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October 31, 2003, Scotsman BRAVERY AND SERVICE BEYOND DUTY'S CALL Gethin Chamberlain Defence Correspondent CORPORAL John Rose and the others on the mortar line outside the town of Az -Zubayr were tucking into a breakfast of boil-in-the-bag sausage and beans and sipping their cups of tea when the bullets started whizzing over their heads. Camped on the edge of the small town in southern Iraq, the mortar company was taking a well-earned break from firing. It was the morning of 23 March, and they had been on the go since the Black Watch battle group had crossed the Iraqi border the previous morning. The fighting had been fierce, but they were not supposed to be anywhere near the front line. Unfortunately, no-one had told the Iraqi fedayeen militiamen where that front line was supposed to be. Dropping their breakfasts, the soldiers dived for cover, but Cpl Rose was already thinking how they were going to get out of the scrape. He established quickly that the firing was coming from a cluster of buildings to the north of their position. Ordering the gunner in their support vehicle to lay down a barrage of fire to keep the Iraqis' heads down, he grabbed his rifle and ran towards the Iraqi positions, the others behind him, firing on the run. Across nearly a kilometre of open ground they ran, firing in the direction of the gunmen, until they reached the building near the blue-domed mosque in the centre of the town. Taking cover, Cpl Rose told the others what he wanted them to do. As they fired into the house, Cpl Rose crawled until he reached the wall of the building, took two grenades from his pocket and hurled them inside. As the dust settled, he and one of his men burst through the door, guns blazing. It was just one moment of bravery among hundreds taking place across Iraq in March and April, but it did not go unnoticed. Now it has earned Cpl Rose, 33, from Cumbernauld, one of the army's highest awards for bravery, the Military Cross. "He led by example throughout and was an inspiration to his men, conducting himself in the finest traditions of the British Army and the Black Watch," his citation said. His new commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel James Cowan, was not surprised: "Cpl Rose is a tough, fighting soldier in the best tradition of this regiment," he said. But Cpl Rose was not the only Black Watch soldier to cover himself in glory that morning. As the mortar line was coming under attack, a few hundred yards away three snipers, Lance-Corporal Peter "Pedro" Laing, Lance-Corporal Scott "Robbo" Robertson and Private Christopher Sinclair were preparing for another day in the field. As they headed for the forward observation post with four of their colleagues, the snipers spotted a group of fedayeen militia getting out of a pick-up truck. Although the men were at least a kilometre away, one of the snipers managed to get off a shot. A militiaman dropped to the ground and the others took off, looking for cover behind some bushes and around a building near the mosque. Pedro and Robbo gave chase, dashing across the open ground in front of the mosque, Pte Sinclair laying down covering fire. But as they reached the building, they realised they had a problem. Inside was an old man who had been caught in the action. Pedro kicked open the door with his boot and rushed in, Robbo hard on his heels. Pedro grabbed the old man and shoved him outside, but as he turned back to tackle the militiamen, one threw a grenade at him. He dived for cover, yelling for the others to get out of the way. Standing up, he saw the militiaman pick up an AK47 and he dived for cover again as a burst of bullets cut through the air. Standing up again, he felt the whoosh of a rocket -propelled grenade whistling past his head. But that was the militiamen's last chance. Robbo darted forward, hurling a grenade in through the open window. He threw another grenade, but suddenly there was another militiaman just 20 yards away, preparing to fire. Robbo brought up his sniper's rifle, and dropped him like a stone. He was out of ammunition, but at that moment the mortar platoon arrived, and that was the end of the militiamen. The story of their bravery, first reported in The Scotsman, echoed round the world. Yesterday, it was recognised with the Military Cross for L-Cpl Laing, a mention in dispatches for L-Cpl Robertson and the Joint Commanders' Commendation for Pte Sinclair.
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................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
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