Hansard - United Kingdom Parliament

137 Private Gary Barlow
20 JUNE 2011
Private Gary Barlow
138
both in refusing to leave his post and trying to stand his
ground, and in trying to avoid injury to civilians. We
should remember that this was a young man of only 19.
Many who are older and more experienced would have
done less, but he held out until the end.
Gary’s bravery, however—this is the sad thing—was
never properly recognised. His family have fought for a
long time to find out the true circumstances of his
death, and to ensure that he is recognised. I pay tribute
to them this evening, especially to his parents and his
sister, Tina. They did so even though they themselves
suffered after his death. They were not notified of the
inquest, for instance, even though his father had expressed
a wish to attend. In fact, they read the inquest verdict in
the Daily Mirror. I ask the House to try to comprehend
how it must be to lose a son in such circumstances, and
then for the family to read about an inquest that they
did not know had taken place.
Gary’s things were returned to his family in a slovenly
way—in boxes, without even a note or covering letter—thus
increasing their grief. Most of all, as well as letters of
condolence, they received death threats. As a result,
they were advised by the police to leave their home.
They have only just returned to the Warrington area.
Nevertheless, they have sought recognition for the
bravery of their son and brother. That bravery has been
recognised elsewhere. The inquiry team discovered one
of the young girls who was sent to the Army post on
that day—of course, she is now a grown woman. She
said that her mother was too frail to be interviewed by
the team, but that she nevertheless prayed for Gary
every day. She also said that once a year, the women in
the area organised a mass for the repose of his soul. We
should remember that those women were in a staunchly
republican area of Belfast, yet they recognised the
bravery of that young man.
We should do no less. I know that it is too late for
Gary to receive a gallantry award. His mother received
the Elizabeth cross last year—I am proud that Labour
introduced that—but as the Minister and hon. Members
will know, the Elizabeth cross recognises the sacrifice of
the families of those who are killed on operations, and
is not in itself a gallantry award for the person killed.
However, that young man behaved admirably, and I
hope that we can tonight finally put on the record our
appreciation of his bravery.
Gary’s family gave him to the Army and to his
country. Let us be honest, even after all these years: he
was let down, and they were let down. People who join
the forces expect to put their lives on the line if necessary,
but they also expect proper care to be taken of their
welfare and, if they are killed, proper care to be taken of
the welfare of their families. In that way, we failed, yet I
have never once heard Gary’s family complain. Their
only concern is for him.
I once said to Gary’s mother, “You must be very
proud of him, Mrs Barlow.” She replied, very simply,
“Yes, I am.” This young man was a fine British soldier
and a very brave young man indeed. It is time that we
recognised that. His mother is proud of him; we should
be proud of him too. I hope the Minister can put on the
record tonight how much we as a country appreciate the
sacrifice that Gary made, and ensure that the lessons
have been learned, so that never again will a family be
put in this situation.
10.34 pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence
(Mr Andrew Robathan): I pay tribute to the hon. Member
for Warrington North (Helen Jones) for securing this
debate on the very tragic death of Private Gary Barlow
slightly over 38 years ago. As it happens, I know the
Divis flats and the observation tower. I have served and
seen the difficulties of operating there, as did the Queen’s
Lancashire Regiment in 1973.
Private Barlow joined the Army in 1970 and went
into the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment, and he deployed
to Northern Ireland with his regiment in the early years
of Operation Banner, at the end of 1972, when the
violence in Northern Ireland was at its height. Tragically
he was killed in Belfast on 5 March 1973 aged just 19.
There was absolutely no doubt who killed him: responsibility
for his death was admitted by the IRA and the murderous
thugs who supported it in the Divis flats. He was part of
a four-man patrol that had deployed to search an area
following a series of shooting incidents. The patrol was
forced to withdraw rapidly as a hostile crowd had
gathered, and Private Barlow was in the process of
searching a garage at the time and did not withdraw
with the rest of his unit, as we have heard.
Unfortunately it was not until later that Private Barlow’s
patrol realised that he was missing—the hon. Lady
brought out one or two very good points about that—and
returned to retrieve him, by which time he had been
shot and injured by the IRA. Tragically, he
succumbed to his injuries in hospital later that night.
Had he lived, Private Barlow would have seen his
58th birthday this week. He was one of more than
250,000 service personnel who saw service in Northern
Ireland during the 38 years of Operation Banner,
which was the longest single operation ever mounted
by the British Army. The Army demonstrated a
resolute, disciplined and flexible attitude towards
adapting to a unique deployment of military forces on
UK territory—it was never a happy occasion. The
resilience that our soldiers displayed over such a long
period and under extremely difficult circumstances greatly
contributed to the peace that now exists. They and the
community at large have suffered death and injury, and
we should again take this opportunity to remember
their commitment, bravery and sacrifice, and that of
Private Barlow.
In recognition of the ultimate sacrifice paid by Private
Barlow, his mother, Mrs Rona Barlow, has already been
presented with the Elizabeth cross and the memorial
scroll. The Elizabeth cross is awarded as a symbol of
national recognition of the sacrifice and loss of those
UK armed forces personnel who have died on operations
or owing to acts of terrorism. It is a reminder of the
contribution made by those who have paid the ultimate
price for our freedom and our security, and of how
highly their service is valued. Regrettably, however, it is
not for me to recommend that Private Barlow be given a
further award. Our honours and awards system relies
on the bestowal of gallantry awards soon after the event
for which it is believed an individual’s actions should be
recognised.
The convention adhered to is that no award can be
made for an event that took place more than five years
previously. To rely on incomplete and sometimes
contradictory or anecdotal evidence so long after the
event can be regarded as a slight to those commanders