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Queen unveils Iraq and Afghanistan war memorial in London Queen unveils Iraq and Afghanistan war memorial amid fury at Blair presence
(about 4 hours later)
The Queen paid tribute to the many thousands of UK military and civilians who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf as a new memorial was unveiled on the banks of the Thames. The Queen unveiled a memorial to the many thousands of UK military and civilians who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf, but there was disquiet among some for the way the event was organised and the presence of the former prime minister Tony Blair.
The prime minister, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and senior figures from the cabinet attended a military drumhead service on Thursday alongside 2,500 invited guests on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, London. A full contingent of senior royals and politicians met 2,500 military and civilian guests as the new memorial, on the banks of the Thames, was dedicated at a military drumhead service on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, central London.
They were joined by former prime ministers Tony Blair, David Cameron and Sir John Major before the unveiling of sculptor Paul Day’s £1m memorial in nearby Victoria Embankment Gardens in the shadow of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). As some criticised the fact that many bereaved had not been invited, there was also bitterness over the presence of Blair, who made the controversial decision to take the UK into the Iraq war.
Commemorating the twin themes of duty and service and featuring two large stone monoliths supporting a bronze medallion, the memorial will stand as a permanent reminder not just to members of the armed forces, but also to all British citizens who worked in areas such as aid distribution, education, healthcare, infrastructure and governance. The £1m memorial bears no names. The two large stone monoliths supporting a bronze medallion, which stands in Victoria Embankment Gardens, commemorates the twin themes of “duty and service” and is a permanent reminder not just of the military but also civilian workers in areas such as aid distribution, education, healthcare, infrastructure and governance.
It honours the 680 military who died in the regions – a total of 456 during Operation Herrick, the MoD code name for the war in Afghanistan, 179 on Operation Telic, the deployment to Iraq in the US-led 2003 invasion, and 47 killed during the first Gulf war. There is a memorial to the lives lost at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. It honours the thousands who served between 1990 and 2015, including the 680 military who lost their lives in the region – a total of 456 in Afghanistan, 179 in Iraq and 47 in the first Gulf war.
This new memorial bears no names and its design gives equal prominence to the military and civilians, with the double-sided medallion bearing images of doctors, schools, wells, and aid distribution. The service was somewhat overshadowed as some military widows criticised organisers for failing to inform them about the huge event or to offer invites to all the bereaved families. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said there was a restriction on numbers and invitations had been handled by various charitable and support organisations.
Before the service some military widows criticised organisers for failing to inform them about the event or offer invites to all the bereaved families. The MoD, which said invitations had been handled by various charitable and support organisations, said at the eleventh hour arrangements would be made for any bereaved who wished to attend. However, some families called for Theresa May to apologise for the “careless oversight”. She told parliament on Wednesday no one from the “bereaved community” would be turned away, adding that the MoD would make every effort to ensure relatives who wanted to attend were able to do so.
There were calls for May to apologise for what was described as a “careless oversight”. She had told parliament no one from the “bereaved community” had been turned away, adding that the MoD would make every effort to ensure relatives who wanted to attend were able to do so. Wendy Rayner, 45, whose husband Sgt Peter Rayner was killed in Afghanistan in 2010, said the offer was “too little, too late” while former Democratic Unionist party MLA Brenda Hale, 48, whose husband Capt Mark Hale was killed in Afghanistan in 2009, described the handling of the event as “completely crass”. Victoria Bateman, from Colchester, whose husband L/ Cpl James Bateman was killed in Afghanistan in 2008, who was attending having answered an email from the Army Widows’ Association, described the belated invitation to other bereaved families as “a bit of a slap in the face”.
But widow Wendy Rayner, 45, whose husband Sgt Peter Rayner was killed in Afghanistan in 2010, said the offer was “too little, too late”, while Brenda Hale, 48, a former Democratic Unionist party MLA whose husband, Capt Mark Hale, died in Afghanistan in 2009, described the handling of the event as “completely crass”. Victoria Bateman, from Colchester in Essex, whose husband, L/Cpl James Bateman, was killed in Afghanistan in 2008, was attending having answered an email from the Army Widows’ Association but described the belated invitation to other bereaved families as “a bit of a slap in the face”. Bitterness over Blair’s attendance emerged at a reception for families after the unveiling. A number of bereaved parents, who had lost sons in Iraq, said the former prime minister should have stayed away and his ticket given to a bereaved family.
In a foreword to the order of service, the Queen said: “It is with pride that we honour the contribution of all those members of the armed forces and civilians who served our country – at home and abroad – while endeavouring to bring peace and stability to Iraq and Afghanistan. We shall be forever grateful to them for the part they played. Among those critical was Gerry Cartwright, from Clapham, south London, whose 21-year-old son L/Cpl James Cartwright, was killed in a tank accident in 2007.
“I am sure the new memorial will provide a fitting opportunity for all to reflect upon the events of that 25-year period, remembering the many examples of personal courage and achievement in adversity, and the great sacrifices that were made.” “I’ve got issues with Tony Blair and his government. I would like to have seen him,” said Cartwight, 64. Asked what he would have said, he replied: “Goodbye is all I could have said to him. And, ‘Why did you do that?’ It’s just a terrible waste.
Paying tribute to the “extraordinary courage and dedication” of those who served, May said in a message: “No matter how much time passes this memorial will stand, reminding all those who pass that their rights and freedoms do not come for free, but are paid for by the hard determination and sacrifice of others.” “Probably they could have got another mum or dad or wife or husband [here today] to take his ticket.”
Prince Harry, an Afghanistan veteran, gave a Bible reading from the books of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Sgt Paul Stafford, 36, of the Royal Tank Regiment, who served three tours of Iraq and two of Afghanistan during which three members of his squadron were lost and many more injured, said the power of the memorial was that it honoured all, not only those killed in action. His frustration was echoed by Tracey Hazel, 50, from Northumberland, whose son Cpl Ben Leaning, 24, was killed in an explosion in Iraq in 2007. She said: “I always think anyone’s innocent until proven guilty, but the Chilcot inquiry just proves different. I honestly think somebody else should have had his ticket, like one of the parents.”
“It’s the civilian organisations, the contractors sent to help, the Naafi staff who served us milkshakes when we came in, which was one of the best things in the world when you have been there a few weeks,” said Stafford, who spent most of his time in Afghanistan away from the HQ Camp Bastion, living in the desert or empty buildings. The prime minister, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry were joined by former prime ministers Sir John Major and David Cameron, as well as cabinet ministers at the service and reception.
He said a nurse, a reservist attached to his unit, “saved one of our guys. It’s nice to remember that”, and to honour those killed, or who suffered life-changing injuries “for what they have done, and to know they have not been forgotten.” Among those who chatted to Prince Harry, himself an Afghanistan veteran, was Aidan O’Donnell, 16, who was wearing the medals of his father, Gary, 40, who was killed in Afghanistan. “He was defusing a bomb and it went off,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of what he has done. He loved his job. He died doing what he loved doing.”
Tommy Roberts, 48, a Royal Marine commando who completed two tours of Afghanistan and one of Iraq, losing colleagues and friends in both conflicts, said the service of dedication was a time to reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice. “If you focus, you’ve always got that snapshot picture. You can hear their laugh, and see their eyes, when it comes to times like this,” he said. For Sgt Kailash Gurung, 40, who served with the Ist Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles in Afghanistan, it was a chance to remember close friends who had lost their lives and others who suffered life-changing injuries. Praising the memorial, he said: “I will bring my family around here and I will tell the story.”
Wendy Phillips, 57, a Department for International Development deputy head of office in Afghanistan who did three tours working with aid workers, said: “Everyone who took part was a cog in a much bigger wheel; everyone had an important role to play and it is right that we’ve marked that down in history. In Afghanistan we knew it was going to be tough and we knew change would be incremental, but we are in it for the long haul and we are starting to see real reform in the country.” The Queen was presented with a posy of flowers by Alfie Lunn, two, though the toddler wriggled and writhed in his mother’s arms and looked reluctant to perform, which bought a brief moment of levity to an otherwise sombre occasion. Both his parents had served, his father, Sgt Mark Lunn, 29, receiving the Military Cross for his actions during a firefight in Basra, and his mother, Cpl Michele Lunn, 26, with the 3 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps, deployed to Afghanistan in 2011-12.
The sculptor Paul Day said his work had met with royal approval – almost. While the Queen seemed enthusiastic, Prince Philip commented that “the lettering wasn’t necessarily clearly visible enough”, he said.
Sgt Paul Stafford, 36, of the Royal Tank Regiment, who saw three tours of Iraq and two of Afghanistan, during which three members of his squadron were lost and many more injured, said the power of the memorial was that it honoured all, not only those killed in action.
“It’s the civilian organisations, the contractors sent to help, the Naafi staff who served us milkshakes when we came in, which was one of the best things in the world when you have been there a few weeks,” said Stafford, who spent most of his time in Afghanistan away from Camp Bastion HQ, living out in the desert on patrol bases, or empty buildings, to get a foothold on the ground.
A nurse, a reservist attached to his unit, “saved one of our guys. It’s nice to remember that”, and to honour those killed, or who suffered life-changing injuries “for what they have done, and to know they have not been forgotten”, he said.
Tommy Roberts, 48, a Royal Marine commando, who completed two tours of Afghanistan and one of Iraq, and who lost colleagues and friends in both conflicts, said the service of dedication was a time to reflect on those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. “If you focus, you’ve always got that snapshot picture. You can hear their laugh and see their eyes, when it comes to times like this,” he said, of the emotion of the service.
Wendy Phillips, 57, a Department for International Development deputy head of office in Afghanistan, who did three tours working with aid workers, said; “Everyone who took part was a cog in a much bigger wheel; everyone had an important role to play and it is right that we’ve marked that down in history. In Afghanistan we knew it was going to be tough and we knew change would be incremental, but we are in it for the long haul and we are starting to see real reform in the country.”