Paratroopers set for second march on Downing Street in campaign for Falklands hero to be formally recognised

Anger over government's refusal to award gallantry medal to Cpl Stewart McLaughlin.Hundreds of paratroopers are planning a second march on Downing Street in support of an ongoing campaign for a Wirral Falklands hero to be formally recognised for gallantry. More than 1,000 supporters are expected to join Cpl Stewart McLaughlin’s family on the march, on Friday July 3, to back calls for him to be posthumously honoured. The Wallasey paratrooper died during the battle of Mt Longdon in June 1982, and his family have been campaigning for 33 years for him to be recognised for his bravery. Though an original hand written citation was mislaid, his commanding officer in the Falklands Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Pike has since rewritten it, stating his actions fell “firmly in the Victoria Cross bracket” Read more HERE


(RG) They should do the right thing and grant the medal, but I don't hold out much hope, amazingly the same Government has been handing out South Atlantic medals like sweets, some soldiers who were sat at home watching the War on TV ,  can have medals, I have read quite a lot about the Vietnam War and watched loads of movies , so can I have a purple heart ?!

British troops could be in Mali for longer than a year if they are not sacked

British troops could be in Mali for more than a year, Downing Street has suggested, in a further deepening of the UK’s military commitment to the conflict.Up to 40 military personnel will take part in a European Union mission to train Malian government soldiers, which will last for up to 15 months, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said. A further 200 British troops have been earmarked to take part in a separate training mission to support the Malian government organised by West African states, which will take place outside Mali. The details of the two training programmes are expected to be agreed early next month, Downing Street said. The disclosure came as MPs called for a vote on what they fear could be a long and drawn-out deployment of British troops to fight against al Qaeda in North Africa. Up to 330 UK troops are to be deployed to the region under existing plans.Read More HERE


 Its not the first time British troops have been sent to a War zone and then been given their P45.