The Sandbag Times Issue No: 21

The Veterans’ Magazine Issue 21 

9 June 2016 

D-Day 

Remembered 

The Historical Tommy Atkins 

looks back at Operation 

Overlord on the anniversary 

of the day of days 

In My Hometown... 

A brand new feature looking at how 

the military shaped our childhood 

The SBT News 

All the latest from the Armed Forces 

& the Veterans’ Community 

www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 

SPONSORED BY: 

Ken Brooks 

Osteopath

CONTENTS 09 June 2016 

SBT News 

3 Deepcut Inquest 

Coroner finds camp failed in 

duty of care 

3 Chillcot Report: 

Downing Street steps in 

Fury over £767 report bill 

for families of war dead 

4 Prince Phillip & the 

Homeless Veteran 

Prince Phillip meets 

homeless veteran who 

guarded the palace 

5 2 Air display crashes 

pilot dies as two US Jets 

crash in seperate incidents 

on same day 

Features 

8 In my Hometown 

Looking at the towns we 

grew up in and their military 

connections 

10 Our Creative Veterans 

The second part of our look 

at how veterans use their 

creative talents to help to 

their PTSD 

Regular 

14 Have Faith 

This week: Worry 

17 The Historical Tommy 

Atkins 

D Day. On the anniversary 

of the Day of Days the HTA 

looks into the operation and 

how it shaped the end of 

WW2. 

24 Veterans Radio Stations 

What’s happening on your 

favourite radio stations 

31 SBT Information 

A page dedicated to back 

issues, information, book 

reviews etc 

33 Time for a NAAFI Break 

Fun & Games on the final 

pages. We are always 

looking for new ideas and 

competitions from you 

Veterans Jobs Page 28 

Squaddie Humour Page 20 

Sponsors 

Editor: Pablo Snow 

Tel: 01905 570590 

Email: info@sandbagtimes.com 

www.sandbagtimes.com 

| 2 www.sandbagtimes.co.uk

neWS 

Deepcut Inquest: Coroner delivers 

report. ‘Failure in duty of care’. 

Two decades after the death 

of teenage army recruit 

Cheryl James at Deepcut 

barracks, a coroner has 

ruled that she inflicted the 

fatal shot in an “intended 

and deliberate act” and that 

the 18-year-old meant to 

die. Coroner says there was 

no evidence that the Pte 

James was unlawfully killed 

but Surrey barracks failed in 

duty of care. Despite the 

report there are still ‘gaps’ 

in the investigation. For the 

full story click here. 

Downing Street steps in over £767 Chillcot Report 

A Number 10 spokesman 

said late on Friday that no 

family of the fallen would be 

charged after bereaved 

relatives said they had been 

brought to tears by the 

"disgusting" situation. 

Families of the war dead 

were to recieve a hard copy 

of the report free which 

would otherwise cost them 

£30 but they would not 

recieve the full 12 volume 

report unless they paid 

nearly £800 like the rest of 

the general public. After 

growing anger throughout 

the day, a Number 10 

spokesman announced: 

"There is no question of 

families of service personnel 

who died in Iraq having to 

pay for copies of the Chilcot 

report.” It has not been 

explained how the costs will 

be covered, but it is 

understood government 

figures will now liaise with 

the Chilcot Inquiry to work 

out a solution. The initial 

news of the price tag had 

infuriated the loved ones of 

those who died during 

combat and have been 

waiting seven years for the 

findings. To read more click 

on this story click here. 

Future of Winchester Barracks uncertain 

THE future of Sir John Moore Barracks, home to the Army 

Training Regiment, near Winchester, is unclear after the 

Ministry of Defence admitted it is carrying out a review of its 

estate. A source told how an announcement that the barracks 

will be sold is set to be made next month. He said top-level 

talks have taken place between the MoD and Winchester City 

Council, and the intentions of the ministry are to sell the land 

near Littleton. However, the leader of Winchester City 

Council, Stephen Godfrey, denied these talks had taken place 

and the MoD say they have it has “no plans” to sell the site. 

The barracks opened in 1986 replacing Peninsula (CORR) 

Barracks in the city centre. Read more here. 

Veteran, 90, dies 

from trolley fall 

A retired Army Major died 

after falling from a hospital 

trolley as NHS staff wheeled 

him for a routine hip X-Ray, 

a judge had been told. 

Dunkirk veteran Major 

James Fyfe was 90 and had 

survived Second World War 

atrocities when he toppled 

off the hospital trolley and 

broke his neck. The NHS 

hospital trust - headed by 

chairman Graham Sims, the 

former boss of Little Chef 

restaurants - was fined 

£200,000 by the judge, who 

then allowed it four years to 

pay after hearing that the 

trust was £29 million pounds 

in the red. Major Fyfe had 

been attending the Royal 

Berkshire Hospital NHS 

Foundation Trust for a 

routine examination after it 

was thought he had suffered 

a fractured hip. The war 

veteran, who had been 

attached to the Royal 

Signals, was laying on a 

hospital trolley that had not 

had the sides properly 

secured and fell from the 

bed, breaking his neck and 

cutting his head. A statement 

read by Major Fyfe's 

daughter, Amanda Fyfe, 

said: "Until someone in your 

family dies other than 

through natural causes, you 

cannot understand the effect 

it has on you and the 

destruction it causes. We are 

in a dark pit that seems to 

get darker. "We will never 

forget the 48 hours after his 

fall. His head was like a 

water melon popped open. 

He was in pain and moaning 

so much but nobody came to 

help him. We were left on 

our own and were terrified. 

"My mum blames herself for 

allowing the ambulance to 

take him to hospital. We all 

blame ourselves but none of 

us are responsible for his 

death. We placed our trust in 

the hospital which failed in 

so many ways so many times 

over." Speaking after the 

sentencing, Amanda and 

Alistair Fyfe, the son and 

daughter of Major Fyfe, 

said: "For us it is important 

that they admitted the guilt. 

To read more on this story 

click on this link. 

www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 3 |

news 

Prince Phillip meets homeless veteran who guarded palace 

The Duke of Edinburgh 

was back on public 

duty aftervisiting a 

hostel for homeless 

military veterans – and 

met a resident who 

once stood guard at 

Buckingham Palace. 

Just days after being 

forced to pull out of the 

Battle of Jutland 

commemorations on 

medical advice, Philip 

toured the Veterans Aid 

hostel in Limehouse, 

east London. The Duke 

chatted to Army Air 

Corps veteran Nathan 

Rooke, 25, who was 

stationed at the palace 

Prince Harry told off by D Day Veteran 

Prince Harry received a royal 

telling off from a 91-year-old D- 

Day veteran...for not wearing a 

tie! The prince was meeting 45 

veterans near Portsmouth ahead 

of the anniversary of the 

Normandy invasion when 

elderly sapper Ivor Anderson, 

from Salford , ticked him off for 

his open-necked shirt. Harry 

arrived at Southwick House, 

Hampshire, and first asked John 

Phipps, founder of the D-Day 

Revisited charity which 

organises visits to the Normandy 

beaches each year: “Are they all 

wearing ties in there? I should 

have worn a tie. Oh well, it’s too 

late now.” Then, when he met 

Salfordian Ivor, a sapper in the 

591 Para Squadron Royal 

Engineers, he was told off 

jokingly for dressing down. 

Harry replied to him: “I was told 

not to wear a tie and then you all 

turn up wearing ties, I feel 

under-dressed.” Afterwards, 

Ivor said: “I told him he should 

wear a bloody tie. I said I had a 

spare one, he said he couldn’t 

wear mine because he didn’t 

have his wings.” Harry spent 

time meeting and chatting with 

many of the veterans including 

John Dennett, from Wallasey, 

Wirral, and Frank Diffell, from 

Melksham, Wiltshire, who are 

also both 91. He said to them: 

“I have so much respect for you 

guys - running off a boat on to 

those beaches.” Harry then 

wished them well on their trip to 

France for the commemorations 

and added: “Don’t get into 

trouble and if you do, don’t get 

caught.” During his visit to 

Southwick House, Harry visited 

the Map Room where the 

Supreme Allied Commander, 

General Dwight D Eisenhower, 

with naval Commander-in-Chief 

Admiral Ramsay and Army 

Commander-in-Chief General 

Montgomery plotted the 

campaign. Read more here. 

in 2009 and is now 

among the first to 

occupy a room at 

refurbished New 

Belvedere House, Mr 

Rooke, who served 

with 4 Squadron from 

2007 to 2011 as an 

aviation 

communications 

specialist, told the Duke 

how he fell on hard 

times after leaving the 

services. He said: “My 

relationship broke 

down and I lost my job 

and it just spiraled 

downwards after 

that.depression, sleep 

deprivation and anxiety. 

“I found myself on the 

streets. All I had was 

my guitar and a bag of 

clothes and my 

‘screaming eagle’ belt 

buckle from my days in 

the Army Air Corps,” 

said musician Mr 

Rooke, from the West 

Country. He was 

advised to contact 

Veterans Aid, who told 

him they would help if 

he got to London. “I 

busked my way to 

London and Veterans 

Aid were amazing. I 

was put up in a hotel at 

first and given money 

to get something to eat. 

I just burst into tears,” 

added Mr Rooke. The 

charity has now paid 

for him to attend a 

sound engineers course 

and bought him a 

computer so he can 

work on his music. 

Veterans Aid was 

started in 1932 in 

response to the 

homelessness caused by 

poverty and 

unemployment among 

the ex-service 

community. 

To read the full story 

and more on Prince 

Phillip please click on 

this link. 

BGT winner: “I’m staying in the Army” 

Britains Got Talent winner 

Richard Jones has said that he 

wants to stay in the army. 

Despite winning £250,000 in 

ITV’s annual competition, 

Richard said he has no plans of 

leaving his day job. The 25- 

year-old appeared on ITV's 

This Morning alongside WWII 

prisoner of war, Fergus 

Anckorn, who inspired his 

winning trick. However, 

speaking of life after his 

triumph, Richard said 'I love 

my job in the army so I'm 

going to carry on doing that.' 

And he was determined not to 

let his new found fame go to 

his head. 'It's a very busy time 

of the year. I hope to stay in 

the army and I'm living the 

dream on both fronts at the 

moment.' The Army bandsman, 

wowed the judges and left the 

audience in tears with his final 

trick, in which he used a deck 

of cards to tell the moving 

story of Fergus Anckorn, the 

WW2 veteran known as 'the 

conjurer of the River Kwai'. 


neWS 

Two air display aircraft crash on the 

same day: one pilot dead 

Two US display aircraft have crashed in seperate incidents on the same day leaving one pilot dead. A 

US Navy Blue Angels F/A 18 fighter crashed in Tennessee while practicing for a forthcoming airshow. 

Awitness said "I looked up and saw it coming down, and I thought maybe they were doing dips, Then I 

saw a huge ball of orange fire, and I'm like, 'Oh my God, he's crashed. I cried. I mean, the first thought 

was fear for the pilot." A Navy statement said the service was in the process of notifying the pilot's 

family and the pilot's name was being withheld. The crash occurred at the beginning of practice, just 

after the pilot took off, the Navy said. The plane went down about 2 miles from the Smyrna airport. 

None of the five other Blue Angels jets was involved in the incident. On the same day an F16 falcon 

from the USAF Thunderbirds display team crashed after a flay-past for a graduation ceremony while the 

pilot was trying to land. It is said that Maj Alex Turner was experiencing difficulties while landing but 

managed to eject safely. The jet came to a stop in a field after impacting the ground and skidding for a 

short distance. To read the full story on both incidents click here. 

HMCS Windsor returns home 

after engine trouble 

Canada's only fully operational submarine is 

heading back to Canada after engine trouble, 

just months after another voyage was cut short 

by a different issue. Halifax-based HMCS 

Windsor had a component in one of its two 

diesel engines malfunction Friday while off the 

Eastern Seaboard, the Department of National 

Defence said in a statement late Saturday 

afternoon. HMCS Windsor has been plagued 

by problems in recent years. In March, the 

submarine was forced to return to Halifax after 

crew saw "a little bit of smoke" coming from a 

battery cell, Marine Forces Atlantic said at the 

time. Click here for more. 

Remains of 

Autralian Heroes 

brought home 

The remains of 33 Australians, 

who were buried in military 

cemeteries in Malaysia and 

Singapore, have been returned 

to Australia. Hundreds of 

people gathered at RAAF 

Richmond airbase north-west of 

Sydney on Thursday to see one 

of the largest military 

repatriations in Australia's 

history. The remains include 

those of service personnel and 

dependents interred at Terendak 

Military Cemetery in Malaysia, 

and the Australian who died 

during the Vietnam War and 

was interred in the Kranji War 

Cemetery in Singapore. Those 

gathered for the repatriation 

ceremony include several 

hundred Vietnam War veterans, 

servicemen and families of 

those who died. Vietnam 

veteran Lieutenant Colonel Ian 

Henderson said it was 

"wonderful" to see the remains 

returned to Australia. Veterans 

Affairs Minister Dan Tehan said 

bringing the remains home was 

the right thing to do. Follow 

this link to read the full story. 

Houston Shooter was 

PTSD Army Vet 

A 25-year-old Army veteran 

allegedly suffering from PTSD 

has been identified as the 

suspect in Sunday's mass 

shooting in Houston. Dionisio 

Garza III from San Bernardino 

County, California, has been 

named as the man behind the 

gun attack that left two people 

dead and six wounded. He 

served four tours of duty in 

Afghanistan and was discharged 

from active duty in 2014, and 

doesn't appear to have a 

criminal history. Reports 

suggest he went on a rampage 

with a high-powered AR15 rifle 

and shot at bystanders before 

police gunned him down. Read 

more on this story here. 


News Special 

Woman Finds Diary Of Man She Loved 

In World War II Museum 

Corporal Thomas “Cotton” Jones 

served as a marine for the United 

States military during World War II. 

Before he was killed by a Japanese sniper in 

the Central Pacific, he wrote a “last request” 

to whoever found his diary. He wanted it to 

be given to Laura Mae Davis, the girl he 

loved. Laura Mae Davis did in fact get to 

read the diary, but it took almost 70 years for 

her to see it. She was finally able to read her 

old love’s diary in a most surprising way. In 

2013, while she was visiting the National 

World War II Museum in New Orleans she 

saw the diary in a display case. She was then 

90 years old, and the discovery brought 

tears to her eyes. There was no way to 

predict something like this happening after 

so many decades. Her name is now Laura 

Mae Davis Burlingame. She married an 

Army Air Corps pilot in 1945. She went to 

the New Orleans museum to see a display 

commemorating the young marine who had 

been her high school sweetheart. Mrs. 

Burlingame expected to see pictures of him 

and his fellow servicemen and maybe even 

some articles written about them. But she 

was absolutely stunned to see the 22-yearold 

machine-gunner’s diary on display The 

curator Eric Rivet said that in 17 years of 

working at the museum he had never met 

someone who was actually mentioned in any 

of the articles or records on display. He 

happily facilitated Mrs. Burlingame’s wish 

to get a closer look. He also provided her 

with white gloves to protect the old pages 

from being damaged by the oil from her 

skin. The diary had been a farewell gift from 

her to Jones before he left for the war. The 

two met in 1941 at Winslow High School 

where he was a basketball player and she 

was a cheerleader. The two sweethearts 

dated throughout high school, but were not 

engaged. However, Jones did give her his 

class ring and took her to their prom. Sadly, 

a sniper shot Jones on September 17, 1944, 

the third day of the U.S. assault on the 

Pacific island of Peleliu. A total of 7,302 

Americans were injured, about 10,900 

Japanese were killed, and some 19 soldiers 

and sailors from Japan became prisoners of 

war. Though it took almost seven decades, 

the last wish of this gallant marine had 

finally been granted. 

Learn a skill that could stop sleep disturbances, improving sleep 

and daily functioning. 

We're looking for ex-servicemen/women of any age from any 

service (regular or reserve) who are currently experiencing at 

least one traumatic nightmare per week, to volunteer to take 

part in a 2hr group session as part of a research study. 

The approach is non-invasive, doesn't involve drugs or therapy 

and you won't be asked to share any information or talk about 

your past experiences. 

Approved by the Help for Heroes Research Approvals Committee and 

Anglia Ruskin University’s Ethics Committee 

Spaces are limited and group sessions are 

being held at your local Help for Heroes 

Recovery Centre in 2016. 

The next sessions are: 

Colchester 8 June 

Tidworth 14 June 

Catterick 21 June 

Plymouth 28 June 

Scotland/Wales TBA 

Contact Justin Havens now to register 

or ask any questions: 

research@justinhavens.com 

07976 724181 


A brand new TV series is soon to be aired on Channel 4 

called ‘Spies’. From the team that brought you ‘SAS – 

Who Dares Wins’ comes an exciting new series testing 

20 hopefuls through the gruelling recruitment and 

training of the UK’s Intelligence Service to be shown 

later this year on Channel 4. 

The Sandbag Times is proud to be assisting Minnow Films 

in the search for 20 potential candidates. So if you think 

you have what it takes to be a British Spy then why not 

click on the link below and fill out the application, you 

never know. The course will be as close to the real thing 

as possible, immersing the candidates in a world of 

psychological pressure, risk and intrigue. 

www.minnowfilms.co.uk/spies 

A Brand New TV Series 

Coming soon on Channel 4 


In My Hometown... 

The brand new feature 

looking back into our 

childhood memories 

about how we saw the 

military through young 

eyes. This week I look 

back at my hometown, 

growing up in 

Christchurch, 

Hampshire (Now 

Dorset). 

RAF Christchurch 1950 

Ihave so looked forward to writing this. Telling 

the world about my first encounters with the 

military. I was born and raised in a sleepy little 

town called Highcliffe, just on the outskitrs of 

Christchurch and the New Forest. My little town 

had some superb beaches which is where I spent a 

lot of my youth surfing, getting drunk at beach 

parties or exploring the New Forest (tormenting the 

local wildlife). I was very much an outdoorsy 

adventure loving kid. We would often play 

wargames in the forest and use the vast forest 

heathland and wooded areas to cam and conceal 

ourselves until our unsuspecting friends would 

walk past where we would spring up and imitate 

the sounds of machine guns and shout “You’re 

dead” and then run away. Even at a young age I 

was aware of a military presence in the area. I 

wasn’t quite sure what, but I used to stare in awe at 

these huge golf ball type constructions on the cliff 

tops. Of course we would always crack the joke 

“I’d like to see the golf club that hits that thing”. 

They were situated just below a disused airfield 

which ceased official flying in the late 60’s. At the 

other end of the airfield was an estate called 

Somerford. A bit of a rough area but the people 

were the salt of the earth. My primary school was 

a few hundred yards away from here. Of all the 

years I was around the airfield I had no clue of the 

significance of this place and the military 

contribution it had made. I remember seeing two 

aircraft on display in Somerford. A Westland 

Whirlwind helicopter and sat on a plinth outside of 

the old airfield gates was a Sea Vixen. Both of 

these thing were ex-Royal Navy. As a child I was 

just in awe at these big beasts wondering one day if 

I could ever pilot one of these. Ah, boyhood 

dreams. Just recently, I discovered that the old 

vixen had been moved to Tangmere and restored 

after vandals had smashed the canopy and covered 

it in graffitti. I must admit this broke my heart. I 

loved that plane. It’s unique shape and it’s 

awesome, menacing stance. How could anyone 

have so much disrespect for such an elegant lady. 

She still sits today in Tangmere next to a Buccaneer 

completely restored and looking beautiful again. 

Recently, I looked into the history of the airfield 

and explored the significance of these big ‘Golf 

Balls’ and the aircraft that I had admired so much, 

and what I found totally blew me away. The 

airfield was constructed in 1926 for civilian use 

which included farming and a flying circus. But in 

1938 it was bought by the MOD to be used as a 

government communication research facility. 

During the 1939-1945 war, the area between the 

original airfields and Bure Homage (a mansion 

house between the airfields and the coast), was 

requisitioned by MOD for use as a D-day airfield 

in 1944. This had a grass runway. In World War II 

the airfield became RAF Christchurch. The Air 

Defence Research and Development Establishment 

was built at the northeastern end of the airfield, and 

in May 1940 the RAF Special Duties Flight, 

operating a very mixed bag of aircraft, arrived to 

take part in the experiments with radar. The 

Airspeed factory was also built on part of the 

original airfield and began production of Horsa Mk 

I gliders, AS.10 Oxfords, and de Havilland 

Mosquitos for the RAF. In 1943, the USAAF 

Ninth Air Force required several temporary 

advanced landing grounds along the southern 

English Channel coast, prior to the Normandy 

invasion, to provide tactical air support for the 

ground forces landing in France. Christchurch was 

provided to support this mission. After the USAAF 

departure the airfield was returned to RAF control. 

In March 1945 control passed to RAF Transport 

Command. The main activities continued to be 

production (Mosquitos) by Airspeed, radar trials 

and glider pick-up training. In January 1946 

control of the airfield passed to the Ministry of 

Aircraft Production. With the facility released from 

military control, civilian flying returned to 

Christchurch. The Christchurch Aero club operated 

from the north side, while on the southwestern tip 

of the field, the 622 Glider School operated for 

many years, from a hangar just outside the airfield 

boundary. In 1954 the Military Experimental 

Engineering Establishment from Christchurch laid 

a Tarmac runway on the site of the World War II 

wire and steel runway. The main beneficiary of 

this exercise was the De Havilland factory which 

was producing Vampire, Venom, Sea Venom and 

Sea Vixen jet fighters and Airspeed Ambassador 

twin piston engined airliners. However, time was 

running out for Christchurch and following the 

closure of De Havilland factory in 1962, the use of 

the airfield rapidly declined. The manned air traffic 

control tower was closed in July 1963 and the Aero 

Club closed in 1964. The airfield officially closed 

at the end of 1964, although occasional aircraft 

used the airfield for several years after that date. 

Today, Christchurch airfield has been developed by 

the urban areas of Somerford/Mudeford. The land 

which was the airfield is now a mix of housing and 


In My HoMetown... 

industry with nothing remaining of the airfield 

except some of the Airspeed buildings and streets 

named after aircraft. The history of Christchurch 

aviation doesn’t stop there. In August 1969 there 

was a serious air crash at Christchurch Regatta 

involving two display helicopters. Forty nine years 

ago this year Christchurch witnessed one of its 

darkest days, when thousands saw two helicopters 

collide in mid-air, crashing to the ground. One 

pilot, from Salisbury, died instantly. Almost 

miraculously, the other pilot crawled from the 

machine, suffering only minor injuries, before it 

burst into flames. The tragedy happened on August 

23, 1969, when the Army’s Blue Eagles stunt 

display team was completing its final display of the 

day. 

Well, thats the flying stuff pretty well 

researched but what about the Golf 

Balls? These golf ball shaped domes 

were actually called a Radome. I remember seeing 

2 of these things while I was growing up. One of 

them overlooking my favourite beach. From the 

early days of the Second World War through until 

1980, this area was the trials ground for the 

Ministry of Defence Signals Research and 

Development Establishment (SRDE), and the 

nearby concrete plinth was the foundation on 

which stood the first British military 

communication satellite station. On it was placed 

an aerial dish of 40 feet diameter which received 

and transmitted signals from the first launched 

British military satellite, it also tracked foreign 

satellites. Over the dish was a weatherproof 

covering called RADOME (shaped like a beehive) 

and the whole structure became a landmark for 

mariners for miles around. Two similar structures 

were subsequently built and installed in Cyprus and 

Singapore and formed the beginning of the worldwide 

defence communication called Skynet. In the 

early days of the Second World War this site saw 

secret radar developments for the Army and some 

twenty years later much of the early research on 

night vision was also done here. The Establishment 

was actively involved in the research into optical 

fibres for communication purposes - which have 

since produced profound benefits for world-wide 

telephone systems. SRDE finally moved to 

Malvern in Worcestershire in 1980 and joined 

forces with the Royal Radar Establishment. The 

radar dishes that were once covered in the 

RADOME structures are now long gone. Pretty 

incredible stuff. All of that happened in my 

hometown of Christchurch. It’s no wonder I ended 

up in the military with all of this going on around 

me. I cannot tell you how much pleasure I have 

had writing this story, and on that note, I am on the 

lookout for your stories of all of the great stuff that 

happened near you when you were young. Let us 

all know your stories. 

If you would like to read more on the Christchurch Regatta Crash follow this 

link Christchurch Regatta Helicopter Crash 

For more on the History of RAF Christchurch follow this link 

RAF Christchurch 


Our Creative Veterans 

Stories from the rough end of the trenches 

As we were saying last week everybody has a 

story to tell. Some write songs, some write 

poetry, some paint pictures and others make 

sculptures out of spoons, matches, bottle tops, you 

name it, it gets used. But today we are going to look 

at those that tell stories by writing books and those 

that express themselves through the performing arts. 

In my role as editor of the SBT I have been lucky 

enough to meet some very talented authors. I think 

the first author I was in contact with was a very 

talented guy called Matthew Green. Matthew 

wrote a cracking book called ‘Aftershock’ (Pictured 

left). You may have seen the blog that we include on 

our information that Matthew sends us every now 

and then. All I can say about this book is buy it and 

read it. It is fantastic. 

We’ve also seen the works of another friend of mine, 

Ken Wharton. I mentioned him last week. Ken 

has a great capture of the troubles in Northern 

Ireland. He has a great knowledge of what life was 

like for the guys that put ‘boots on the ground’. He 

has kindly agrred to tell us in this article a little of 

his writing background. Over to you Ken: 

The Creative Veterans 

there is still air in my lungs, I will continue to resist 

the efforts of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness 

and the rest, as they attempt to re-write history and 

paint themselves as freedom fighters and liberators 

instead of the evil psychopaths that they were.” 

It is plainly obvious that the passion in Ken’s words 

is what drives him to create these fantastic books. 

As I have said, we all have stories in us. Finding a 

way to express them is just a pen away. 

I am very pleased and honoured to announce once 

again that Ken has a new book waiting to be born. 

“In common with many hundreds of thousands of 

men and women, I am proud to say that I served in 

the British Army and that I served my country. It 

wasn't a career for me and it wasn't even a vocation, 

but it was a period of time which I loved. It was 

hard at times and even dangerous and I am 

sometimes asked which was more dangerous: Army 

food or Northern Ireland? I always ask for time to 

consider that question. 

When I left the Army, following my two NI tours, 

the situation there grew apace and although never 

again as bloody as 1971, 1972 and 1973, the 

violence continued and the slaughter took a toll on 

my comrades. Initially, it was the lead item on the 

News at Ten, but it began to slip down in terms of its 

significance and was even relegated to the bits of the 

news after the commercial break. In the press too, it 

went from front page to the inside pages and 

sometimes the death of a soldier merited no more 

than a line or two, hidden away on page 7. 

I became determined to redress that balance if I could, 

and God gave me, from a very young age, the talent to 

write; others, he made Carpenters and Plumbers and 

Doctors and Nurses; others he made data analysts and 

administrators; all with great talent. He gave me the 

ability to pick up a pen and write and so I did. 

I have now written 11 books on the troubles - all 

from our perspective - and I chronicle that turbulent 

period of our recent history from the perspective of 

the soldier and police officer and from the 

perspective of the innocent civilian who never 

wanted their streets turned into an urban battlefield. 

I will keep going, inspired by the stories of my 

wonderful comrades and continue to tell the story of 

the forgotten war in Britain's own back yard. Whilst 

‘Another Bloody Chapter in an Endless Civil War’ is 

due to be released 16 August 2016. I really can’t 

wait for the release of this. I have included the 

review just to wet your whistle. 

The period under review covers the years of 1984- 

87, nearing the end of the third decade of the 

troubles. It will use research and oral contributions 

from the mid to late 80s and show how the 

Provisional IRA grew in financial and logistical 

strength but also how the security forces (SF) worked 

hard to contain them. It was also a period where the 

Republican terror group embraced fully Danny 

Morrison s mantra: The Armalite and the ballot box, 

as they moved toward a realisation that the British 

military could not be beaten, but that they (PIRA) 

could at least sit down with them from a position of 

strength. Thereafter, their intention was not only 

political agitation but also to keep up the terror 

campaign and force the British Government to talk 

further to ensure that they the British - accepted that 

there could only be impasse, albeit one of continued 

violence. However, whilst they fought, talked and 

then fought again, a further 356 people died. This 

book will cover every major incident of the period, 

commencing with the ambush of an off-duty UDR 

soldier, Robert Elliott, through to the shameless 

bombing of Enniskillen. Significantly, both incidents 

were at the hands of the Provisional IRA. 


The Creative Veterans 

It will also look at the continued negative 

interference of the United States and the vast 

contribution of the Brit-hating Irish-Americans 

through NORAID which ensured the killing and the 

violence would continue. 

Although Ken now lives in Australia he still has a 

tight bond with his fellow veterans in the UK. He 

occasionally pops back to visit his roots and still 

continues to write great book. 

Writing isn’t the only form of expression, we have 

seen quite a few other forms of creativeness in the 

course of these articles but there is one form in 

particular that is used to help veterans cope with 

mental injuries. Performing Arts. About three years 

ago I approached a company that helps veterans deal 

with with their issues through acting. The Combat 

Veterans Players are a company that uses the 

works of Shakespeare to help veterans overcome 

their conditions. Combat Veteran Players was 

founded by Jaclyn McLoughlin after discussions 

with Combat Stress, the UK’s leading Veteran’s 

mental health charity in 2009. Shortly after, Stoll 

(formerly the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation) began to 

host rehearsals and to manage the finances and PR of 

the group, and the Company was born. 

The success of the CVP in the UK has been 

unprecedented and attracted international attention. 

Jackie was invited to travel to the US to expand the 

company there. In 2015, she left the UK for three 

months to open the American branch of the company 

in Washington, D.C. She invited Stephen Rayne to 

direct the CVP actors as the first in a series of 

visiting directors to direct the CVP actors in their 

fourth production Twelfth Night. Amanda Faber 

joined the Company to produce. 

conjunction with the director and writer Yorgo 

Lykouria of Soliloquy Pictures. Amanda has 

launched a series of Workshop programmes where 

Wounded Injured and Sick Service Personnel (WIS) 

go into schools to inspire and teach students. Jackie 

agreed to link her company with the project and the 

Company began delivering the workshops under her 

direction. In the year to follow, the CVP actors began 

visiting schools across the UK introducing texts to 

students through performances. The skill and talent 

of the actors have again produced outstanding 

results. Talim Arab a teacher at Oaklands school 

Bethnal Green said, “As a teacher witnessing my 

students work with the actors, utilize their advice and 

act upon it, then perform with confidence and 

fluency, is, in my opinion, the most authentic acting 

class a student can experience”. Shakespeare’s 

soldiers were also nominated for a Royal Society of 

Public Health Award 2015. 

The Company has also given a performance of a 

script of Great War poetry for students created by the 

Charity Never Such Innocence. The plan to deliver 

performances nationally which will run through the 

centenary of the First World War until 2018. 

So whether you are writing poetry, writing songs, 

writing a whole novel or painting a masterpiece, 

whether you make sculptures out of matches, cutlery 

or drinking straws or turn to acting on the big stage, 

the creative arts are a great way to help find a way to 

get you through those hard times. In essence, they 

allow you to detach your mind from the realities of 

life, stress, anxiety and depression and lets you relax 

in to a world where you can feel comfortable and 

safe. The only restriction to this is yourself. 

There is a lot of information on the net to help start 

you off whichever way you wish to go. But if you 

find you are stuck and need a little inspiration then 

email us at info@sandbagtimes.com and we will 

try to point you in to the right direction. 

We hope this guide has helped you over the last two 

weeks and we look forward to reviewing your work 

once you have published it and the millions start 

pouring in. 

The CVP actors have developed their skills over the 

years not just under Jackie’s direction, but also in 

frequent training sessions and workshops with the 

Royal Shakespeare Company’s Open Stages 

Programme and with the dedicated team of 

practitioners in the Globe Education Department. 

In 2015, the recognized talents of the CVP actors in 

Shakespearean performance led to an additional 

outreach of the company through a partnership with 

‘Shakespeare’s Soldiers’, a newly launched project 

led by producer Amanda Faber working in 


Canada CallInG 

Canada 

Calling 

TheCanuckConnection 

Greetings – or as one of Canada’s 

Indigenous persons may say. 

Kwe' – (Greetings) O'mu weleyiw 

There are many variations of this traditional (Native Indian) greeting. 

This Canadian website is very interesting and allows one to click on the 

photos and hear the pronunciation of various Indigenous people’s 

Languages. 

Ula ktapekiaqnn weji ktapekiasikl wjit kkisikuminaq aq 

kniskamijinaqik ta'n pewatmi'tipnek siawiknan Mi'kmawey aq 

teli'sulti'kw ke'sk koqqwa'tu'kw kina'matneweiminu, wjit kikmanaq ta'n 

attikna'suatmi'tij ki's tlian, aq wjit knijannaq ta'n me'j naji attikneta'jik 

kekinu'tmasultijik kulaman nekmow kis-siaw-kina'mua'tita wnijannua 

elmi'knik. 

This is dedicated to all the elders and ancestors who dared to dream the 

dream of keeping our culture and language strong while taking control 

of our education, to all of those who work to make that dream come 

true, and to the children who will have to work even harder to make it 

come true for their children. http://firstnationhelp.com/ali/ 

Much like the United Kingdom, having 4 separate languages Gaelic, 

Doric, Welsh, Irish and far more dialects. Canada’s first nations have 

many dialects. 

If you wish to read about 

Canadian Aboriginal Veteran’s 

then please open this 

informative site: Click here. 

IN last week’s issue of the 

SBT time my memory was 

well and truly refreshed about 

the NZ Soldier Capt Charles 

Upham who was awarded the 

VC Twice. 

There was also a Canadian 

born and Bred in 

Charlottetown PEI, who at the 

age of 8 was raised on 

Canada’s west coast in 

Esquimalt British Columbia. 

Captain Frederic Thornton 

Peters, Canada's Most 

Decorated Naval Officer 

Captain Frederic Thornton 

Peters, VC, DSO, DSC and 

bar, DSC (U.S.), RN 

Mary Greyeyes (Reid) was the first 

Native woman to join the Canadian 

Forces and one of only 25 Native women 

to serve in the Canadian military during 

World War II. 

Captain Peters valiantly earned the Victoria cross in Both World Wars. 

Sadly he died enroute from Oran Algeria to London England to receive 

his second VC from King George. 

The Sunderland flying boat he was a passenger on went down on the 

way to London. An extremely interesting man here is an in depth article 

link of interest to all you Naval Veterans and others. 

http://www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org/archives/articles/localheroes/captain-frederic-thornton-peters 

Captain Peters was just one of many heroic men in those Wars to end 

all wars. A Heart BRAVO ZULU to those men and Prayers to their 

memory. 

I served my army time with many men of the First Nations (The current 

PC designation). I apologise to anyone who may take offense at my 

next sentence, but no disrespect is ever meant. As a boy /teen etc in 

Canada First Nations were simply called Indians. This never was a 

derogatory term in my vocabulary. 

Canada’s Indians have a PROUD record, of men and women who 

served in all branches of the Canadian military who took the oath to 

King/Queen and Country. 

Graduation current days. 


Canada Calling 

Veterans, of all allied countries, would surprise some of our readers. The 

actions and similarities in action and peacetime are so strikingly alike. 

This week I leave you with this, communication in the Military is 

indeed a Prime Requirement, and even the art of communication may be 

humorous. 

Communication Breakdown... 

The reason the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines squabble among 

themselves is that they don't speak the same language. For example, 

take a simple phrase like, "Secure the building." 

• The Army will put guards around the place 

• The Navy will turn out the lights and lock the doors. 

• The Air Force will take out a 5-year lease with an option to buy. 

• The Marines will kill everybody inside and make it a command 

post. 

A final photo (below) to make one smile at the Budget cuts within the 

military of all Nations. 

Take Care, Stay Safe and Always remember your fellow Veterans. 

Nil Sine Labore 

Robby 

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Have Faith 

Worry 

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” 

Matthew 6:27 

Jesus, some believe He is the messiah, some that He was a wise 

teacher of His day. One thing is for sure when He spoke, His words 

were always filled with wisdom. 

Worry is something most, if not all of us, do. Some from time to 

time, some all the time. We worry about money, health, security, 

safety, the future. We worry about ourselves and our family members 

and friends. 

disorders like IBS, skin complaints, heart palpitations, breathing 

problems, insomnia, anxiety & depression, it can supress the immune 

system, cause muscle tension, short term memory loss, premature 

coronary heart disease, even heart attacks. That in itself is a worrying 

list! So when God tells us to ‘cast our anxieties on Him’, He is trying 

to help our well being. So why don’t we just stop worrying? Easier 

said than done, I hear you say, and I totally agree. 

Responsibilities. I am a parent, thus I have a responsibility 

toward my children, to ensure that they are fed, that they have a 

place to live, that they can grow up as carefree and as secure as 

possible. I have a responsibility to ensure I have enough money to 

cover the essentials, I have to ensure that I know how to keep them 

safe & well. However the utmost responsibility I have is to ensure 

that they are loved. Can I do this through material things, buying 

them what they desire? To be honest it is difficult not to fall into the 

trap of feeling that if you can’t get your child those shoes they want 

or to pay for the holiday they’d like then you have failed. Maybe you 

work hard, long hours, because you have to earn the money to cover 

the essentials let alone having enough to buy those desirable ‘things’. 

Then you haven’t got the time you’d like, to spend with your family, 

with your friends. Your initial worry then produces a further worry 

and the cycle continues. 

Maybe you need to be honest with a friend about something and 

you’re worrying because you aren’t sure how they will take it, or 

maybe you’re worried about an exam you need to sit (this is the 

current situation my daughter faces), or about not getting the 

results you need. How am I going to pay that bill, What if I let my 

child go out with his friends and then something bad happens? 

Worry, Worry, Worry. 

Expectations. People always expect things from us. Expect us to 

behave a certain way, react a certain way, and to meet all of our 

numerous obligations. We also often have high expectations of 

ourselves. (I know that I expect more from myself than I would from 

anyone else). So, when we struggle to meet others’ expectations, or 

indeed those we have of ourselves, it causes more worry. 

The worry cycle. It starts off as what many of us would deem 

reasonable concerns, but it grows and grows. The worry becomes 

uncontrollable and can be destructive! Did you know though that... 

Worry can overwhelm us. It can make us miserable and it can rob 

us of joy. I know that when I am worrying about something, I can 

become so consumed by it, that I miss out on all the little things that 

surround me each day. Like the beauty of nature, the air I breathe, the 

delicious food I eat, the lovely hot water when I shower, the gift of 

friendship, the funny things my kids say and do, the love that 

surrounds me. This list could go on and on. I am thankful for all that 

I have, but when I am worrying my head seems to be so full of anxiety 

that I am blinded to these joys. 

The verse that I quoted from Matthew makes a lot of sense. Can I 

add anything to my life by worrying? NO. If anything, by worrying 

I could shorten my life. It is a well known fact that stress can cause 

many health issue: high blood pressure, tension headaches, digestive 


Have Faith 

I found myself in one of these worry cycles for the last few years, 

it just crept up on me & it got so bad that it paralysed me with fear 

and made me dread waking up in the mornings. I didn’t realise it was 

coming until it hit me like a brick! So then I felt trapped in that place, 

with no way out. I prayed and prayed and 

kept reminding myself that the Bible says: 

‘Cast your anxieties on Him because He 

cares for you.’ 

(1 Peter 5:7) 

I read Bible verse after Bible verse some of 

them included in this article, however I still 

could not escape. I pleaded with God for 

help, help with all the things going on in mine 

& my childrens lives, and waited and waited 

for an answer. The answer finally came. 

So, let’s stop for a moment 

stop struggling 

stop stressing 

stop worrying 

stop thinking the worst 

Just breathe 

God sent me an ‘angel’ in the form of a 

support worker, an advocate for me & my 

kids, to support us, and ensure that we had the 

right help we needed. She really has been a 

‘God send’, but the turning point came when 

she introduced me to the ‘control dartboard’. 

She felt it would help me with my worries. 

The idea is I write down my worries on post it 

notes and then stick them in the corresponding 

zones. It’s helped me to really think about what my concerns/worries 

are and whether I am able to do anything about them or not. It 

actually makes 

me feel more ‘in 

control’ if you 

like. I can take 

positive action in 

the things that are 

within my control 

or that I can 

influence, and am 

learning to accept 

that there are 

some things that 

are beyond my 

control. 

Now, this a 

really helpful tool 

on two levels. It helps me to get my worries out of my head and down 

on paper in front of me, which in some way gives me order, especially 

in my head. It also helps me spiritually, because I have those worries 

written down & am able to pray about each one. It’s helped my 

prayer life, because I 

am no longer so 

overwhelmed by 

worry that I struggle 

to pray about them, it 

has also helped to 

remind me that ‘God 

is in control’. 

In the Bible 

countless times it is 

written ‘Fear not’, well this Control Dartboard has actually helped to 

remind me to seek God first. To pass on my worries to Him. He does 

not want me to carry that heavy burden, but He wants to carry it for 

me. Let’s be honest, each worry is like a 

heavy rock that we carry in our back pack, the 

more worry the heavier the pack, the more 

tired & stressed we get. What God is saying is 

take that pack off empty all those rocks into 

my pack and carry on your walk with a light 

load. I know this is not easy, I have struggle 

for years with worry, but I want to encourage 

you to let Him carry your burden. It makes 

your journey a lot easier an it gives you peace 

of mind. 

‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, 

pray about everything. Tell God what you 

need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 

Then you will experience God’s peace, which 

exceeds anything we can understand. His 

peace will guard your hearts and minds as 

you live in Christ Jesus.’ (Phillipians 4:6-7) 

Will we ever live a worry-free life? No. 

There will always be those moments of worry, 

but let’s try and get into a habit of praying 

about situations instead of 

worrying. I read a great 

quote today from Martin 

Luther, that made me smile 

because it fitted so well with 

what I wanted to share with 

you this week. 

‘You can’t stop the birds 

from flying over your head, 

but you can stop them from 

making a nest in your hair!’ 

Have a great week and 

Have Faith -Vickie xx 

I want to reassure you that however alone you are feeling 

right now, you are NOT alone in your battle. Please message 

me if you have any questions or if you would like us to pray 

for you or for someone you know. 

Please contact me at havefaith@sandbagtimes.com 


…selfdiscovery 

WordRace… 

 

 

 

Futurefor Heroes 

Enhancing their Prospects 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tranquillity andserenity, an 

opportunityto reflectandthink 

Brathay 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trust building! 

 

 

 

FINDOUT MORE: 

 

 

 

 

AnF4H Maxim 

 



The 6th of June marks the 72nd anniversary of D-Day. What was 

D-Day all about? I was never into history when I was younger, it just 

didn’t interest me like music or english literature. However as I’ve got 

older I have a new respect and interest for the years that have passed. 

How people lived, who people were, and especially the sacrifices 

people made. I think that is why I am enjoying writing these historical 

Tommy Atkins articles so much. 

If I’m really honest, I know very little about the 2nd world war, 

apart from what I was taught at school and the few things I’ve learned 

over the years, so this article is written by a novice of military history, 

with the help of books, websites and documentaries on the subject. Oh 

and of course watching the amazing Band of Brothers series. If you 

haven’t seen it I would highly recommend it! 

My first question is what was D-Day? It was the date that marked 

the start of the allied landings in Normandy, France, during World War 

II. This was the 6th of June 1944. Although the day that marked the 

landings was called D-Day the whole operation was codenamed 

Overlord, and its assault phase, codenamed Operation Neptune, took 

place between D-Day and 30th June 1944. The assault is known as the 

largest seaborne invasion in history and led to the liberation of northwest 

Europe from Nazi control. Over 156,000 allied soldiers stormed 

the beaches. 

So, why was it called D-Day? There are varying opinions on this. 

According to Portsmouth’s D-day Museum it was a military term. The 

‘D’ was used by the military to denote ‘day’, just as ‘H’ was used to 

mark ‘hour’ & ‘M’ ‘minute’. Thus D-Day was the day on which a 

military operation began. Others believe that the timing of the 

invasion was limited to a few possible days of good weather in June 

and each day was assigned a letter A, B, C D, etc. On advice from the 

weather men Eisenhower (more about him later) decided that ‘D’ day 

D-Day The Facts 

The beaches, the air, the land, the sea. 

The soldiers who bravely fought on against 

major adversity and a ferocious enemy. 

How their sacrifices and quick thinking 

helped to win the war. 

was the most likely to succeed with the landing in Normandy. 

However no-one knew until the night before, that ‘D’ day was the day 

of invasion. Nowadays D-day is the term used to commemorate that 

first day of the Normandy landings. 

The first thing I was interested to learn was that there were 5 

landing points along the coast of Normandy, France. The points were 

split between allied forces with the Americans taking two (Utah & 

Omaha), Canada one (Juno) and Britain two (Gold & Sword). D-day 

kicked off the Allied invasion of Western Europe during World War II. 

More than 61,500 British soldiers, 73,000 Americans and 21,400 

Canadians, landed in Normandy on the first day of the invasion. 

Troops from other countries took part in D-Day and the Battle of 

Normandy, which refers to the fighting between D-Day and the end of 

August 1944. Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, 

the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland played a role in 

the historic invasion. The liberation of Paris from the Nazis on August 

25th 1944 is sometimes used to mark the end of the Battle of 

Normandy. 

Who headed up Operation Overlord? With the Americans 

contributing the most men and money to the operation, it was 

politically necessary for the man in overall command to be an 

American, and that man was General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1860- 

1969). However the execution of the landings fell to the four men 

immediately beneath him, all of them 

British. Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder was 

Eisenhower’s deputy in the operation so 

that the two top positions were split 

between the Allies. Admiral Sir Bertram 

Ramsay commanded the naval operations 

that kept the English Channel clear and saw 

thousands of men ferried from their starting 

point to the landing beaches. Air Chief 

Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory 

commanded the aerial forces that provided 

support and transportation for the ground offensive. And last but most 

famously, General Bernard Montgomery, veteran of the fighting in 

North Africa, commanded the ground forces. The lack of Americans 

in these key command positions caused some resentment among 

officers from the United States, but Eisenhower was experienced at 

managing the rivalries that arose between the two armed forces. It was 

his skill in handling these tensions that had earned him his prestigious 

position heading up the landings. 



General Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander of the 

Allied Expeditionary Forces (SCAEF) for Operation 'Overlord' in late 

inland, suffering relatively few casualties in the process. 

Omaha Beach was a different story. Surrounded by steep cliffs and 

heavily defended, Omaha was the bloodiest of the D-Day beaches, 

1943 and headed SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters, Allied 

Expeditionary Force), which oversaw the entire liberation of Nazioccupied 

north-west Europe. Eisenhower was in charge of making all 

final decisions relating to the invasion and although he is sometimes 

criticised for focusing too heavily on politics, he was a skilled 

administrator known for his tact and diplomacy. He tried to ease 

tensions between members of SHAEF and to place the needs of the 

alliance above national interests. He also took his responsibility for the 

lives of his men very seriously. 

“We cannot afford to fail.” 

General Eisenhower 

The team assembled, reconnaisance done & the Allied forces at the 

ready, a last minute change came. The westernmost of the D-Day 

beaches, Utah was added to the invasion plans at the eleventh hour so 

that the Allies would be within striking distance of the port city of 

Cherbourg. In the predawn darkness of June 6, thousands of U.S 

with roughly 2,400 U.S. troops turning up dead, wounded or missing. 

The troubles for the Americans began early on, when Army 

intelligence underestimated the number of German soldiers in the area. 

To make matters worse, an aerial bombardment did little damage to the 

strongly fortified German positions, rough surf wreaked havoc with the 

Allied landing craft and only two of 29 amphibious tanks launched at 

sea managed to reach the shore. U.S. infantrymen in the initial waves 

of the attack were then gunned down in mass by German machine-gun 

fire. The carnage became so severe that U.S. Lieutenant General Omar 

Bradley considered abandoning the entire operation. Slowly but 

surely, however, his men began making it across the beach to the 

relative safety of the seawall at the foot of the bluffs and then up the 

bluffs themselves. Assistance came from a group of Army Rangers 

who scaled a massive promontory between Omaha and Utah to take 

out artillery pieces stashed in an orchard, and from U.S. warships that 

moved perilously close to shore to fire shells at the German 

fortifications. By nightfall, the Americans had carved out a tenuous 

toehold about 1.5 miles deep. 

airborne infantrymen dropped inland behind enemy lines. Weighed 

down by their heavy equipment, many drowned in the flooded 

marshlands at the rear of the beach, and others were shot out of the sky 

by enemy fire. One even hung from a church steeple for two hours 

before being captured. Many lost their lives before they even 

grounded. Those who did successfully land found themselves outside 

of their designated drop zones. Some, left with no equipment, apart 

from their knives, managed to gather with soldiers from different 

companies and worked together to kill enemy soldiers and take guns 

and ammo. They then found their bearings and continued to push 

forward to the Nazi gunning posts completing their objective, in 

perilous conditions. Although these men were forced to improvise, 

they nonetheless succeeded in seizing the four causeways that served 

as the beach’s only exit points. On Utah itself, U.S. forces landed more 

than a mile away from their intended destination, due in part to strong 

currents. Luckily for them, this area was actually less well protected. 

“We’ll start the war from here!” U.S. Brigadier General Theodore 

Roosevelt Jr., the son of former President Theodore Roosevelt, shouted 

upon realizing the mistake. By noon, his men had linked up with some 

of the airborne infantry, and by day’s end they had advanced four miles 

Owing to the direction of the tides, British troops began storming 

Gold, the middle of the five D-Day beaches, nearly an hour after 

fighting got underway at Utah and Omaha. The Germans initially put 

up robust 

resistance, but in 

sharp contrast to 

Omaha, an earlier 

a e r i a l 

bombardment had 

wiped out much of 

their defenses. 

British warships 

also proved 

effective. The 

cruiser HMS Ajax, for example, displayed such pinpoint accuracy 

from miles away that it apparently sent one shell through a small slot 

in a German artillery battery’s concrete exterior, the military equivalent 

of a hole-in-one. On shore, meanwhile, armored vehicles known as 

“Funnies” cleared away minefields and other obstacles. Within an 

hour, the British had secured a few beach exits, and from there they 


The Historic Tommy Atkins 

rapidly pushed inland. They also captured the fishing village of 

Arromanches, which days later became the site of an artificial harbor, 

named Mulberry Harbour, used by the Allies to unload supplies. 

At Juno, Allied landing craft once again struggled with rough seas, 

along with offshore shoals and enemy mines. Upon finally 

disembarking, Canadian soldiers were then cut down in droves by 

Germans firing from seaside houses and bunkers. The first hour was 

particularly brutal, with a casualty rate approaching 50 percent for the 

leading assault teams. In the confusion, an Allied tank inadvertently 

ran over some of the wounded, stopping only when a Canadian captain 

blew its track off with a grenade. Other Canadians lacked any tank 

support at all. After 

fighting their way off 

the beach, however, 

German resistance 

slowed immensely, and 

the march into the 

interior went quickly. 

In fact, the Canadians 

advanced further inland 

than either their 

American or British counterparts. Though they didn’t quite meet their 

objective of taking Carpiquet airport, they captured several towns and 

linked up with the British on adjacent Gold Beach. 

Around midnight, British airborne troops, along with a battalion of 

Canadians, dropped behind enemy lines to secure the invasion’s eastern 

flank, just as the Americans were doing near Utah. Within minutes, 

they had taken hold of Pegasus Bridge over the Caen Canal and nearby 

Horsa Bridge over the River Orne. Other airborne troops destroyed 

bridges over the River Dives to prevent German reinforcements from 

arriving, and they also took out a key German artillery battery in a 

bloody firefight. The British then landed on Sword at 7.25am, around 

the same time as at 

Gold but before Juno. 

Although moderate 

fire greeted them, 

they soon secured 

beach exits with the 

help of the “Funnies.” 

Moving inland, they 

connected with the 

airborne units but 

faced relatively 

strong resistance in 

farmyards and villages. In a late afternoon counterattack, German 

forces made it all the way to the beach in one location, only to be turned 

back. The Allies would not be able to unite all five D-Day beaches 

until June 12. 

Although the Allied Forces hadn’t fully met their objectives, due to 

choppy seas and heavy German resistance, they gained a crucial 

foothold on D-day. As I mentioned before, the capture of the fishing 

village of Arromanches was a huge advance, as they were able to create 

two prefabricated harbours from massive hollow concrete blocks. 

These were floated across the Channel and used to create artificial 

harbours at the landing sites, allowing supplies and troops to be landed. 

Once the initial landings had taken place, infrastructure had to be put 

in to support and supply the invasion. 423 tugs and other ships carried 

out this construction work. Some transported and assembled the 

Mulberry harbors at Arromanches. Others laid pipes and cables across 

the width of the English Channel. This included telephone lines 

connecting the commanders in the field with those back in London, 

where SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force), 

contained the officers and staff commanding and coordinating the vast 

operation. Equally important was PLUTO (the Petroleum Line Under 

The Ocean). A pipeline used to pump fuel from Britain to the waiting 

Allied troops. Without it, every tank, transport and communications 

vehicle in the invasion force would soon have ground to a halt. The 

Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches saw heavy use. It had been 

designed to last 3 months, but was used for much longer. 2.5 million 

troops and 4 million tonnes of supplies were unloaded through the 

Arromanches Mulberry Harbour over the 10 months following D-Day. 

This important infrastructure could not have been put in place if it 

wasn’t for the success of those who stormed the beaches on D-Day. 

Following the D-Day landings, the Allied Force continued to push 

on into Europe and by late August, Paris had been liberated, with 

Germany’s surrender coming not long afterward. 

The scale of D-Day and Operation Neptune was huge. It was the 

biggest seaborne invasion and the greatest military campaign the world 

has seen. To give you some idea of the enormity of it, here are some 

numbers: There were 156,115 Allied Troops that landed in Normandy. 

Of these, 23,400 were airborne troops. There were over 10,000 aircraft 

involved and 127 of these were lost during the conflict. Of the 6939 

vessels involved, 1213 were naval combat ships, 4126 were landing 

ships and landing craft, 736 were ancillary craft and 864 were merchant 

vessels. In total there were 195,700 personnel involved in Operation 

Neptune, 112,824 British, 52,889 Americans and 4980 other allies. An 

estimated figure of 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, 

wounded or went missing during the Battle of Normandy. This figure 

includes over 209,000 Allied casualties, with nearly 37,000 dead 

amongst the ground forces and a further 16,714 deaths amongst the 

Allied air forces. 

‘Lest We Forget’ 

Sources: 

Turning the Tide: Decisive Battles of the Second World War & 

Fighting Them On The Beaches: The D-Day Landings - Nigel Cawthorne 

D-Day In Numbers (The Facts Behind Operation Overlord) - Jacob F Field 

Band of Brothers - Stephen E. Ambrose 

(Series produced by Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks) 

www.britishlegion.org.uk/DDAY 

www.ddaymuseum.co.uk 


squaddie humour 

dog to the barrier, walked up to the tank and started 

attacking the 57 tonne armoured beast with her 

walking stick. (You’re way ahead of me here). The 

tank crew found the whole situation a big joke, 

giggling away at the ranting of the poor lady who had 

obviously been offended by the British Army. The 

chuckles soon turned to howls of laughter as the train 

passed, the barrier raised suspending poor little fido 

helplessly at a great height. 

The third book I must mention is ‘Pull up a sandbag’. 

Never have I laughed so much at how jokes, pranks 

and general life surrounding the troops can go so 

badly awry. One particular story that made me laugh 

goes like this. 

Saw Him Coming? 

Squaddie Humour 

Michael Gove’s accusation that the use of 

Blackadder in classrooms spreads 

unpatriotic myths about the First World War 

as a "misbegotten shambles" that denigrates the 

courage of our troops misses the point entirely. 

Indeed, it is the very dark humour and self-deprecating 

banter among the rank and file, captured perfectly by 

the brilliant characters of Private Baldrick and Captain 

Blackadder, that lies at the very heart of the British 

Army. God forbid that our children start to take our 

military institutions, or ourselves for that matter, too 

seriously, as did Kaiser Wilhelm and the rest of his 

pointy hat-wearing army junta in 1914. If that 

happens we really will lose every war that we fight 

or indeed start them, just like "ze Germans". I know 

better than most from my time serving in the 

Grenadier Guards what makes the British squaddie 

such an effective instrument of war and still the envy 

of almost every foreign army in the field. 

Surprisingly for Mr Gove, it's not the bayonet, it's the 

laughter. How else could our servicemen and women 

cope with defence cuts that have reduced the British 

Army to fewer troops than Sainsburys employs in its 

shopping aisles, but still expect them to fight foreign 

wars against invisible enemies in the mountains of 

Afghanistan? But this is an old tradition going back 

for centuries. Soldiers have always had the ability to 

laugh at each other and everything else that comes 

along in the darkest of times. Three books spring to 

mind which ‘tells it how it is’ in the most funniest of 

ways. ‘Don’t cry for me Sergeant Major’ is a satirical 

look at the Falklands Conflict told from those that 

were there. ‘Try not to laugh, Sergeant Major’ was 

the sequel telling many fantastic stories from British 

Army Over the Rhine (BAOR). Anyone that has read 

this book will no doubt remember the tale of the 

Cheiftain pulling up to a rail crossing and patiently 

waiting for the train to pass before the barrier would 

raise. While they were waiting an old lady tied her 

Young Sapper X on his second day in the Unit after 

completing his Basic Training and Combat Engineer 

III course a few days earlier, was called over to the 

Troop G10 Store by one of the Troop Corporals who 

informed him a a section was tasked to clear an area 

of trees out on the edge of the airfield. Two other 

Sappers and one of the Troop Lance Jacks were 

already clad in Husqvarna (Chainsaw) PPE and were 

busy checking that each chainsaw had its full 

inventory of spares prior to heading out on the 

pending tree cutting task. Sapper X was told to get 

the full PPE on ASAP. He proceeded to don his PPE 

(leather leggings/chaps, protective gloves, boots, shin 

guards and jacket), when the Troop phone rang, which 

Corporal T answered. Corporal T wrote out a quick 

memo, placed it in a brown envelope and handed it to 

young Sapper X explaining that the memo had to be 

handed personally to the SSM, who was currently in 

his office. Sapper X was told to put on his helmet 

complete with visor and ear defenders; the section 

would be leaving their berets in the office to avoid 

getting them in a crap state during the tree cutting, so 

he would need some kind of head dress at Squadron 

HQ. Corporal T instructed Sapper X to make sure he 

was wearing his helmet correctly in the offices, 

including keeping the visor down and as he had signed 

for the chainsaw he would be using, to take it with 

him and to keep hold of it as it was a starred item. 

The section would get the rest of the kit loaded and 

meet him outside Squadron HQ in 10 minutes, after he 

had hand delivered the memo to the SSM. “Make 

sure you wait for the Sergeant Major’s reply before 

leaving his office” was Corporal T’s final instruction.. 

Sapper X, not wanting to let anyone down in his first 


squaddie humour 

few days, eagerly rushed off with chainsaw in one 

hand, memo in the other, wearing full PPE, with 

helmet on and visor down! Our intrepid young Sapper 

entered Squadron HQ, marched up to the SSM’s door 

and knocked. Hearing a bellowed “Enter!” he opened 

the door, marched up to the SSM’s desk and halted 

smartly a foot from the desk, then handed the memo to 

the SSM stating he had to wait for the reply. Faced 

with a young Sapper in full PPE, helmet visor down 

and Chainsaw in hand, the SSM calmly opened the 

envelope and read the following memo: 

Sir, 

I completed my Basic Combat Engineer Course on 

Friday last week and was informed that I had to be at 

33 Engineer Regiment (EOD) for first parade Monday 

morning. This completely messed my plans up, as I 

was looking forward to a long weekend at the 

minimum after finally completing my Basic Training. 

I am pissed off to say the least, so I am kindly asking 

you to fill out a leave pass for me in order to give me 

a long weekend from this coming Friday. Fail to do 

so and I will start up this chainsaw and saw your 

fucking desk in half! 

Thank You, Sapper X 

Luckily the SSM had a good sense of humour and 

even wrote a reply to Corporal T’s Memo. He sent the 

young Sapper on his way with no reprisals, but no 

doubt had a quiet word some time later with Corporal 

T (if SSM’s words are ever quiet!). 

Army officers in 2002, with the key ingredients being 

beer, midnight oil and The Idiots Guide to Websites. 

Initially the site, and particularly its name, ARRSE, 

caught the interest of military aircrew and the Army's 

Junior Staff College students, but grew rapidly 

beyond, to all parts of the regular and reserve Army 

and all ranks. 

I read somewhere the perfect way to sum up the 

squaddie which kind of put into perspective what a 

squaddie is, why he is like he is, and why very few 

understand him. 

WHAT IS A SQUADDIE? 

Between the security of childhood 

And the senility of old age 

Is found the fascinating group of 

Humanity called “Squaddies” 

A Squaddie can be found anywhere 

In love, in bars, in trouble 

And always in debt 

Girls love them 

Towns tolerate them 

Hotels hide them 

And governments support them 

A Squaddie is 

Laziness with a pack of cards 

Bravery with a tattoo 

Ruggedness in uniform 

And defender of the world 

With a copy of Playboy 

He has the brains of a bear 

The energy of a sea turtle 

The slyness of a fox 

The stories of a sea captain 

The sincerity of a liar 

The aspirations of a casanova 

And a desire for people to be free 

His interests are - Girls 

Females – women 

And members of the opposite sex 

He likes – beer, booze, plonk 

Alcohol and ale 

Leave passes 

And excused all duties chit 

Three great books, full of great laughs. There are 

plenty of other outlets where you can find ‘Squaddie 

humour’ at it’s very best. One such site is ARRSE or 

to give it it’s official title, the Army Rumour Service. 

This is a great site for looking at the humour of the 

British Tom. For over 10 years the Army Rumour 

Service has been the British Army's busiest and best 

online community. The site has a broad spread of 

users, military, ex-military and civilian, from all ranks, 

services and many countries (primarily British Army 

of course). It contains a broad mix of content from 

the deepest intellectual discussions to pure offensive 

rubbish. The Army Rumour Service is entirely 

unofficial, although often quoted as a source of 

comment on military issues by the national media, and 

more recently a source of opinion for the House of 

Commons Defence Select Committee. The Army 

Rumour Service was founded by two serving British 

He spends his money on 

Girls, beer, cards 

And any that he has left 

He likes to spend foolishly 

No one else could cram into one 

pocket 

Food for 24 hours 

A packet of crushed cigarettes 

A box of matches 

A picture of his girl 

Receipts for lost equipment 

A deck of cards 

And an old leave pass 

THAT IS A SQUADDIE 

“Humour in Adversity” 

www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 21 |

North Ayrshire VBC 

A good wee turnout yesterday at the 

North Ayrshire Veterans Breakfast 

Club (NAVBC) in Irvine, a 35 person 

tournout split between two floors. 

That's 5 more than last month with 

some of the regulars away on 

holiday!! 

South Hertfordshire VBC 

2 newbies today at the South 

Hertfordshire VBC - great to see 

everyone (bit light to our normal 

turnout - I guess down to half term) 

Worcester Veterans 

Breakfast Club 

15 on parade today at Worcester. 3 

newbies today, Katie, George and 

Kayle..... 


Veterans Breakfast Clubs 

Stockport Veterans 


22 today with a couple of new 

faces, not the best for numbers 

but still good. Stockport veterans 

breakfast club 

North Lincs (Scunthorpe) 


We had 27 veterans and a guest today at 

North Lincs (Scunthorpe), great but noisy 

banter! No meeting for the next three 

weeks as we are at Doncaster Breakfast 

Club next Saturday and then Armed Forces 

Days at Scunthorpe and Cleethorpes, it's a 

great life being a veteran. 


Veterans Radio 

Veterans Radio Net 

Forces Online Radio 

Keeping Veterans Stronger together since 2012 May 23rd sees the launch of a new military focused radio station 

"Forces Online Radio". We are operating in direct support of the 

After another good week on ‘Your Radio Station’ 

"Forces Online" page/site, that is growing rapidly, and needs another 

This is what's coming up on VRN. 

string to its bow. We hope to 

bring 

you 

 

a diverse selection of both 

We have all our usual programs, but over the next few weeks 

we are hoping to have a few interesting interviews. 

Do you know what ‘Armed Forces Champion's are’? 

Well they exist in the NHS and the DWP and we’re hoping 

to get some of them “On Air”, so that you can learn more 

about what they do for veterans. 

music, and topics that either directly or indirectly affect the lives of 

our Military personnel, and of course the Veterans. Basically, 

anyone that is serving, or has served. We value your input and hope 

that this is the beginning erv w with of a the two bway d communication Re 5 via the 

airwaves. It will always be a "work in progress", as we adjust and 

adapt to the Be requirements rdoo 10 

0% of our rlisteners. roc MetAfter all, Tour 

without you, we 

have no purpose. To get connected, please use the link below: 

Plus, I will be doing another "PTSD Lets Talk" Special. 


The place to be for good music (you pick it we’ll play it) & 

quick wit and banter on our "Live Chat Board“ 

We talk about the ‘Harder’ side of veterans life. 

WHY? 

Because if we don't who will? 

www.veteransradionet.co.uk 

Sapper Ken 


http://www.forcesonline.net/ 

Other links that can be used for external connection are: 

Winamp: 

http://dallas.audio-stream.com/tunein.php/jimwilde.pls 

Real Audio: 

http://dallas.audio-stream.com/tunein.php/jimwilde.ram 

Windows Media: 

http://dallas.audiostream.com/tunein.php/jimwilde.asx 

 

Jim Wilde 

Director – Forces Online Radio 


ContactUs 

Pleasefeelfreetocontactus 

regardinganyofourservicesusing 

thefollowingdetails: 

Address: 

2MelvilleStreet,Falkirk,FK11HZ 

Telephone.07909908056 

Email. 

info@wizzpropertiesltd.co.uk 


Classified 

advertise@sandbagtimes.com 


Vetera 

ans 

Help 

O ur 

Links 


Veterans jobs 

Store Manager 

AVIS UK, Southend-on-sea - East of England 

Salary Range: £24,000, 

View Job Details 

Rental Sales Agent 

AVIS UK, Greater London 

Salary Range: £19,000 + Commission 


Team Leader 

AVIS UK, Greater London 

Salary Range: £21,000 + Commission 


Field Service Technician 

Green Recruitment Solutions 

Salary Range: £28,000 - £32,000 + Overtime + Package, 


Security Officer (48 hour shift) 

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON, Greater London 

Salary Range: £31,587 per annum, 


Prison Security Officer - 8621 

SERCO, - West Midlands 

Salary Range: £15k - £20k, 


Workshop Chargehand 

FSR SOLUTIONS, - Greater London 

Salary Range: £30k - £34k depending on experience, 


Trainee Manager 

AVIS UK, Cambridge - East of England 

Salary Range: £20,500 


Guest Services Mall Manager 

VSG, Stirling - Mid Scotland and Fife 

Salary Range: £9.40 p/h 


Communications Manager 

MISSION MOTORSPORT, - East Midlands 

Salary Range: £22k - £25k 


HGV Driver 

H WICKS (LINDAL) LTD, Barrow-in-Furness - North West 

Salary Range: £9 - £11 p/h 


Cash in Transit Driver 

MOBIUS RESOURCING, Hemel Hempstead - South East 

Salary Range: £21848 - 23580 


Casual Technical Assistant - 14341 

SERCO - North East 

Salary Range: £10 - 15k 


Driver 

EUROPCAR, Stevenage - South East 

Salary Range: £7.50 p/h 




A word from the Ed 

Ricky’s Final Send-off 

from 667 D&T Sqn 

The issues are getting 

bigger and bigger by the 

week. Lots more features 

such as ‘In my Hometown’ and 

the jobs page to name but a few. 

I have a couple of mentions to do 

this week on my little write up. 

Firstly, I would like to have a 

push for the ‘Spies’ TV series 

coming soon on Channel 4. They 

are still looking for candidates to 

take on the challenge of trying 

their hand at being a spook. I 

wish I was in good enough 

physical condition to have a crack 

at this. Just not knowing anything 

about what is going to be 

happening is leaving me with a 

sense of intrigue that I am craving 

to satisfy. I think the recent fun 

I’ve had with my heart has put an 

end to my hopes of being the next 

007. Ah well. The application 

form is available by clicking the 

link on page 7. This would 

ideally suit the adventurous types 

in the Breakfast Clubs. 

I enjoyed writing the very first ‘In 

my Hometown’ so much. Not 

only did it stir a few long lost 

memories but I made a lot of 

connections too. Not only that 

but I discovered so much about 

this little piece of England that I 

never would have thought in a 

million years would be possible. 

I would ask all of our readers to 

try this out. If you can, write 

about it and send it in to us. We 

would love to discover what went 

on in your hometown. 

Finally, if you haven’t done so 

already, check out our brand new 

website. Links are on every page 

of the SBT. That’s it for this 

week. Hope you all have a great 

one. Take care, Pabs 

Ways to find us 

The Sandbag Times 

www.sandbagtimes.com 

thesandbagtimes 

@thesandbagtimes 

info@sandbagtimes.com 

A Song For A Hero 

“The Brand New Rock Opera which tells the truth of what 

happens to our heroes when the killing ends. Packed with 

incredible songs, breathtaking graphics and an emotional 

rollercoaster of a story that will leave you asking 

questions for a long time to come.” 

Where Do They Go... 

...When the Killing Ends 


Information 

John Terry - Ramblings of a boss dog 

The title Ramblings of a boss dog came about from nearly 

ten years of helping to run a Dalmatian Welfare service 

with my wife Joan. My role was to interview the dogs, to 

ensure that they would fit into their new home, and I soon 

learned the benefits of being a Boss dog. I have had an 

unusual career, from a Cold War warrior on the front lines 

in Germany, through the Defence industry, and into Sales, 

Marketing and Company management. 

I have travelled from Hawaii in the West, to South Korea 

in the East, from Norway in the North to South Africa in 

the South, meeting a wide range of people and diverse 

cultures on the way. Now semi-retired, I work with young 

people to help them succeed in business. 

The next book will focus on helping young people get 

into business with all the tools they need. 

I hope you enjoy my work. 

Please click on the picture for more. 

The Reggae Album 

42 Massive Reggae Anthems 

Available from June 2016 at Amazon. 

Click the picture for more information 

Band of Brothers (2001) 

Scott Grimes 

Damian Lewis 

Ron Livingstone 

Being the anniversary of D Day, I 

thought it only fitting to remind 

everyone of this fantastic miniseries. 

The show follows Easy Company, 

part of the elite US Airborne during the 

second world war. I adore this series, well 

written and well acted. Tom Hanks and 

Steven Spielberg directing. Awesome! 

Back issues of The Sandbag Times are available to download here 


information 


NAAFI break 

 

 

 

gawpin 

READ IT AGAIN!!! 

Come up wi 

it 

th 

a capti 

ion fo 

or Sgt 

Sandbag 

an 

nd wi 

in a prize 

Word Wheel 

How many words can you find in the above Word Wheel. 

There is at least one 9 letter word 

Send in your answers, future puzzles, brainteasers, jokes, 

etc into info@sandbagtimes.com 


Next week in the 

Sandbag Times 

Music 4 Veterans launch Kickstarter Programme 

Combat Veterans Players: 

Shakespeare or bust 

How veterans have beat their ghosts 

through the performing arts. 

The Battle of Waterloo 

The Historical Tommy Atkins looks at 

the decisive battle of the Napoleonic 

wars. 

| 34 

www.sandbagtimes.co.uk

The Sandbag Times Issue No: 21

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