Britain's War Dead. For What?

The list of names shown below is one answer to the call by politicians, such as Blair, Brown and Cameron who state that the lives of British Service personnel are ‘on the line’ in Afghanistan so that we don’t have home-grown terror murderers loose on the streets and cities of Great Britain.

If these young men and women have died for a cause named ‘democracy’, I believe that the cause is a sham, there can not be democratic rule in a dung-heap shambles such as Afghanistan, where corruption is endemic up to and inclusive of the Presidency. If the very ‘flower’ of our forces are doomed to die in pursuit of their ‘orders’, then the orders should have a purpose.

It could be said that many of those who died did so because of ‘targets’ and ‘cost-cutting’. This again is true, especially in the cases of personnel forced to utilise mobile coffins provided by a far-seeing Ministry of Defence procurement division, or in the case of the Nimrod which exploded in mid-air, despite it being stated by the then Defence Secretary as being ‘safe to fly’. It exploded because of cost-cutting and budget slicing by senior MOD and Royal Air Force staff, most of whom are still ‘working’ if that is the correct terminology, in Whitehall. Their approach to the safety of the Nimrod fleet was simple, ‘keep them flying, we have no alternative’. Well, they did have an alternative; they could have bought a reliable, safe and proven aircraft fleet from the Americans, but that was not politically correct, so our men died because of their actions. I presume they all sleep well at night; unlike their victims, who are in the longest sleep of all!

It is when you read headlines such as ‘U.S. officials say Karzai aides are derailing corruption cases involving elite’ from a newspaper which, on the whole, supports the Allied War effort, that one begins to realise that American and British lives are being spent at an appalling rate so that top aides and family cronies of the so-called Presidency get richer by the day, siphon off their cash from the heroin trade, (carried on in conjunction with the Taliban) along with the bribes and kick-backs from the billions soaking through the Afghan desert, and allow them to leave and live the high life in the fleshpits of Dubai.

If we vowed to carry out a purge of the Jihadi scum which are in our own streets and cities, and kicked them out, without need or reference to their so-called ‘human rights’ we would not need to spend the true ‘Capital’ which is listed in its heartbreaking details, just below. The list is of British forces casualties, but does not include the American dead, which number some 1,122 and counting.

April 9 2002 Private Darren George, 23
August 17 Sergeant Robert Busuttil, 30

January 28 2004 Private Jonathan Kitulagoda, 23

October 29 2005 Lance Corporal Steven Sherwood, 23

March 22 2006 Corporal Mark Cridge, 25
March 27 Corporal Peter Craddock, 31
June 11 Captain Jim Philippson, 29
June 27Captain David Patten, 38, and Sergeant Paul Bartlett, 35
July 1 Corporal Peter Thorpe, 27, Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi, 24,
July 5 Private Damien Jackson, 19,
August 1 Captain Alex Eida, 29, 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Johnson, 24, Lance Corporal Ross Nicholls, 27
August 6 Private Andrew Cutts, 19
August 9 Private Leigh Reeves, 25
August 12 Lance Corporal Sean Tansey, 26
August 20 Corporal Bryan Budd, 29
August 27 Lance Corporal Jonathan Hetherington, 22
September 1 Ranger Anare Draiva, 27, Lance Corporal Paul Muirhead, 29
September 2 14 soldiers killed in Nimrod crash: Flight Lieutenant Steven Johnson, 38, Flt Lt Leigh Mitchelmore, 28, Flt Lt Gareth Nicholas, 40, Flt Lt Allan Squires, 39, Flt Lt Steven Swarbrick, 28, Flight Sergeant Gary Andrews, 48, Flt Sgt Stephen Beattie, 42, Flt Sgt Gerard Bell, 48, Flt Sgt Adrian Davies, 49, Sgt Benjamin Knight, 25, Sgt John Langton, 29, Sgt Gary Quilliam, 42, Lance Corporal Oliver Dicketts, 27, Marine Joseph Windall, 22
September 4 Private Craig O’Donnell, 24
September 6 Corporal Mark Wright, 27, Lance Corporal Luke McCulloch, 21
October 19 Marine Gary Wright, 22
December 5 Marine Jonathan Wigley, 21
December 12 Richard Watson, 23
December 27 Lance Bombardier James Dwyer, 22

January 13 2007 Marine Tom Curry, 21
January 15 Lance Corporal Mathew Ford, 30
February 21 2007 Marine Jonathan Holland, 23, Marine Scott Summers, 23
March 3 Lance Bombardier Ross Clark, 25, Lance Bombardier Liam ‘Paddy’ McLaughlin, 21
March 6 Royal Marine Ben Reddy, 22
March 8 Warrant Officer Class 2 Mick Smith, 39
April 13 Private Chris Gray, 19
May 3 Guardsman Simon Davison, 22
May 20 Lance Corporal George Russell Davey, 23
May 26 Guardsman Daniel Probyn, 22
May 28 Corporal Darren Bonner, 31
May 30 Corporal Mike Gilyeat, 28,
June 6 Lance Corporal Paul Sandford, 23
June 9 Guardsman Neil Downes, 20
June 24 Drummer Thomas Wright, 26
June 30 Captain Sean Dolan, 40
July 1 Sergeant Dave Wilkinson, 33
July 12 Guardsman Daryl Hickey, 27
July 25 Lance Corporal Alex Hawkins, 22
July 26 Guardsman David Atherton, 25
July 27 Sergeant Barry Keen, 34
July 29 Lance Corporal Michael Jones, 26
August 10 Private Tony Rawson, 27
August 11 Captain David Hicks, 26
August 23 Private Aaron McClure, 19, Private Robert Foster, 19, Private John Thrumble, 21
August 30 Senior Aircraftman Christopher Bridge, 20
September 5 Private Ben Ford, 18, and Private Damian Wright, 23
September 8 Sergeant Craig Brelsford, 25, and Private Johan Botha, 25
September 17 Lance Corporal Ivano Violino, 29
September 20 Colour Sergeant Phillip Newman, 36, Private Brian Tunnicliffe, 33
October 4 Major Alexis Roberts, 32
November 9 Lance Corporal Jake Alderton, 22, Captain John McDermid, 43
December 4 Trooper Jack Sadler, 21
December 8 Sergeant Lee Johnson, 33

January 20 2008 Corporal Darryl Gardiner, 25
January 17 Corporal Damian Lawrence, 25
February 20 Corporal Damian Mulvihill, 32
March 30 Lieutenant John Thornton, 22, Marine David Marsh, 23
April 13 Senior Aircraftman Graham Livingstone, 23, Senior Aircraftman Gary Thompson, 51
April 21 Trooper Robert Pearson, 22
May 2 Trooper Ratu Babakobau, 29
May 19 James Thompson, 27
May 25 Marine Dale Gostick, 22
June 8 Private Nathan Cuthbertson, 19, Private Daniel Gamble, 22, Private Charles David Murray, 19
June 12 Lance Corporal James Bateman, 29, Private Jeff Doherty, 20
June 17 Corporal Sarah Bryant, 26, Corporal Sean Robert Reeve, 28, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin, 39, Private Paul Stout, 31
June 24 Sergeant Major Michael Williams, 40, Private Joe Whittaker, 20
June 27 Warrant Officer Dan Shirley, 32
June 28 Lance Corporal James Johnson, 31
July 22 Corporal Jason Barnes, 25
July 24 Army dog handler Lance Corporal Kenneth Michael Rowe, 24
July 28 Sergeant Jonathan Mathews, 35
July 29 Private Peter Cowton, 25
August 11 Signaller Wayne Bland, 21
August 18 2008 Corporal Barry Dempsey, 29
September 4 Ranger Justin James Cupples, 29
September 10 Warrant Officer Class 2 Gary O’Donnell, 40
September 12 Private Jason Lee Rawstron, 23
September 13 Lance Corporal Nicky Mason, 26
October 15 Trooper James Munday, 21
November 4 Rifleman Yubraj Rai,28
November 12 Marine Robert McKibben, 32, Marine Neil Dunstan, 32
November 15 Colour Sergeant Krishnabahadur Dura, 36
November 24 Marine Alexander Lucas, 24
November 27 Marine Tony Evans, 20, Marine Georgie Sparks, 19
December 12 Lance Corporal Steven ‘Jamie’ Fellows, 26, Sergeant John Manuel, 38, Corporal Marc Birch, 26, Marine Damian Davies, 27
December 15 Lieutenant Aaron Lewis, 26
December 17 Rifleman Stuart Nash, 21
December 21 Corporal Robert Christopher Deering, 33
December 24 Lance Corporal Ben Whatley, 20
December 31 Corporal Liam Elms, 26

January 1 2009 Serjeant Chris Reed, 25
January 11Marine Travis Mackin, 22
January 14 Captain Tom Sawyer, 26, Corporal Danny Winter, 28
January 17 Acting Corporal Richard Robinson, 21
January 30 Corporal Daniel Nield, 31
February 14 Marine Darren Smith, 28
February 16 Lance Corporal Stephen Kingscott, 22
February 25 Acting Lance Corporal Paul Upton, 31, Corporal Tom Gaden, 24, Rifleman Jamie Gunn, 21
February 25 Marine Michael Laski, 21,
March 14 Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett, 22

March 15 Corporal Graeme Stiff, 24, Corporal Dean John, 25
April 28 Lance Sergeant Tobie Fasfous, 29
May 7 Corporal Sean Binnie, 22
May 7 Rifleman Adrian Sheldon, 25
May 7Sergeant Ben Ross, 34, Corporal Kumar Pun, 31
May 12 Lieutenant Mark Evison, 26
May 14 Marine Jason Mackie, 21
May 22 Fusilier Petero ‘Pat’ Suesue, 28
May 23 Sapper Jordan Rossi, 22,
May 27 Lance Corporal Martin Richards, 24
May 28 Lance Corporal Kieron Hill, 20
May 30 Lance Corporal Nigel Moffett, 28, Corporal Stephen Bolger
June 2 Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher, 19
June 11 Private Robert McLaren, 20
June 12 Lieutenant Paul Mervis, 27
June 19 Major Sean Birchall, 33
July 1 Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, 39, Trooper Joshua Hammond, 18
July 4 Lance Corporal David Dennis, 29, Private Robert Laws, 18
July 5 Lance Corporal Dane Elson, 22
July 6 Captain Ben Babington-Browne, 27
July 7 Trooper Christopher Whiteside, 20
July 9 Rifleman Daniel Hume, 22, Private John Brackpool, 27
July 10 Corporal Lee Scott, 26, Corporal Jonathan Horne, 28, Rifleman James Backhouse, 18, Rifleman Joseph Murphy, 18, Rifleman Daniel Simpson, 20, Rifleman William Aldridge, 28
July 16 Rifleman Aminiasi Toge, 26
July 19 Corporal Joseph Etchells, 22
July 20 Captain Daniel Shepherd, 28
July 22 Guardsman Christopher King, 20
July 25 Bombardier Craig Hopson, 24
July 27 Warrant Officer Class 2 Sean Upton, 35
July 27 Trooper Phillip Lawrence, 22
August 4 Craftsman Anthony Lombardi, 21
August 6 Corporal Kevin Mulligan, 26, Lance Corporal Dale Hopkins, 23, and Private Kyle Adams, 21
August 8 Private Jason Williams, 23
August 13 Captain Mark Hale, 42, Rifleman Daniel Wild, 19, Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, 23
August 15 Private Richard Hunt, 21, Sergeant Simon Valentine, 29
August 16 Fusilier Simon Annis, 22, Fusilier Louis Carter, 18, Lance Corporal James Fullarton, 24
August 20 Serjeant Paul McAleese, 29, Private Johnathon Young, 18,
August 25 Fusilier Shaun Bush, 24
August 29 Sergeant Lee Houltram,
August 31Sergeant Stuart Millar, 40, Private Kevin Elliott, 24
September 2 Lance Corporal Richard Brandon, 24
September 3 Private Gavin Elliott, 19
September 9 Corporal John Harrison, 29
September 13 Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman, 20
September 16 Trooper Brett Hall, 21,
September 16 Acting Serjeant Stuart McGrath, 28
September 21 Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett, 29
September 27 Private James Prosser, 21
October 1 Senior Aircraftsman Marcin Wojtak, 24
October 5 Guardsman Jamie Janes, 20
October 8 Lance Corporal James Hill, 23
October 22 Corporal James Oakland, 26
October 25 Corporal Thomas Mason, 27
October 31 Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30
November 3 Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 40, Sergeant Matthew Telford, 37, Guardsman Jimmy Major, 18, Corporal Steven Boote, 22, Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24
November 5 Serjeant Phillip Scott, 30
November 7 Rifleman Philip Allen, 20
November 8 Rifleman Samuel Bassett, 20
November 15 Rifleman Andrew Fentiman, 23, Corporal Loren Marlton-Thomas, 28
November 18 Sergeant Robert Loughran-Dickson, 33
November 30 Acting Sergeant John Amer, 30
December 7 Lance Corporal Adam Drane, 23
December 15 Lance Corporal David Kirkness, 24, Rifleman James Brown, 18
December 19 Corporal Simon Hornby, 29,
December 20 Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard, 22
December 21 Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, 23
December 22 Lance Corporal Tommy Brown
December 28 Rifleman Aidan Howell, 19,
December 31 Sapper David Michael Watson, 23

January 3 2010 Private Robert Hayes, 19
January 11 Captain Daniel Read, 31
January 15 Corporal Lee Brownson, 30, Rifleman Luke Farmer, 19
January 22 Rifleman Peter Aldridge, 19
January 24 Lance Corporal Daniel Cooper, 22
February 1 Corporal Liam Riley, 21, Lance Corporal Graham Shaw, 27
February 7 Corporal John Moore, 22, Private Sean McDonald, 26
February 8 Warrant Officer Class 2 David Markland, 36
February 11 Lance Corporal Darren Hicks, 29
February 13 Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, 25
February 14 Rifleman Mark Marshall, 29, Kingsman Sean Dawson, 19
February 15 Sapper Guy Mellors, 20,
February 18 Lieutenant Douglas Dalzell, 27, Lance Sergeant David Walker, 36
February 24 Senior Aircraftman Luke Southgate, 20,
February 25 Rifleman Martin Kinggett, 19
February 26 Sergeant Paul Fox, 34
March 1 Rifleman Carlo Apolis, 28
March 2 Corporal Richard Green, 23
March 5 Rifleman Jonathon Allott, 19
March 6 Rifleman Liam Maughan, 18
March 7 Corporal Stephen Thompson, 31, Lance Corporal Tom Keogh, 24
March 15 Captain Martin Driver, 31
March 16 Lance Corporal Scott Hardy, 26, Private James Grigg, 21
March 22 Serjeant Steven Campbell, 30
March 26 Lance Corporal of Horse Jonathan Woodgate, 27
March 27 Rifleman Daniel Holkham, 19
April 1 Guardsman Michael Sweeney, 19
April 4 Rifleman Mark Turner, 21
April 7 Fusilier Jonathan Burgess, 20
May 2 Corporal Harvey Alex Holmes, 22
May 3 Sapper Daryn Roy, 28, Lance Corporal Barry Buxton, 27
May 9 Corporal Christopher Lewis Harrison, 26
May 21 Corporal Stephen Walker, 42
May 26 Gunner Zack Cusack, 20, Corporal Stephen Curley, 26
May 30 Marine Scott Gregory Taylor, 21
June 1 Marine Anthony Hotine, 21
June 4 Corporal Terry Webster, 24, Lance Corporal Alan Cochran, 23
June 8 Lance Bombardier Mark Chandler, 32
June 9 Private Jonathan Monk, 25
June 12 Lance Corporal Andrew Breeze, 31
June 14 Marine Steven Birdsall, 20
June 15 Corporal Taniela Tolevu Rogoiruwai, 32, Kingsman Ponipate Tagitaginimoce, 29
June 18 Trooper Ashley Smith, 21
June 20 Royal Marine from 40 Commando

http://mikecunningham.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/gone-to-flowers-everyone

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/sep/17/afghanistan-casualties-dead-wounded-british-data