Two more book talks this week in Hampshire and Sussex. The first is about the year 1830 in England. This was a time that the present day echoes, with the dominant features being: climate change; economic depression; and political violence – The King’s Petition and Swing Riots.
The second is about the Victoria Crosses awarded (and downgraded) in North Africa and will be part of the Battles Through History military show at The South of England Showground, Ardingly RH17 6TL. When I am not enjoying the fabulous arena events and displays, I will be in the Norfolk Pavilion on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October.
Thirty years ago, a Ministry of Defence report recommended cost savings by abolishing the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. As a result, General Sir Charles Guthrie was not promoted when he became Chief of the Defence Staff in 1997 and it was only when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wished to appoint the Prince of Wales to that rank fifteen years later that the moritorium was lifted and Guthrie became the first honourary Field Marshal in the new era.
I first worked for this distinguished soldier in 1983 when I was Close Reconnaissance Troop Leader in 4th Armoured Brigade in the British Army of the Rhine. After completing a couple of military tasks for him, I received a generous letter that I retain to this day. Twelve years later, when he was Chief of the General Staff, he visited me on the front line in Bosnia and was equally complimentary with his words. The photograph of me with him wearing a UN beret below is quite amusing because he was not a fan of peacekeeping operations and was often quoted as saying that they undermined the British Army’s warfighting ethos.
I find it very strange that there has been so little coverage of his death in the Media. Yes, he served in the Special Forces, but there is a huge amount of other important work that he did for the country, which should be revealed to the public. Considering the number of words the BBC has given to people like Ozzy Osbourne, it is totally disrespectful to relegate this eminent soldier’s legacy to the back pages.
Chief of the General Staff Visiting Maglaj School in 1995
Football managers have been known to call for their team’s supporters to be their “twelfth man” because some clubs have such vociferous fans that the opposition is intimidated by the noise they make and they help to win the match.
The analogy in warfare is not exactly the same, but there is no doubt that the touchline support from the EU to Ukraine has sustained the country in its fight for freedom. This week’s response to the latest Russian aggression is a good example, with NATO countries providing the means for Ukraine’s 221 drone counter-attack on Putin’s energy resources and the deployment of extra troops, artillery and air defence systems to the Russian border area after the incursion into Polish airspace.
Prince Harry’s visit to Kyiv may seem trivial against this support, but there is no doubt that it symbolises Britain’s deep empathy with Ukraine and represents our unifying sentiment towards the victims of war. So, this time: “Well Done Harry!”
Looking Forward to the Tithe Walk today over the disused Didcot, Newbury and Southampton railway line and along the beautiful chalk stream. The theme this year is heritage architecture and we will be looking at medieval structures, as well as Tudor thatched cottages and Georgian rendered properties. We will see two SSSIs and half a dozen listed properties, but sadly no time to view the historic monument.
Hopefully, the swans will be feeding in our part of the river, but just in case they are not, here is a picture of the Cob and Pen cruising their patch yesterday afternoon.
This has been the most important week of the year for Ukraine. After months of bluster and stagnation on the front line, it is now a very dangerous moment in the war for three reasons.
The air attack on the main government building in the capital and the assassination of Andriy Parubiy are symbolic of Russia’s intention to continue with their strategy of attrition. The support from China, India and North Korea, which comprise about 35% of the world’s population (2.8 Billion people), has made a mockery of the West’s attempts to squeeze Russia economically. The failure of the USA to back President Zelensky to the hilt has encouraged President Putin to continue with his current military campaign and threaten any country that sends peacekeepers to Ukraine.
Playing to his audience in Vladivostok, Putin has reminded us that for him nothing has changed since he began the war and that he is winning the diplomatic, economic, military and information battles. I have said many times that Russia is playing a long game in Ukraine and is happy that the interim objective of Ukraine not becoming a member of NATO is being achieved. The situation reminds me of Bismark’s famous quote about the Balkans not being worth the healthy bones of a single Pomeranian soldier – I do not see any of the current European or American leaders committing troops on the ground this year.
The key question now is whether Ukraine can manage through the winter without land reinforcements from NATO. Reading about why the Ukrainian flag has the same colours as Sweden and how they fought in previous wars encourages me to think they will not give up, but they do need a game-changer to rebalance the equation.NATO needs to step up to the plate.
Rupert Wieloch 