Introduction by the author Shaun Metcalfe NZWG Registration No 09/018
When I first started to write this manuscript it was only with the aim to write a few short articles. Funny how things seem not to turn out as you
think!
I am not through this trying to justify British Troops been sent to Northern Ireland or get into a political 'argument' with regards to the rights or wrongs of events leading up to 1969. This is a purely personal account of events that I experienced.
I can see both points of view. I have Irish blood running though these Yorkshire veins in the form of two Irish Great Grandmothers. I also have no standpoint with regards to religion. There are both Catholic and Protestant members in my immediate family.
However I strongly disagree with terrorism. The bomb and the ballot box have no place together. Soldiers always seem to get blamed for decisions made by politicians. These same Soldiers then spend the rest of their lives coming to terms or working out the things with which they experienced and saw.
Most books I have read on Northern Ireland seem to be about SAS kill teams or the struggle of 'freedom fighters' waging a war on a corrupt British Government. In most cases in these books the British Soldier is portrayed as a stupid lout wanting to shoot off huge amounts of ammo without any regard, while been barely able to grunt a sentence.
My experience was very different. It was an honour to serve in the Army. Some of the strongest bonds of friendship I have ever known were forged while serving and I am still very proud to have served my country of birth.
This recount is to put into words that which I struggle to speak about. It is an account from the perspective of the lowest rank, the guy at the coalface or if you will the thin edge of the wedge. I hope it helps some people recount their experiences to family members. I hope it helps remind others of a conflict which seems to be consistently overlooked.
I also hope it shows the folly of it all, though I know it will not change a thing.
300,000 members of the British Armed Forces saw service in Operation Banner.
Operation Banner is the longest single operation in British Military History.
Operation Banner started in 1969 and finally finished in 2007.
In that time around 800 British Armed Forces personal were killed because of incidents relating to Operation Banner. These are the MOD figures. The Northern Ireland Veterans Association site claims that 1836 service personal were killed.
In total, it has been recorded that around 3800 people were killed/murdered
due to the troubles during this period; this is one person every 3.5 days
The amount of British Armed Forces personal who were injured (again MOD figures) is estimated at over 6000 or one every 2.2 days. This amount does not include injured civilians.
These figures do not include those people who have killed themselves or who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to their experiences in Northern Ireland.
When I first started to write this manuscript it was only with the aim to write a few short articles. Funny how things seem not to turn out as you
think!
I am not through this trying to justify British Troops been sent to Northern Ireland or get into a political 'argument' with regards to the rights or wrongs of events leading up to 1969. This is a purely personal account of events that I experienced.
I can see both points of view. I have Irish blood running though these Yorkshire veins in the form of two Irish Great Grandmothers. I also have no standpoint with regards to religion. There are both Catholic and Protestant members in my immediate family.
However I strongly disagree with terrorism. The bomb and the ballot box have no place together. Soldiers always seem to get blamed for decisions made by politicians. These same Soldiers then spend the rest of their lives coming to terms or working out the things with which they experienced and saw.
Most books I have read on Northern Ireland seem to be about SAS kill teams or the struggle of 'freedom fighters' waging a war on a corrupt British Government. In most cases in these books the British Soldier is portrayed as a stupid lout wanting to shoot off huge amounts of ammo without any regard, while been barely able to grunt a sentence.
My experience was very different. It was an honour to serve in the Army. Some of the strongest bonds of friendship I have ever known were forged while serving and I am still very proud to have served my country of birth.
This recount is to put into words that which I struggle to speak about. It is an account from the perspective of the lowest rank, the guy at the coalface or if you will the thin edge of the wedge. I hope it helps some people recount their experiences to family members. I hope it helps remind others of a conflict which seems to be consistently overlooked.
I also hope it shows the folly of it all, though I know it will not change a thing.
300,000 members of the British Armed Forces saw service in Operation Banner.
Operation Banner is the longest single operation in British Military History.
Operation Banner started in 1969 and finally finished in 2007.
In that time around 800 British Armed Forces personal were killed because of incidents relating to Operation Banner. These are the MOD figures. The Northern Ireland Veterans Association site claims that 1836 service personal were killed.
In total, it has been recorded that around 3800 people were killed/murdered
due to the troubles during this period; this is one person every 3.5 days
The amount of British Armed Forces personal who were injured (again MOD figures) is estimated at over 6000 or one every 2.2 days. This amount does not include injured civilians.
These figures do not include those people who have killed themselves or who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to their experiences in Northern Ireland.
