Cpl CLD 422
Owen, LCpl DD 423
Owen, Sgt Edward 415
Owen, Cpl James 224, 226, 241, 242, 244, 430
Owen, Sgt JE 418
Owen–Bridge, Pte L 423
Owens, LCpl D 421
Owusu, LCpl GO 419
Pakistan
shares a border with Helmand Province 40
terrorists from 266, 279, 307, 383
Taliban leaders in 292
Palk Law 400
Palmer, Pte A 420
Panter, Sgt Simon I 22, 414, 417, 430
and the wounded Gray 22, 23
Operation Palk Ghar 390, 391
Parachute Regiment 214, 249
Parker, Cpl Stuart W 137–41, 177, 346–7, 415, 418, 430
Operation Silicon 68, 70, 71, 76, 77, 92
in Heyderabad 145, 148, 152–6, 158, 161, 167, 168, 172, 174
problems with the radio 170, 171
saved from a charging fighter 170–71
extraction of 175, 176
at Waterloo base 191
and the ambush of 17 May 2007 204, 205, 206
Mazdurak patrol 340–41, 347–52, 354
‘friendly fire’ attack 354, 355–6, 357, 358, 359, 408
severe blast injuries 408, 409
on the hard job of a private 410
Pasab, Afghanistan 137, 139, 171
Patmore, Pte R 422
Peacock, Pte Simon M 126–30, 408, 420
‘Peaks, The’ 101, 103, 113, 294, 341, 361, 373
Pearce, Pte 423
Pearce, Pte JA 423
Pearce, LCpl 327, 328, 329
Pearson, Pte M 422
Pearson, Pte MA 176, 419
Pegrum, Dmr RN 417
Pemberton, Pte C 423
Pendlebury, Gdsm GM 421
Penny, Sgt C 422
Penny, Pte S 421
Penwright, LCpl Oliver P 18, 417
Perkins, Pte KD 360, 419
Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), Northwood, Middlesex 37, 41
Perridge, Pte M 421
Perrin, Lt Samuel ED 277, 297, 304, 414, 419, 430
Mazdurak raid 112–17, 126