The Sandbag Times Issue No: 34

The Veterans’ Magazine 

Issue 34 | September 2017 

Veterans 

care in 

Wales 

Why is there a problem? 

Clare Viller 

Military Artist 

SBT News Update 

Plus all The Latest National & International 

News from the Armed Forces & Veterans World 

SPONSORED BY: 

www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 

Supporting #Chennai6

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| 2 www.sandbagtimes.co.uk

Conflict warning from Jeremy Corbyn 

Lancaster to be recovered from lake 

Invictus Torch lit 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The SBT Says... 

Jeremy Corbyn is 100% 

correct in what he has said. 

This is a situation we cannot 

be part of. The escalating 

tensions has to be defussed 

and military action must be 

avoided at all costs. For all 

of our sakes. Please let us 

know what you think. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 3 |



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or email: mail@justinhavens.com 


www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 7 | 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Science of 

Warfare 

By Peter Macey

and has taken me from Portsmouth to Pervijze 

and from Ulverston to Ypres by way of many 

museums, battlefields, private collections, 

libraries and research centres. I have also been 

fortunate to have the support of the women’s 

families and leading historians. 

 

 

Louise Jordan 

Louise Jordan is a singer, songwriter, musician 

and composer whose interests include history 

and the tradition of interpreting stories through 

song. 

Louise has toured in the UK and Europe since 

2010 sharing traditional folk songs, original 

material and stories from her native Hampshire, 

Wiltshire, the UK and beyond. With a particular 

interest in the representation of women Louise 

places interaction at the core of her practise, 

inspired by the ability of music to generate discussion 

and debate. 

No Petticoats Here 

No Petticoats Here is a project that tells the stories 

of remarkable women of the First World 

War through song. The research, songwriting, 

composition and delivery took eighteen months 

I have been touring with No Petticoats Here 

since 2015 and in July 2017 I was awarded 

funding by Arts Council England to develop the 

performance into a theatre concert show with a 

prerecorded soundscape and stage props 

learning from audience feedback. I am a 

Creative Lab Associate to the New Theatre 

Royal Portsmouth who have also supported 

me in this project. 

In discovering the story of the 18th century 

smuggleress Lovey WarneLovey Warne, 

Louise stumbled on the inspiration for No 

Petticoats Here at Ringwood Brewery. A 

Hampshire hero with a beer named in her honour, 

Louise set about telling Lovey’s story 

through song and was overwhelmed with the 

response the song received in the UK, Holland 

and Germany. In search of local female heroes, 

Louise was introduced by theatre maker Lizzie 

Crarer to Dorothy Lawrence and became intent 

on researching and sharing the extraordinary 

stories of women who lived during the First 

World War. 

At a performance of No Petticoats Here you 

can expect to hear songs that span the full 

range of human emotion from the triumphant 

waltz Pride of the Army about matron Ada 

Yorke, to the call to arms of Toil, Women, Toil – 

a marching song inspired by the army of 

women workers at Priddy’s Hard in Hampshire; 

from the urgency of Queen of Spies about 

British agent and French national Louise de 

Bettignies, to the haunting Endless Days about 

Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm who set up a 

first aid post on the Front Line in the bombed 

out village of Pervijse. 

Louise’s research has taken her to Flanders, to 

the battlefields of the Somme, through the 

doors of many museums and research centres 

and brought her into contact with some incredible 

historians and authors as well as the relatives 

of some of these incredible women. 

During live performances of No Petticoats Here 

Louise draws on this research to share anecdotes 

and photographs which bring these stories 

to life. 

If you would like to know more about Louise or 

No Petticoats Here then please visit her websites 

at the links below. 

You may also like to catch louise at one of her 

performances. For full details click here 

Louise Jordan’s Website 

No Petticoats Here Website 


Harrison Clark Rickerbys signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 

November 2014 and last year, Richard Morgan, Partner and Head 

of HCR’s Defence, Security and the Forces Sector and Rebecca 

Kirk, a Solicitor in HCR’s Employment Department accepted a 

prestigious silver award on behalf of the firm as part of the 

Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Employer Recognition Scheme. 

But what is it all about? Why would 

businesses and employers want to sign 

the Covenant? What are the business 

benefits or business boo-boos of employing 

members of the Armed Forces community? 

And, most importantly, what does the Covenant 

mean for those who have served? 

What is the Covenant? 

Put simply, the Covenant is a promise from the 

nation ensuring that those who serve or have 

served in the Armed Forces and their families 

(known generally as the Armed Forces 

community), are treated fairly. By signing the 

Covenant it means that a business is committed 

to supporting the Armed Forces community by 

recognising the value that serving personnel, 

veterans and military families contribute to our 

businesses and our communities. 

What can businesses and 

employers do? 

What a business actually does to demonstrate 

its commitment under the Covenant is a 

commercial decision but what is important is to 

actually do something! It is not just about 

signing! The Covenant is not a signature in a 

shiny frame to display proudly by Reception. It 

is a commitment. From a business perspective, 

it is commitment to ensuring that no member of 

the Armed Forces community suffers a 

commercial disadvantage because of their 

service. Be proud, of course, but proud of the 

action you take as a business in order to 

ensure that members of the Armed Forces 

community are treated fairly and of the support 

that your business offers to Veterans. 

What might that commitment to be proud of 

look like? Well, to suggest just a few examples, 

businesses can: 

• Commit to ignoring pre-conceptions about 

members of the Armed Forces community. 

• Offer guaranteed interviews to Veterans and 

other members of the Armed Forces community 

who meet the minimum selection criteria. 

• Recognise equivalent military skills and 

qualifications when interviewing for new 

positions. 

• Focus recruitment efforts on the Armed Forces 

community, such as advertising through 

‘service-friendly’ recruitment agencies, military 

charities and publications such as the Sandbag 

Times. 

• Commit to finding alternative employment within 

the business in another location, if an employee 

is forced to relocate owing to a partner or family 

member’s military service. 

• Look sympathetically on requests for holidays 

before, during or after a partner or family 

member’s overseas deployment. 

• Accommodate reservist training commitments. 

• Accommodate mobilisation of reservists, if they 

are required to deploy. 

• Act sympathetically and with understanding 

towards members of the Armed Forces 

community who have been bereaved, whose 

loved ones have been injured or who might 

have caring commitments owing to their loved 

ones injuries and consider practical assistance 

such as unpaid leave or additional flexibility in 

an employee’s role. 

• Make services easily accessible to members of 

the Armed Forces community by holding 

briefing days, showcasing at resettlement 

events, attending garrison welfare offices and 

liaising with military charities about the needs of 

Veterans in their community. 

• Offer discounts on good and services to 

members of the Armed Forces community – 

particularly in relation to services that are 

particularly relevant, such as legal services. 

Why would businesses do it? 

The business benefits of supporting and, in 

particular, employing members of the Armed 

Forces Community are numerous. 

Former service personnel have a raft of 

transferable skills acquired as a result of their 

military service. The Armed Forces expect high 

standards of professionalism, behaviour, selfdiscipline 

and selfless commitment of all 

serving personnel, together with expert ability in 

their chosen field. The standard of training 

given to military personnel across all services is 

second to none, whether that be trade training 

for specific disciplines or leadership and 

management training which is required of all 

but the most junior ranks. 

Military families are, by their very nature often 

adaptable, resourceful and resilient. They have 

to forge relationships in the most unlikely 

circumstances, often in fast changing 

environments and that can result in great 

people skills and self confidence. 

And, let’s not forget, a great many Veterans and 

service spouses are highly qualified to boot. 


The legal bit. 

The Armed Forces community does not have a 

legal definition, nor does being a member of the 

Armed Forces community confer any legal 

rights – except, that is, for reservists. As such, 

the obligations on employers towards most 

members of the Armed Forces community and 

Veterans in particular, are the same as those 

which are owed to any other employee. It is for 

that reason that additional commitments under 

the Covenant, of the kind outlined above, are in 

our view required. 

With regard to reservists, in the absence of a 

contractual obligation to do so, reservists are 

not under any obligation to tell their employer 

that they are a member of the Reserve Forces. 

Employers are under no obligation to allow an 

employee time off (paid or otherwise) for 

reservist training or mobilisation. However, 

under the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of 

Employment) Act 1985, employers are under an 

obligation to re-instate any employee who was 

employed in the 4 weeks prior to their 

mobilisation on terms that are no less 

favourable than those which would have 

applied had the employee not been mobilised, 

where it is reasonable and practicable to do so. 

If not, employers must offer the most favourable 

terms practicable. Either way, reinstatement is a 

must, for a minimum protected period, at least. 

The period of mobilisation does not count for 

the purpose of calculating the employee’s 

continuous service under the Employment 

Rights Act 1996. However, the mobilisation 

period does not break continuous service but 

instead simply “stops the clock”. 

Finally, Section 48 of the Defence Reform Act 

2014 removed the 2 year qualifying period for 

unfair dismissal claims where the reason (or, if 

more than one, the principal reason) for the 

dismissal is, or is connected with, the 

employee's membership of a reserve force. 

In our experience, employers and businesses 

more generally would be well advised to sign 

the Armed Forces Covenant and, more 

importantly, to follow through and deliver on 

the commitments they make when signing the 

Covenant! It is only by taking action under the 

Covenant, not simply signing it, that we can 

ensure that members of the Armed Forces 

community are treated fairly and how a 

mutually beneficial relationship between the 

Armed Forces community and commerce can 

be created. 

With Veterans, serving personnel and military 

spouses amongst our ranks and our client 

base, we can honestly say that delivering on 

your commitments under the Covenant has the 

potential to be truly mutually beneficial! 

For further information on 

this article please contact 

Rebecca Kirk in the 

Employment Team 

Tel: 01432 349709 

Email: rkirk@hcrlaw.com 

PEOPLE ARE 

OUR PASSION 

WHAT’S YOURS? 

Tell us #HCRlaw 

Our defence, security and the forces team has been selected for their 

skills and passion in providing legal advice to the sector we also draw 

on the expertise of consultants who have many years of involvement 

with the military and related industries. 

Richard Morgan, Partner, Head of Defence Security and the Forces 

Talk to us: 01432 349670 | Visit us online: www.hcrlaw.com Join the discussion: 

@HCRlaw 

Harrison Clark Rickerbys inc Gordon Lutton is a trading name of Harrison Clark Rickerbys Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the SRA

Drivers’ Standings 

1. Colin Turkington 265 points 

2. Ashley Sutton, 261 

3, Gordon Sheddon, 253 

4. Rob Collard, 248 

5. Tom Ingram, 204 

6. Matt Neal, 172 

Manufacturers’ Standings 

1. BMW, 589 points 

2. Honda, 513 

3. Subaru, 511 

4. Vauxhall, 389 

5. MG, 243 

Teams’ Standings 

1. Team BMW, 501 points 

2. Halfords Yuasa Racing, 420 

3. Adrian Flux Subaru Racing, 363 

4. Speedworks Motorsport, 202 

5. Eurotech Racing, 161 

Dear, oh dear. Matt just cannot get a break. 

I really felt for him on Saturday whilst 

watching the qualifying for the Knockhill 

round of this years BTCC. I think the only 

thing that actually got worn out on the car 

was his headlights and the flashing lever. No 

matter how hard he tried he could not get a 

clear lap to get a decent time down and in 

the end ended up 21st on the grid. 

Race 1 was something to behold, from 21st 

on the grid, he carved his way through the 

traffic to finish 9th. Memories from the last 

race with Gordon Sheddon doing something 

similar. 

Race 2 started off with complete mayhem 

with a nasty little pile up taking many of the 

drivers out on the first lap, Matt took a nasty 

shunt in the rear which didn’t do his car too 

much good for the restart after the red flag. 

However, a fight for 7th position with rookie 

Josh Price saw Matt spinning off into the 

gravel. This meant he was demoted to 23rd 

place for the start of the final race of the day. 

Race 3 really proved the determination and 

competitive spirit of Matt Neal. .From 23rd 

on the grid, Matt carved through the traffic 

like the proverbial knife through butter. The 

Halfords Yuasa Honda Civic R was truly on 

fire and made light work of a great number of 

very talented drivers. The result was an 8th 

place finish. So well driven Matt, no podiums 

but be proud of the way you drove Luck will 

change in time and wins will happen. They 

must. 

Matt’s team mate Gordon Sheddon also had 

a bit of a mixed weekend with an 11th, 6th 

and then finally a 2nd place podium. 

The low point of the weekend, I have to 

admit was watching Louise Goodman 

interviewing Jason Plato. That guy seriously 

needs to learn how to talk on TV without 

swearing and coming out with insultive hand 

gestures. Day time TV Mr Plato!!, Kids are 

watching. Act like a man and not a spoilt 

brat. Most of all, learn some respect. 

Anyway, here’s Matt: 

"We were pleased to salvage a few good 

results at Snetterton last time out as it was 

a really tricky weekend. It always felt like a 

bit of damage limitation there but we’re very 

much in the hunt at this stage of the season 

– it’s extremely close. Personally, I just 

need a bit of luck on my side, but at least 

we go into the event at Knockhill with a 

lighter car than some of our rivals. I’m 

extremely hungry and despite there being a 

bit of a points deficit, it is far from over! 

Knockhill is completely different from 

anything else on the calendar and it’s quite 

a crazy challenge for all of us. It’s extremely 

close out there and every fraction of a 

second counts, particularly with it being 

such a tight and twisty track." Looking 

forward to Rockingham in 2 weeks. 


Jax’s bit. It’ll soon be Christmas! 

Well now, not much to report from your everso-interesting-sponsors 

– just problems, 

issues, bills, stress, disappointment, did I 

mention bills, blah, blah and all that – I’m 

sure you all know what I mean! 

Happily people are still pouring through the 

door for some torture in the chamber, and as 

long as they leave walking and moving better 

than when they came in, we’re happy. The 

worst thing at the moment is when someone 

says I’ll make an appointment for 3 months 

and I have to turn the diary all the way to 

November, it’s making me feel queasy – 

WHERE has this year gone and WHY is it 

flying by extra fast? Horrifying - it’ll be 

Christmas soon. 

Two nice things have happened, Ken was 

presented with a clear-faced beauty of a First 

World War trench watch by an aunt. 

Amazingly it’s still working well, possibly 

because it’s Swiss made - and I’ve not put on 

as much weight as I thought because I’ve 

discovered our scales are about 10lbs out! 

Yay. Small mercy’s! Lol. 

Oh, and how (genuinely) shocked was I to 

see my poems unexpectedly all over the 

poetry page last issue, aww shucks, felt 

good, but embarrassing at the same time. 

Thank you to Pablo and Jane for that, and 

trying to encourage me to keep 

writing....anyhoo, another new and innocent 

victim just came through the door so must 

attend to them before throwing them to old 

Torquemada.... 

The SBT would like to publically thank Black Halo 

Designs for their kind donations over the recent months 


Speaking to a collegue, not so long ago, 

highlighted the problem veterans have in 

Wales. Considering the amount of Welsh 

Regiments and the strong traditions with the 

Armed Forces, one would be forgiven for 

thinking that Veterans Care would be a 

priority. Not so. 

The SBT took a look at the ‘state of play’ 

with regard to charities and support services 

to get an idea of how a veteran stood if he 

needed help. 

Of course there is always the Royal British 

Legion and SSAFA for many areas of 

assistance but when we look particularly at the 

subject of mental health, where do they go? 

Combat Stress has a big hole in it’s 

operation when we look at Wales, I must say 

up front, it is not hard to see why. Funding 

has been cut so much over the past few 

years, it is a wonder how they still operate at 

all in the UK. In 2015 The Ministry of 

Defence has cut its annual allowance to 

Combat Stress from 

£2.8million a year to 

£750,000 despite 

referrals going up by 

28% during that 

year. Remember 

this is across the 

whole of the UK. 

So where does that 

leave Wales? In short, 

with very little. There 

are no operational 

centres in Wales for 

Combat Stress, In fact, I 

am informed that 

Combat Stress do not 

operate at all in Wales.. 

This is something that 

cannot continue. Surely 

that is a problem that 

needs to be 

addressed in the 

Ivory Towers of 

our leadership. 

Let’s take a look 

at the NHS and 

their input into the 

problem. The NHS has a 

 

team set up called ‘Veterans NHS Wales’. 

As you would expect it is a complete NHS 

run facility with the main stay of referrals 

heading into this direction. The fact that 

they are trying to help should never be 

overlooked, however it is not ideal in the 

fact that ithas no emergency facility such as 

Combat Stress and it appears that many 

will be referred on. Where to? I wonder. It 

also clearly staes on their website that 

“Each Local Health Board (LHB) has 

appointed an experienced clinician as a 

Veteran Therapist (VT) with an interest or 

experience of military (mental) health 

problems.” Again I see this as a 

government problem, not an NHS issue but 

therapists that deal with veterans need to 

be trained in such things not just have 

some exprience or interest. This could 

potentially be damaging for the veteran and 

the therapist. Maybe this is something to 

think about in the future. 

I also want to take a look at an excellent 

charity who had the right idea and were 

performing well in Wales called ‘Change 

Step.’ Their organisation is very well 

structured and have had an awful lot of 

succes in their operations. Unfortunately, 

the funding they recieved has come to an 

endwhich is unfortunate. Thankfully, 

partnerships have meant that they can 

survive to fight another day but yet again, I 

ask myself could the government and MOD 

do more to help them?. 

All in all, Veterans Care in Wales is very 

poor to say the least. The nearest Combat 

Stress Centre is Newport, Shropshire. Far 

from ideal. They may even have to travel 

as far as Leatherhead or Scotland. Again, 

far from ideal. 

The current situations has seen massive 

increases of veterans coming forward for 

help with massively decreasing resources. 

So what is the answer? To me, the answer 

is simple. Funding! 

We hear that there is no money available 

for this and for that but still we see massive 

wage packets for those who don’t need it. 

That money could be betterspent in areas 

that are struggling such as our Veterans 

Charities. Even better, Government and 

MOD, get off your arses and get involved. 

After all, you may be asking more men and 

women of this country to fight in a conflict 

very soon and if you cannot show them that 

they will be looked after when it’s over... 

Well, ask your selves, would you fight? 


Most readers of this magazine will know my 

love for music, especially the acoustic guitar. 

What many don’t know is my love for Celtic 

music. There is something in the way that 

it’s played that just takes you somewhere 

else. Just recently, I have indulged myself in 

trying to learn this wonderful style of music 

on my own guitar. Unbeknown to me it was 

mostly played in a different tuning that we, in 

the game, know as DADGAD. So, off to 

Youtube i went to investigate and pick up a 

few tips. This is where I first heard Stephen 

Wake. The first piece I heard was something 

I had heard from Michael Flatley’s ‘Lord of 

the Dance’. The piece was called Cry of the 

Celts. The first thing that struck me was the 

effortless way he played, really capturing that 

Celtic sense. 

The more I went into his music the more I 

wanted to listen. I finally came aross the 

track ‘Journey’s End’. As I said previously, I 

found this just as I was writing the article for 

the RC Sherriff play being performed by 

MESH Theatre. I have to say that this was a 

wonderful period in my life being involved in 

both, allbeit, just listening to Stephen’s 

music. Just a thought, while I write this. 

MESH Theatre very kindly asked if they 

could use the music from A Song For A Hero 

for their promo, I of course was very 

honoured and very excited that my music 

was going to be used but (and I know I’m 

sacrificing the honour with this) but I would 

ask them to listen to Journey’s End by 

Stephen. Seem’s like a marriage made in 

heaven, you never know, maybe there’s 

room for both. 

what happened, and visited Verdun a few 

years back. I can remember that he was 

very moved by it. 

It is amazing how easily we forget how much 

we owe those who payed their lives for us”. 

What more can I say apart from listen to 

Stephen and buy his albums. He has 

another album out called ‘Ciùil Amuigh’ also 

available and just as fantastic. For more 

information please go to his Bandcamp 

page. Thank you to Stephen for this 

amazing talent and your gift of music. 

Anyway, I digress. I emailed Stephen and 

asked him if we could feature him in the 

mag, what an incredible young man. Very 

humble and very kind. He also allowed me 

in to the fact that he had a connection with 

the first world war. If I may, I will let Stephen 

tell it in his own words. 

“My great uncle died in the Battle of Verdun, 

and my father, Verdun Wake, was named 

after the place where he died. My father was 

very keen on learning about the history of 


I bumped into Clare Villar quite by 

accident on LinkedIn not so long 

ago. I saw she was a military 

artist so, naturally, I had to know 

more. A few emails and a few 

chats later my mind was set. I 

had to feature this extremely 

creative lady in the magazine. 

Especially when she had just 

commissioned a work of art of my 

old mob, which, I must add, is 

absolutely stunning. 

I must admit, upon first speaking to her, I 

did get a little jealous as she told me she 

had recently painted an animal portrait of 

Nick Mason’s dog. Yes, that’s right, Nick 

Mason, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason. I 

couldn’t be more jealous if I tried, haha. 

Anyway, without further ado let me 

introduce you to this months centre page 

spread. The amazing work of Clare Villar. 

Clare Villar creates painstaking 

calligraphy-based artwork and is just 

putting the finishing touches to a piece to 

mark the 100th anniversary of the battle of 

Vimy Ridge, a victory for the Canadian 

Corps in World War One that saw Prince 

Charles, William and Harry travel to 

France for commemorations in recent 

weeks. 

It is just the latest in a long line of 

commissions for her work which have 

taken off since she took voluntary 

redundancy from Shropshire Council in 

2014. 

Her recent work has focussed on creating 

artworks made up of names, often 

hundreds, of either current or fallen 

soldiers for military regiments, though she 

also specialises in impeccably detailed 

studies of animals, and has been 

commissioned by non other than Nick 

Mason, drummer with the legendary Pink 

Floyd, to paint his family dogs in the past. 

But she said it was the military art that was 

currently getting attention. 

"I never imagined in my wildest dreams 

that my military artwork would have taken 

off as it has and my only regret is that I 

didn't give up my day job years ago. 

"I have just completed my first Canadian 

commission for the Kings Own Calgary 

Regiment and I was asked to present it to 

the colonel in June in Calgary, which was 

filmed by the Calgary television network. 

"This was commissioned to honour the 

150th anniversary of Canada, the 75th 


anniversary of the Raid on Dieppe and 

most importantly to commemorate the 

battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. 

"I am now working on the 1st Battalion 

Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment who 

are based in Germany and also the 

Grenadier Guards's roll of honour. 

"I have approximately six or seven in the 

pipeline with enquiries flooding in. 

"Each piece is hand written in calligraphy 

and hand painted, the largest commission 

to date has been approximately 600 

names, each piece so far has included to 

date between 400 and 600 names. 

"I have another Canadian enquiry which 

would include 1,300 names." 

Clare, who lives in Yarpole near 

Leominster with her husband John and 

daughters Katie and Amelia worked for 

Shropshire Council's environment 

protection department in Ludlow for 

fourteen years took voluntary redundancy 

to pursue her dream of being a full-time 

artist. 

At that time she had already produced a 

roll of honour for a friend, a colonel with 

the Royal Mercian Lancastrian Yeomanry, 

to give to his regiment as his leaving 

present in 2002, which took about nine 

months to produce. 

She said: "It sat in Dawley Bank barracks, 

Telford, for 12 years whereupon in 2014 it 

got spotted by the Colonel of the Wessex 

Yeomanry who asked me to produce one 

for his regiment – which was presented to 

Prince Edward. 

"On the back of that, Sir General Richard 

Shirreff commissioned me to produce one 

for his regiment the King Royal Hussars 

which was presented to Princess Anne in 

2015." 

Since then she has also done work for 

The 1st Battalion Scots Guards and 2nd 

Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal 

Regiment – an A1 framed print of the latter 

now sits in the palace of Queen 

Margarethe 11 of Denmark, who is the 

battalion's Colonel in Chief upon her 

request. 

"Each piece of artwork to date has been 

appoximately A1 in size and they depict 

the current serving soldiers and officers 

names handwritten in calligraphy along 

with hand painted cap badges," she said. 

She said the Canadian commission had 

come via making connections on 

professional social media site LinkedIn 

and she hoped more international work 

might come through the same channels – 

particularly from the hard to crack US 

market. 

"My ultimate goal is to take my very 

unique military artwork to the US and with 

my sheer determination and hard work I 

really hope to fulfil my dream soon," she 

said. 

She added that she also hoped to do 

artwork for the Navy and RAF. 

Finally, I would like to say thank you to 

Clare for allowing us the opportunity to 

share her work with the SBT community. 

Of course there is so much more to see 

and enjoy. Just visit her website at the 

link below. 

www.clarevillar.com 



Sing Your Song... 

I love to listen to the words of songs. Some people can hit the 

nail on the head through lyrics in ways we can never say to each 

other in conversations. I have to confess of being a bit of a 

soppy thing when it comes to music, I am very easily moved. 

But so many songs carry so many meanings. 

Very soon we have to say goodbye to an old friend who passed 

away last week. He was another music lover. In fact he used to 

present the Wooster Country Show on VIP Radio, the old venture 

we used to play around with. I cannot tell you how proud I 

was when his wife asked me to play a guitar piece at his funeral. 

I’m practicing very hard and I pray that God will help me play 

well and pay tribute to a very fine man. 

It’s funny, when we heard the news, after the initial shock of his 

passing, we celebrated his life through music. Having a glass of 

beer and playing and singing the songs he loved. I have to say 

it helped enourmously. Yes, it was a very sad occasion, but it’s 

as if we played him out. I could just imagine him looking down 

and joining in. I’m sure he would have loved that. 

During the afternoon, while we were celebrating his life, a song 

crossed my mind which kind of brought things home to me. It’s 

a Neil Diamond song that he wrote around 10 years ago called 

‘Hell Yeah’. If you can find it on youtube and listen to the lyrics. 

There is one section that really stood out for me when I thought 

about our friend, Dave.. 

So if they ask you when I'm gone 

Was it everything he wanted? 

When he had to travel on 

Did he know he'd be missed? 

You can tell them this 

Hell yeah he did!, He saw it all 

He walked the line, Never had to crawl 

He cried a bit, But not for long 

Hell yeah, He found the life that he was after 

Filled it up with love and laughter 

Finally got it right, And made it fit 

Hell yeah he did! 

One of those lyrics that really hits home, eh. But it’s not this 

particular song or this particular situation which is the main point 

of this reflection. It is a way of saying things we cannot normally 

say. If you wanted to talk to God because of something on your 

mind, or something you needed to ask, how would you do it? 

Those who are regular church goers would pray as they have 

been taught but there are many of us out there who find it difficult 

to speak to God in that way. Some feel they are not worthy 

to go to church, they may not feel they ‘fit’. I know from experience 

that is a common feeling in veterans. So here is a good 

idea, just think of that song that really speaks to you and see if it 

fits what you wat to ask. Music is a wonderful way of speaking 

to God. He truly loves music: 

2 Chronicles 5:13 

The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and 

thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and 

other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the 

LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the 

temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud, 

The bible is full of instances where music is used to praise the 

Lord. It is nothing new. So if there is anything you need to say 

to God or anyone else come to think about it, use a song. You 

can even just sing it in your head, God will hear it. 

On a final note, this week will be a sad but also a joyous occasion. 

We will mourn the passing of a friend but also celebrate a 

man who loved music. We can be sure that he has been welcomed 

in to God’s house with open arms and that truly is a reason 

to celebrate and feel good that he is being taken care of.. 


Another month goes past without the 

appeal decision being heard. 

According to Indian law, the appeal 

should have been heard within 3 

months. At the end of this month, it will 

be 9 months.Despite the families putting 

in a petition to the Chief Justice, it 

seems that deaf ears are the ordeer of 

the day. Just to add insult to injury, the 

Government is now shut down for the 

Summer holidays. It seems that human 

life and suffering does not have very 

much meaning in India, just the importance 

of lifestyle for the privilleged. It is 

now four years since this all came 

about. For the families and friends of 

the men, this has probably seemed like 

an eternity, but one must keep hope 

and keep trying. Not only for the lads 

but also for themselves. As we do keep 

saying time and time again, this will 

end. The lads will come home. A few 

weeks ago, Yvonne Machugh posted 

on the petition page and we would just 

light to highlight her sentiments here. 

This is an extract from here entry on to 

the page: 

“35 men are languishing in a prison in 

the most filthy conditions. The treatment 

is barbaric, human rights are being vio 

lated and they are a thousand miles 

from home, friends and family. Can this 

really continue for another 3 years? 

For 4 whole years our lives have been 

turned upside down, living day to day 

not knowing if the men who went to 

work in 2013 will return. Despite all of 

this the friendships, support and love 

we have had from so many people all 

over the world. Family, friends and 

strangers has filled our hearts with love 

and given us the strength we so desperately 

need throughout this testing 

and unbelievable ordeal. Again we 

have no idea how long this ordeal will 

go on for or how many more court battles 

we will need to fight. Unfortunately 

it comes at a cost and our fund raising 

is as vital now as it was in 2014. 

If you haven't already done so and can 

spare £1 please visit our fund page and 

pledge £1 if we got even just £1 from all 

the signers we would have the funds we 

need to carry on this fight, without the 

worry of where we are going to find 

money to pay for a lawyer and appeals. 

you can find the fund page at 

www.justgiving.com/freesgo6 

and also through our website 

www.chennai6.co.uk “ 

On a final note, I’m sure that everybody 

would like to wish Nick Simpson a very 

happy belated birthday for the 13th 

August. 

We all keep our fingers crossed that this 

is the last birthday you will spend in 

India. I’m sure the rest of the lads 

would have made the best of the situation. 

Just gazingaround on the internet, 

there have been so many well wishers 

and messages wishing you a happy 

birthday. 

Please keep the support going. 


TO ORDER PLEASE CALL: 01226 734222 

ORDER ONLINE: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk 

PEN AND SWORD BOOKS LTD 

47 CHURCH STREET BARNSLEY SOUTH YORKSHIRE S70 2AS

Scunthorpe VBC 

Busy morning at 

Scunthorpe Brackfast 

Club 33 veterans and 

Sheba( Epilepsy 

Assistance Dog) 

enjoying the banter and 

camaraderie, with new 

faces, and the old and 

the bold! 

Rotherham MCVC 

A busy day with a total of 32 on show this 

included our very special guests the Mayor 

of Rotherham Eve Rose Keenan and 

consort Pat Keenan, who joined the MCVC 

Breakfast Club for the morning, along with 

the Rotherham Advertiser to photograph 

the event. 

We also had Charlie the MCVC Mascot 

meeting the Mayor for the first time. 

Plus a warm friendly welcome to our 

newest member Duncan Millar ex RAF of 

25 years service. 

Tameside VBC 

48 today at tameside,many 

regulars on hols 


Veterans Breakfast Clubs 

The VBC Website has now been 

revamped/redesigned and is now live. There are 

several new features including a Post Code search 

facility that brings up the five nearest Breakfast 

Clubs to your Post Code, and we now have a News 

feature and links to the current issues of the Sandbag 

Times and much more. To make it easier for people 

to get to it, funds have been made available to allow 

the acquisition of more domain names. 

The new address is www.afvbc.co.uk and the old 

address is pointed at the new site. 

The main alteration is that the email addresses have 

changed from:- 

Support@VeteransBreakfastClubs.co.uk 

to 

Support@AFVBC.co.uk 



www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 25| 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pilgrim 

Colin Maclachlan

Hi Folks, and welcome to Sandbag Times Radio update! 

Having been absent "on duty" when the last issue went to press, 

it seems like an age since I put pen to paper and upate you 

guys. Thanks to Pablo and Jane for holding the mic in my 

absence, and doing a sterling job on providing input for the 

Radio page. One of our DJ family lost a family member very 

recently, and we would all like to pass our condolences to DJ 

Gremlin at this time. What a trooper Gremlin (John) is, and he 

was soon back behind the mic and decks doing what he loves, 

that is entertaining the masses. We continue to build the station, 

and add shows when and where we can, and listen to the 

feedback from our listeners as to what sort of content they 

would like to hear, and the subjects they would like to see covered 

in future broadcasts. This work is ongoing. Plans are still 

being drawn up to facilitate a mobile aspect to the station, and 

the intention is still to take Sandbag Times Radio out on the 

road, and visit the various Breakfast Clubs to get up close and 

personal with our readers/listeners. We have sounded this out 

via the various Social Media Sites, and the concensus is, it is a 

good thing, and should be well received. It is hoped that I can 

drag Pablo away from Sandbag Towers long enough to attend 

some of these broadcasts, and get him to dig out his guitar and 

do some "live" sets whilst on the road. Work is still ongoing 

developing the video platform, and after a few "Live Tests", it 

would appear that the system works fine, and some of the listeners 

savory comments bear testament to that..... thanks for 

that folks! The plan is to do at least one "Live" video blog per 

week, incorporating apsects from both the magazine, and the 

radio. The system should afford the capability to bring guests 

into the show via Skype, Facebook, You Tube and other Social 

Media platforms. By doing this, we should be able to have 

guests show up live in video to the shows, and be able to take 

questions, and discuss topics of interest. Thank you to those of 

you that have taken part in the various guinea pig tests, I appreciate 

your help and support in developing this further to the 

point that it is both stable, and of suitable quality and content 

for broadcast. I would like to take this opportunity to thank 

both Adam Barlow, and Phil Short (Shorty) of "British Troops 

Remembered" for their constant suport to both the magazine 

and radio. They work tirelessly to keep the images and 

thoughts of those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice fresh in 

our minds. British Troops Remembered constantly updates us 

on those that have gone before us, and produces very moving 

Video Memorial Tributes to celebrate their lives. Sensitivity is 

always the priority when addressing something like this, and 

both Adam and Phil always ensure the respective families are 

happy with whatever content they produce. BTR support both 

the magazine and radio station, and we thank you for that. Well 

done to you guys and the small team you have. You DO make 

a difference. The opening of the new Veterans Centre (Tommy 

Atkins Trust) in Worcester, is a new aspect to the magazine, and 

we hope to bring aspects of the trust into the radio world, and 

talk to some of those veterans that are using the facility, and 

give them the opportunity to express their feelings and findings 

at using it. Thanks to Pablo and Jane and all those involved in 

getting this worthwhile venture off the ground. 

Well guys, that's it from me for this month. Than you for your 

continued support for both the Sandbag Times Magazine and 

the Radio Station. We really could not do this without you. 

Until next month, keep tuning in, and stay safe. 

Jim Wilde 


Private Richard Hunt 

2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh 

15th August 2009 

On this day in 2009, Private Richard Hunt, 

2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, died at the 

Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Selly 

Oak from wounds sustained in Helmand 

province two days previously. 

Read More Here 

Captain Mark Hale and Rifleman Daniel 

Wild, 2nd Battalion The Rifles 

Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton 

40th Regiment Royal Artillery 


On this day in 2009, Captain Mark Hale and 

Rifleman Daniel Wild of 2nd Battalion The 

Rifles and Lance Bombardier Matthew 

Hatton of 40th Regiment Royal Artillery (The 

Lowland Gunners) were killed in Afghanistan. 

Read more here 

Lieutenant John Charles Sanderson 

1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment 

11 August 2010 

on this day in 2010 Lieutenant John Charles 

Sanderson of 1st Battalion The Mercian 

Regiment (Cheshire), attached to 1st 

Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles Battle 

Group, died of wounds sustained in 

Afghanistan. 


Lieutenant Andrew Robert Chesterman 

3rd Battalion The Rifles 


Remembering the Fallen: on this day in 2012 

Lieutenant Andrew Robert Chesterman from 

3rd Battalion The Rifles was killed in 

Afghanistan 

Read more here 

Private Jason Williams, 

2nd Battalion The Mercian Rgiment 


on this day in 2009 Private Jason Williams, 

from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, 

was killed in Afghanistan. 


Leading Aircraftman Martin Beard, 

No 1 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment 


On this day in 2007, Leading Aircraftman 

Martin Beard of No 1 Squadron Royal Air 

Force Regiment, died in Basra, southern 

Iraq. 


Private Andrew Cutts, 

13 Air Assault Support Regiment, 

Royal Logistic Corps 


On this day in 2006, Private Andrew Cutts of 

13 Air Assault Support Regiment, Royal 

Logistic Corps, died in Afghanistan. 


Marine James Robert Wright, 

42 Commando Royal Marines 


on this day in 2011 Marine James Robert 

Wright of 42 Commando Royal Marines was 

killed in Afghanistan. 


 

 

 

 

 

 


The War Poppy Collection 

By Jacqueline Hurley 



All Poetry this month kindly 

supplied by Terry 

Buchanan. Terry is the 

winner of this months Poetry 

Prize. 

All poetry is subject to 

copyright. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Veterans’ Magazine 

The War Poppy Collection 

Jacqueline Hurley talks to the SBT 

about her stunning works of art 

100 Years of Vera 

SPONSORED BY: 

 

As Dame Vera Lynn celebrates 

her 100th Birthday we look back 

at her incredible story 

Osteopath 

The SBT News 

This week’s latest national 

and international news 

from the world of Veterans 

and Armed Forces 

 

 

 

 

 

Issue 29 | March 2017 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPONSORED BY: 

 

Osteopath 

www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 

SPONSORED BY: 

Ken Brooks 

Osteopath 

 

SPONSORED BY: 

 

Osteopath 

 

 

 

You can now subscribe to the 

Sandbag Times and have it 

delivered to your email 

every Thursday 

To sign up go to 

the link below 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Sandbag Times Issue No: 34

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