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June 29, 2004, Scotsman DEATH AT THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA Gethin Chamberlain, Defence Correspondent HE LAY stretched out on the ground, half on and half off the pavement by the side of the road, dying in the bright light of the first morning of the new Iraq, his shirt open, his friends by his side trying in vain to save him, their despair etched on their faces. Gordon Gentle had been travelling through Basra with a patrol from the Royal Highland Fusiliers when the bomb exploded. Their armoured Land Rover stood in the road, curiously unscathed; only the slight frosting of the bullet-proof glass in the windscreen from the force of the blast, and the number plate hanging down, now held only by a single screw, gave any indication of what had happened. The others placed the 19-year-old on a stretcher and sent him away in an ambulance, but it was too late. Fusilier Gentle, from Glasgow, was the 60th British soldier to die since the start of the war. He had been with the regiment for three months. The bomb went off just as the coalition was handing over power to the new interim Iraqi government, though it could only have been coincidence; the timing was too tight for anything else. Two other soldiers were injured in the explosion. The Ministry of Defence said an "improvised explosive device" was believed to have been used against the convoy in Basra at 8: 25am. The wounded pair were evacuated to a nearby hospital where they were receiving treatment. Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, an MoD spokesman added. A statement on the death of Fusilier Gentle issued by the army last night said: "He was caught in an explosion while on patrol in the city this morning. Two of his colleagues were also injured in the blast but not seriously. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with his family at this difficult time." Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Cartwright, the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Royal Highland Fusiliers, said: "His name says it all. As a new member of the battalion, he settled in with ease, happy in the team environment and always willing to help others. His enthusiasm for his job immediately caught the eye of his peers and superiors alike." An MoD spokesman said: "This incident has tragically resulted in one fatality and two casualties. They have been evacuated to hospital. It was a bomb attack as far as we understand." Before yesterday's attack the most recent British fatality occurred on 12 February when Corporal Richard Ivell, 29, from South Yorkshire, died in a vehicle accident at Shaibah Logistics Base. Until yesterday, there had been no British fatalities resulting from hostile fire since the death of 31-year-old Corporal Ian Plank on 31 October last year. Yesterday's incident came at a time of renewed speculation about massive cuts under a government spending review. Four of the army's 40 battalions are under threat, with regiments composed of just one battalion believed to be at greatest risk. There is a question mark over the future of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders - currently serving in Iraq - and the Black Watch, which is due to return to Iraq next month for a second tour of duty. The MoD described reports of cuts as "purely speculative".
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................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
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