Category Archives: Britain

Britain, Military

Two soldiers of the Coldstream Guards charged with firearm offences

COLDSTREAM GUARDS

A SERVICEMAN chosen to be the most senior soldier in the historic Coldstream Guards of the British Army has been charged with “conspiracy to sell ammunition”.

Kirtland Gill, 40, and a fellow serving soldier from the regiment – which is among the elite units tasked with guarding the royal palaces – are accused of firearm offences.

Jamaican-born Gill was recently selected to be its next regimental sergeant major – a key post in the regiment which is involved in the discipline and welfare of the enlisted men.

Gill, considered a poster boy for recruitment, has met the Queen twice and has previously been described as an “ideal role model for all soldiers”.

The prosecution of such a prominent figure has sent shockwaves through the Army. The son of a fisherman born into a poor family, Gill flew to Britain to visit relatives aged 20 and ended up enlisting with the Army.

A Warrant Officer Class 2, he served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. He had been due to take up the regimental sergeant major post later this year in the longest continually serving Army regiment. It would have put him in charge of orchestrating events like the Queen’s Birthday Parade.

Last year, Lieutenant Colonel David Marsham, Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, congratulated him on the promotion, saying: “Alongside being the first black sergeant major of the battalion, he is a tried and tested soldier with an immaculate service record and great vision for the job. He is an ideal role model for all soldiers.” It is understood that the promotion is now on hold pending the outcome of the prosecution.

Gill was charged with conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition and possession of a prohibited weapon, namely an imitation firearm capable of discharging a “noxious liquid”.

It came after a six-month operation by Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad and follows raids on addresses in Berkshire in January, when a quantity of 9mm calibre pistol ammunition was recovered.

Lance Sergeant Rajon Graham, 32, was also charged to conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition and four counts of selling or transferring ammunition.

Both men have been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 1.

The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regiment in the British Army, having been active since 1650. Like other foot guards’ regiments, its soldiers wear scarlet jackets and black bearskin hats when on ceremonial duty as protectors of royal palaces, including Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.

The regiment acquired its name because it spent three months staying in Coldstream in Berwickshire in 1659.

Dubbed the “Lilywhites”, the regiment’s motto is ‘Nulli Secundus’ – second to none.

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Britain, Military

Royal Marine Commando: ‘On The Front Line’

LYMPSTONE

No civilian had ever come any where near passing the Royal Marine Commando course. But back in 2012 ITV journalist Chris Terrill hoped to be sent on secondment with the Royal Marines in Afghanistan. To be able to do so he was first required to pass the 32-week ‘non-combatant’ military training course. He was 55 at the time. This video shows in extraordinary and accurate detail what Chris went through at Lympstone with the Royal Marines. It runs for almost 47 minutes.


. The badge is designed to commemorate the history of the Royal Marines as a Corps.

. The ‘Crowned Lion on a Crown’ denotes that it is a Royal regiment. It was King George III who conferred this honour in 1802 in view of the meritorious services of the Marines in the late war.

. The word ‘Gibraltar’ represents the Siege of Gibraltar in 1704.

. ‘Per Mare Per Terram‘ means ‘By Sea, By Land.’
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Britain, Broadcasting, Government, Media, Society

On the BBC and its day of shame

THE BBC & THE BASHIR SCANDAL

IT would be remiss of Scotland Yard not to read Lord Dyson’s report before deciding if crimes had been committed.

If anyone in the BBC is suspected of any offences, they must be properly and thoroughly investigated.

Note, too, that rather than the debacle involving a single rogue reporter or department, the tentacles of impropriety stretched to the very top of the corporation. The deceit, lies and cover-ups have existed for decades.

Lord Dyson, who rightly left no stone unturned, finds Martin Bashir guilty of “deceit… and dishonesty”. He acted in serious breach of BBC ethical guidelines. Every bit as shameful is the corporation’s egregious attempt to cover up the entire scandal.

Since its inception nearly a century ago, the BBC has haughtily assumed the moral high ground. Richly funded by a torrent of public money, it appears to look down its nose at what it considers its grubbier rivals in TV, radio and newspapers. Yet, behind the sermonising, the broadcaster has been exposed as nothing more than a pious hypocrite.

Lies. Deception. Manipulation. Forgery. Fraud. These were the tactics used by the BBC – and then covered up.

My view is one of disgraceful obfuscation and denial.

The panjandrums implicated have, so far, escaped untouched, enjoying gold-plated pensions and sinecures. The corporation’s former director-general, Lord Hall, sits pretty as chairman of the National Gallery. The Culture Secretary, for one, who appointed him to the prestigious post, should consider removing him as his integrity is now called into serious question following Lord Dyson’s damning and excoriating report.

These issues with the BBC are not going to go away until they are fully addressed both by the Government and the Corporation itself.

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