Woolwich attack victim Lee Rigby’s family remember ‘man who loved people’ – video
The family of Drummer Lee Rigby pay tribute to the soldier who was killed in Woolwich
Military Resettlement, Business, Training & Recruitment
Military Resettlement, Business, Training & Recruitment
The family of Drummer Lee Rigby pay tribute to the soldier who was killed in Woolwich
Military support charity inundated with calls and web traffic over soldier killed while wearing Help for Heroes top Help for Heroes has been swamped with donations, leading to its website crashing, after Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered while wearing one of the charity’s tops. Supporters of the military charity took to social networks in an attempt to boost its coffers after the 25-year-old was killed in Woolwich, south-east London, on Wednesday
Man, 25, killed in Woolwich was drummer in 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and father of two-year-old boy The soldier who was killed in the knife attack in Woolwich has been named as Drummer Lee Rigby, of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The Ministry of Defence released his details on Thursday, a day after the stabbing near the barracks in south London where he had been stationed.
Concerns raised over proposals that allow candidates to settle in Britain only if they have 12 months’ continuous service Lawyers representing Afghan interpreters have welcomed the news that about half of them are to be given settlement rights in the UK in recognition for risking their lives for British troops but expressed concerns that the reworked package does not go far enough. Under the proposals, any interpreters who have put themselves in physical danger working outside British military bases will be offered a resettlement package if they have been working for the UK forces for more than 12 months at the point of their redundancy. It is estimated that about half the interpreters working for the UK forces – roughly 600 – will qualify.
Mohammed Abdulkadir Osman jailed for eight years for stabbing British soldier to death during fight at Ayia Napa nightclub A Manchester man has been jailed for eight years for the manslaughter of a British soldier in Cyprus, the Ministry of Defence says. David Lee Collins, 19, was stabbed to death after a fight broke out in a nightclub in the popular resort of Ayia Napa last November
• Suicide rate of veterans similar to that of general population • Vets more healthy than population as a whole • Health care and protecting soldiers increase cost of conflict • Questions over role of army in future conflicts The claim, often repeated in the media and by veterans’ groups, that more Falklands vets had killed themselves than died fighting in the actual conflict, has been roundly rejected by a study especially commissioned by the Ministry of Defence. For years there have been reports that the suicide toll of Falklands vets exceeded the 255 who were killed in action during the conflict thirty years ago. The MoD statistical study, released on Tuesday, concludes that the risk of dying as a result of suicide for the Falklands vets was no different from the general population of the UK
Up to 3,500 troops’ time will be extended by nearly half to ensure smooth handover to Afghan forces next year, say commanders Up to 3,500 British troops will have their tours in Helmand province extended by nearly half as part of the UK’s plans to hand over security to Afghan forces and end all combat operations next year, ministers will announce on Tuesday.
MPs have in the past asked in the Commons whether Geidt – now the Queen’s private secretary – was a member of MI6 When the Queen turned around to reveal herself as James Bond’s spymaster in a skit for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, jaws dropped in living rooms around the country at the audacity and humour. But for those that know Sir Christopher Geidt, the Queen’s highly trusted private secretary who has been credited with her deft presentation in recent years, it was more a case of eyebrows raised. Geidt, 63, now in his sixth year by the Queen’s side at Buckingham Palace, has a past that includes suggestions of involvement in and around the secret services.
A former bomb disposal operator says he is surprised at the deaths of three British soldiers in Afghanistan, as they were in a heavily-armoured vehicle
David Cameron pays tribute to soldiers after explosion that also injured another six UK service personnel Three British soldiers have been killed and several others injured after the heavily armoured vehicle they were travelling in was hit by a large roadside bomb while they were on a routine patrol in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday the men had been killed on Tuesday in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, on the border of Kandahar just north of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. It is understood six other Britons were injured in the explosion, which happened while the soldiers were inside a Mastiff troop carrier – a 15-tonne vehicle which is regarded as one of the safest operated by the British military
Three dead after roadside bomb attack on patrol vehicle in Helmand province, Ministry of Defence confirms Three British soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed. The soldiers were on a routine patrol when their vehicle was struck by an improvised bomb in Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, on Tuesday, the military said.
Prime minister David Cameron says he’s opposed to sending British troops to Syria despite US intelligence that chemical weapons have likely been used
David Cameron reiterates President Obama’s claim that issue is a ‘red line’ but says ground forces will not be sent to conflict British troops are unlikely to be sent to Syria despite “limited but growing evidence” that chemical weapons have been used in the country’s civil war , David Cameron has said. The prime minister agreed with Barack Obama that the issue was a “red line”, but said he neither wanted nor expected it to precipitate the deployment of UK forces.
RAF’s unmanned Reaper aircraft had been operated from Creech airforce base in Nevada, but missions from Lincolnshire began this week Remotely controlled armed drones used to target insurgents in Afghanistan have been operated from the UK for the first time, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. Missions of the missile-carrying Reaper aircraft began from a newly built headquarters at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire earlier this week – five years after the MoD bought the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor and attack the Taliban.
Announcement expected to say that everyday management of Defence Equipment & Support will be handed to private sector Ministers are poised to announce the next stage of controversial reforms that will give private firms a chance to run the organisation that buys and supplies billions of pounds’ worth of defence equipment to the British military. The Treasury has given the green light to proposals that will open up the possibility of part-privatising Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) , the body within the Ministry of Defence in charge of procuring everything from new warships to lightbulbs
Mohammed Abdulkadir Osman, 19, admits manslaughter of Fusilier David Lee Collins, 19, in Ayia Napa A British tourist has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a UK soldier in Cyprus, a court official has said. Fusilier David Lee Collins, 19, from Manchester, was stabbed to death after a fight broke out in a nightclub in the popular resort of Ayia Napa, last November. Mohammed Abdulkadir Osman, 19, reportedly from London, admitted manslaughter at a court hearing in Larnaca, Photini Larcou, registrar of the court, said.
Nick Harvey says Ministry of Defence cannot afford new Trident fleet and everything else needed by armed forces Plans to spend billions of pounds on a like-for-like replacement of Britain’s Trident nuclear submarine fleet are based on “outdated and ludicrous” ideas about deterrence, a former armed forces minister has warned.
The first great funeral for a commoner was for an actor, David Garrick, in 1779.
Margaret Thatcher’s funeral will cost around £10m, although we won’t know the exact figure – and how much of it is being spent by the state – until afterwards. What else can £10m pay for? Here are some ideas … •
While the pomp will be similar to 1965, the crowd reaction to this non-state event is unlikely to be as united It was, Patrick O’Donovan noted in the Observer , as if “the City was stopped and was turned into a theatre, and it was all performed as a drama that all men understand”. The funeral cortege moved slowly from the Palace of Westminster to St Paul’s cathedral, through packed streets lined with silent troops, “their heads bowed over their automatic rifles in ceremonious grief”.
Major Andrew Chatburn, the ceremonial officer in charge of choreographing the military procession at Margaret Thatcher’s funeral, says the rehearsal went very well
A full military dress rehearsal for the ceremonial funeral procession for the late former prime minister Margaret Thatcher took place early on Monday in London
Annual Afghan casualty figures have fallen for the first time since the invasion. How many people have died? • British dead and wounded in Afghanistan, month by month • Get the Afghan civilian casualties data A NATO airstrike on Monday left 11 Afghan civilians (10 of whom were children) dead
Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts Is it possible to join an army as a private and rise to the rank of general?
Pallbearers will be from units associated with Falklands war, Downing Street announces More than 700 armed forces personnel drawn from all three services will take part in the funeral of Lady Thatcher, Downing Street has said.
Commons committee criticises British government’s attitude towards Afghanistan as simply ‘hoping for the best’ Afghanistan could descend into civil war within a few years of British, US and other Nato troops ending their frontline role there at the end of 2014, the Commons cross-party defence committee warned on Wednesday. The committee suggested that the British government’s attitude towards Afghanistan was one of simply hoping for the best, since it would have little influence over the country’s future