The Sandbag Times Issue No:14

Contents
Thursday 21st April 2016
Email: sbt@thetommyatkinstrust.com
3 Youngest Afghan Soldier killed
The youngest soldier to serve in Afghanistan
was murdered while on leave, court hears
3 SAS Hero Jailed for gun offence
SAS Falklands Veteran jailed for possessing a
weapon he had as battle memento
4 Mixed Race Cadet honoured
A mixed race officer cadet wins Sword of
Honour at Sandhurst Academy
5 Soldier Hailed as new Vera Lynn
A female soldier has been tipped as the new
Vera Lynn for her outstanding voice
PTSD & the FFD Page 7
6 Cover Story: Taphophiles
A look in to the interest in War cemetery's
and war graves by John Terry
7 PTSD and the FFD
The way one veteran plugged his mental
wound with his own therapy
Women in Combat: America Leads the Way Page 9
Sponsored by
10 Have Faith
This week: Not good enough
12 The Historic Tommy Atkins
Gallipoli & Anzac Day 101 Years on
15 VRN The Naafi of the airwaves
What’s happening on your favourite
radio station
19 SBT Information
A page dedicated to back issues,
information, book reviews etc
20 Time for a NAAFI Break
Fun & Games on the final pages.
We are always looking for new ideas
and competitions from you

Youngest Afghan Soldier killed
while on leave court hears
SAS Hero Jailed for possessing firearm from Falklands
An SAS hero was yesterday jailed
for the illegal possession of a
souvenir weapon captured in the
Falklands War.
Albert Patterson said he kept the
9mm pistol, taken from an
Argentinean officer, to remind
him of the 22 friends who died in
the conflict.
He served for 22 years, in the
Parachute Regiment and then in
the SAS.
Sentencing him to 15 months in
prison for the possession of the
The youngest British soldier to serve
in Afghanistan was killed on leave in
his home town by vodka-swigging
thugs who shook hands after leaving
him to die in the street, a court has
heard.
Serviceman Dave Curnow, 20, died
during an alcohol-fuelled attack that
was totally without provocation, a
jury was told.
Mr Curnow was posted to Helmand
province in March 2013 just days
after turning 18 and survived a sixmonth
tour that included several fire
fights with the Taliban.
The victim, who served in the 4th
war trophy, Judge Christopher
Plunkett said that he had been
privileged to see Patterson's
service record.
But he said parliamentary
legislation left him with little
choice over the sentence.
Patterson had admitted
possessing a 9mm self-loading
pistol, five rounds of
expanding ammunition, 177
rounds of 9mm ammunition,
four Enfield pistols and a selfloading
rifle component.
Battalion, The Rifles, was found
unconscious on the ground following
the assault at 2.45am on September 20
last year.
He was taken by ambulance to the
Royal Cornwall Hospital before being
transferred to Derriford Hospital in
Plymouth where he died the following
day.
The serviceman left behind parents
Michael and June and sister Charley.
An estimated 800 people attended Mr
Curnow's funeral at Truro Cathedral as
he was given full military honours. The
young soldier's father described Mr
Curnow as 'the best son a father could
ask for'.
Soldier sues MOD over weather injury
An African born soldier
from Warwickshire is suing
the Ministry of Defence for
up to £200,000 for injuries
sustained during a training
exercise in extreme
weather conditions.
Abdoulie Bojang, who was
born in Gambia, says the
MoD 'failed to take his
ethnicity into account'
before exposing him to
cold temperatures during a
training exercise in Canada
in 2014.
Mr Bojang says he
sustained career ending
hand injuries after being
exposed to minus 30
degree cold during a ski
training session
codenamed "Exercise
Frozen Fun" with 105
Regiment Royal, Logistical
Corps.
The 30-year-old from
Nuneaton had been with
the regiment since 2006.
The MoD's defence to the
action was not available
from the court and the
contents of the writ have
yet to be tested in evidence
before a judge.

Black Sandhurst Cadet receives ‘Sword of Honour’
This is the proud moment a tough
north London boy who didn't even
learn to read until he was 12 received
one of the highest honours in military
service.
Kidane Cousland, 24, was today given
the Sword of Honour at Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy, beating
candidates from Oxford and
Cambridge to finish at the top of his
class.
Dressed in ceremonial uniform, he let
off a beaming smile after being
handed the honour by his Royal
A Second World War hero is selling
his bravery medal to help with his
grandson’s university costs.
Major Bill Pickering, 88, hopes to raise
as much as £30,000 from the sale of the
Military Medal he was awarded after a
dangerous spying mission in Italy in
1945.
The family were at first against the idea,
but Major Pickering said it was better
for them to have the money from his
medal now rather than it to be left
gathering dust in a drawer.
Highness Prince Salman bin
Hamd Al-Khalifa one of the
nations that also sends its officers
to train at Sandhurst.
Today he became one of only a
handful of mixed-race officers to
ever be given the prestigious
award, graduating as the best of his
200-strong intake.
His platoon commander said he
was one of the ‘relatively few’
former ordinary soldiers to have
been selected to be an officer and
go on to win the accolade.
Royal Navy banned from complaining over poor food standards
Royal Navy sailors have been banned
from taking photos and using social
media to criticise the canteen food they
are served, a Conservative former
minister has said.
Personnel at HMS Sultan and other
naval sites have been given the
restriction because of the high level of
complaints over the food.
Years worth of gripes about the meals at
the Gosport training base can be found
on social media, with sailors complaining
it is “terrible”, “brutal” and “slop”.
Veteran sells medals to pay for grandsons university fees
The grandfather, from Lea Green,
Greater Manchester, was a daring
Special Operations Executive agent in
World War II and was awarded the
gallantry medal for his work behind
enemy lines in Italy in 1945.
Maj Pickering’s gong is said to be
particularly desirable because he
operated in Italy and not in France
like most other SoE agents.
The auction takes place on
Wednesday, and will be conducted
by Dix Noonan Webb in London.
Last months soldiers disgusted by
Army food shared pictures of raw
chicken, maggot-riddled tomatoes
and mouldy eggs they said they had
been served in canteens.
One anonymous soldier wrote an
open letter to commanders saying:
"Would you serve it to a paying
customer in a restaurant?
“I would like to think the answer to
these questions is no, of course not.”
The Army promised to investigate the
complaints.

Ex-soldier to climb Kilimanjaro to fund life-changing surgery
A Ewell man whose weight soared after
being diagnosed with post-traumatic
stress disorder is now launching a daring
expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro
to raise money for life-changing surgery.
Franco Gasparotti, 50, from Ewell, shed
17 stone in just 18 months and will climb
the Tanzanian volcano with 18
supportive friends and ex-army
colleagues on September 30, to fund the
removal of leftover skin folds.
After saving the lives of two colleagues
during service in the Coldstream Guards
in Northern Ireland in 1988, Mr
Gasparotti suffered serious spinal
injuries, confining him to a wheelchair.
Despite recovering from his injuries and
being medically discharged from the
army in 1990, his battles were far from
over. He was diagnosed with posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) in 2007
and subsequently developed a serious
eating disorder, leaving him morbidly
obese and severely depressed.
A suicide attempt and collapsed marriage
finally gave him the push to make the
decision to turn his life around.
In order to raise funds, he and his friends
are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and
each member of the team is doing
independent fundraising and
sponsorship.
Female soldier hailed as the new ‘Vera Lynn
A female soldier has been hailed the 'new Vera Lynn' after becoming the first person recruited to the army - for her
singing voice. Talented Leila Jones, 24, has the distinction of being the only all-singing squaddie after being head-hunted for her
dulcet tones. Given the rank of Musician Jones she parades with HQ Company, 6 Rifles, at Wyvern Barracks, Exeter, Devon,
which is also the base for the Salamanca Band and Bugles.
Leila, whose mum Louise runs a hotel tea room in Paignton,
Devon, studied classical singing to Grade 8 standard in her
teens between fronting several rock bands
She was head girl at Trinity School, Teignmouth, where she
wore uniform for the first time as a Royal Navy cadet.
This influenced her decision to join Exeter Officer Training
Corps and become the golden voice of the Salamanca Band.
Leila is starting a legal practitioner's course at the University of
Bristol this year and hope to become a regular Army lawyer in
the future
Contact the Sandbag Times: sbt@thetommyatkinstrust.com
Are you outgoing, fun and a team player?
Do you enjoy music and audio production?
No experience? No problem! We can show you how.
If you would like to become part of the MVR team then click here

The noble art of Taphophilia
The definition of Taphophilia is:
“an abnormal love for funerals, graves, and cemeterie”
and I have had a great interest in Military cemeteries for
many years having visited them in India, Israel, Italy,
France, Greece, Crete, Malta, Germany, Belgium, the
Netherlands, the USA and the UK.
Whenever I travel, I always try and spend time with the
boys and girls admiring the care and attention spent on
those little corners of the United Kingdom in faraway
places. Each cemetery tells its own story, some from a
battle nearby, some from the location of a Field
Hospital and some as a national memorial to the fallen.
Look for the Cross of Sacrifice, designed by Sir
Reginald Blomfield, and for some of the 1,700,000
Portland stone memorials and find the Visitors book
and leave a note, it will be appreciated by those whose
relatives lie here.
seven graves can be a Lancaster crew, a group of four can be a
tank crew, and my mother’s first husband is buried in a small
cluster of three with his boss, the driver, and spaced a little
away, the “shotgun” who died the next day.
Recently I discovered the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission App which allows you to find nearby
cemeteries, or to search for them by location so you can
discover ones where you plan to travel. Occasionally I
have passed the distinctive khaki and white signs when
travelling and then had to convince my host that yes, I
really would like to spend some time with the boys,
contemplating and then leaving a small note in the
Visitors book.
Each time I visit I learn something new, a cluster of
Some cemeteries include fallen enemies, one in Haifa, Israel
has one German grave, possibly a British double agent and
Scampton has eight German airman buried there in a small
plot near the front. I have had the privilege of visiting Pearl
Harbour and was on the USS Arizona when a group of
Japanese tourists arrived, and dropped their garlands into the
water, we later found out they were from the squadron that
bombed the ship, very emotional and moving. We also
visited Arlington National Cemetery in 2005 and the near
constant volleys of gun salutes showed the cost of the Gulf and
Afghanistan campaigns. My wife was intrigued as to why a
cowboy was buried there, until it was pointed out that Audie
Murphy was a Medal of Honor recipient, it did raise a smile.
So next time you are out on your travels use the CWGC App
and find a cemetery and go and spend some time with the
boys and girls and share in the atmosphere, it can be an
interesting experience and you too can become a military
taphophile.

PTSD
& the
FFD
A Soldiers Science
I left the army 11 years ago. Of the 22 years I served I
certainly saw my fair share of trouble. I don’t gloat over
where I served or what I saw and that is definitely not
going to happen in this article. However the resulting
condition I ended up with is all too common today.
Again, this is not going to be a sob story but a story of
what I created on the recovery journey.
Almost instantly after leaving I found myself having
problems coping, adjusting, remembering, etc the same
symptoms of PTSD we so often see in so many veterans
these days. To cut a very long story short, after a failed
suicide attempt and a destroyed life I found myself on
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to help cope with my
condition.
During the therapy my therapist suggested I write
everything down and make a record of my journey with
him. I cannot tell you what that has lead to in one article.
In short, I became a writer. Music, poetry, magazines,
stories, you name it, I could write it. There was one piece
of writing I did which turned into a Self-Help guide for
PTSD and Anxiety management. I called this the First
Field Dressing or FFD.
I remembered how effective the FFD was in the army in
helping with injuries sustained in combat. It was almost
always the first item to plug up a wound and save a life. It
occurred to me that there was a gap between somebody
suffering from PTSD/ Anxiety and the help process
beginning. So I decided to write a self-help guide based
on what helped me to plug the gap.
In writing this I came up with quite a cool analogy of how
to describe what happens with PTSD & Anxiety in the
brain in layman's terms. I simply named this The
Braking Strategy.
N.B. Please remember, although this has helped me and
countless others who suffer from PTSD this is NOT a
cure nor is it in anyway a medical document.
The Braking Strategy
Imagine that as you live your normal daily routine you are
driving your mind down the road of life. Now these roads
are normal streets with normal everyday obstacles that our
minds are well equipped to deal with. Our speed will be
averaging about 30-40mph. Every now and then we will get
flustered and as we get a little bothered our speed will
increase to, lets say 50-60mph. This is still within our
ability to cope. Once in a while someone or something will
get us angry and our speed will increase to 70mph as we
get stressed. Once we’ve had our rant and vented our
frustration we start to slow down and apply the brakes to
life, we bring ourselves back down to 30-40mph again and
everything is rosy once again. So, with that in mind,
conflict and trauma related illnesses can attack our minds
in many different ways. This can be by speeding us up as
we try to cope with blocking out the images and
nightmares that our subconscious creates from past events.
This will bring our daily driving speed up from 30-40mph
to 70+mph. We now enter the motorway of our minds.
Because of the specific symptoms it is now difficult for us
to control our minds safely at this speed. If we now start
adding the normal stresses of life to this, our speed
suddenly jumps to an uncontrollable 80-90mph and we
risk losing control and crashing. On the other hand we
may also stall our minds as we lose concentration and get
lost in our own nightmares and images. The danger here is
that we are still on that motorway and we run the risk of
being hit by the things that are going on around us, leaving
us unable to cope and get back up to speed correctly.
Either way, we need to find a way of getting ourselves back
on to the normal daily street at a speed that we can
manage. The “First Field Dressing” is simply a guide to
bring your speed back down to a manageable pace.
Although 30mph may be realistically unachievable 40-
50mph is well within your grasp which would certainly
make life more comfortable. It is also about managing the
speed to reduce the risk of losing control in the future.

PTSD
& the
FFD
A Soldiers Science
The document also has 2 very good relaxation techniques,
both of which I use very often. My favourite being what I call
The Awareness Relaxation Exercise (ARE). It is a form of
meditation which allows the mind to escape from thoughts
that are intrusive.
Over the past 3 years I have had 2 awful ‘Flashbacks’ which
have both left me in a mess and unable to cope with daily life.
The ARE gave me the path I needed to escape from the
constant thoughts and memories.
I found it so useful I decided to make an audio recording for
others to use. Excusing my verbal mistakes and mumblings,
you should find this a calming escape just from the stresses of
daily life let alone anxiety, PTSD etc. Go on, give it a try!
The entire booklet ‘The First Field Dressing’ can be
downloaded for free. Just click on this link.
The First Field Dressing – A Self Help Guide to PTSD
Finally, I must state once more that this is NOT a medical
document nor is it a cure. If you feel you are suffering from
any mental health issue then seek medical help as soon as you
possibly can. There are many organisations set up to give the
right care and assistance.
“Take small bites out of elephant sandwiches”
That was the basis on how I wrote the entire document. I
can only try to interpret how I saw my mind working at the
time and assume others have similar experiences and
thoughts. I know it is not the same for everyone but just a
few may see some sense in it and find comfort.
Ok, as the therapy progressed I wrote more and more until I
found myself with a working programme and a way of
plugging the injury until the professionals could do their
thing. The FFD turned out to be a very apt name I think.

Women on the
Front Line
America leads the way
Whilst the UK decides whether women can take on front line
roles, our American counterparts are already taking the next
step.
American women for the first time will be able to become
Navy SEALs, another milestone for women in the military,
the Navy’s top officer has announced. Adm. Jon Greenert,
chief of Naval Operations, said that as long as women meet
the requisite standards and pass the rigorous training, they
should be granted the opportunity to join the Navy’s most
elite teams.
Navy SEAL teams, considered the service’s most selective and
physically demanding, conduct special operations and are
prepared for combat on all surfaces — sea, air and land — the
origin for the SEAL acronym. Navy SEALs were crucial to
U.S. military operations against Cuba and the Soviet Union in
the Cold War. They were active in the Vietnam War, and the
wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
By January, all branches of the military must allow women to
serve in front-line combat positions. Last Tuesday, Army,
Navy and Air Force officials all announced that they are
prepared to honour that mandate and officially open all
combat positions to women. The Marine Corps, meanwhile,
may seek an exception for ground combat roles, despite the
mandate.
The historic enlistment comes roughly four months after
Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s announcement that the
military would open all combat jobs to women.
“They’ll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars and lead
infantry soldiers into combat,” Carter said at the time.
“They’ll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green
Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force
paratroopers, and everything else that was previously open
only to men.”
Barnett has been meeting with recruiters since November.
She said she hopes her enlistment will inspire other
women, reports KSLA 12.
“I hope that I give them the courage, because I’m a small
female, if I can do it, they can do it too, this could give
them the courage to step out of their comfort zone,”
Barnett told the TV station.
Barnett will report to basic training in Fort Benning,
Georgia,.
In addition to this, for the first time in history, a woman has
enlisted in the infantry of the U.S. Army. Tammy Barnett, a
25-year-old police officer from Robeline, Louisiana, took the
oath of enlistment on Thursday at a processing station in
Shreveport.

Not Good Enough
Why do I write Have Faith, because I
feel that I want to get a message out
there, a message of hope, of love, of
acceptance. Every week I hope to
bring some encouragement to readers
and those listening. I am just one
person. I don’t have all the answers,
but then again who does? I just simply
pray and then write what I believe God
wants me to share with you, because to
me the only one that can truly help is
Him. Now I don’t feel that I am
qualified to do what I do. I don’t have
a degree in theology, I haven’t studied
at Bible School, I merely draw on what
I have learned through my relationship
with God over the last 7 years, and
from the Bible studying that I have
done. Do I feel good enough to do
this? The short answer is NO. So why
do I do it? Because I see & feel
others’ pain and want to share with
them the hope I have.
Many a time I have heard people talk
about Christians as do-gooders. Yes
we want to do good, just as many non-
Christians also want to do good. ‘Dogooders’
get a lot of stick because it is
felt that they do good to make.
themselves look good. Maybe some of
them do? I do good because I cannot
help myself, it is a part of my nature. I
love people and I just want to make a
difference in their lives. We all struggle.
Some struggles I can relate to or have
experienced, some I have not, but I still
hurt when I see people hurting. Am I
doing it to make myself feel good…NO!
I am doing it because I myself have
mountain top moments where I feel on
top of the world and then find myself in
the deepest darkest valleys. These
peaks and troughs come on an almost
daily basis, so I feel like a yo-yo, up,
then down, then up, then down. I
wouldn’t get through if I didn’t have
God’s support and I guess I just want
people to have that same sense of
security, love, hope and faith that I have.
I see people struggling and in these
times we are our own worst enemy,
because we beat ourselves up for not
getting things done, for not coping, for
not being strong. I know I have said
this repeatedly but we are all trying our
best. Many times I have heard people
say that they are going through a difficult
time because they are being punished
for something that had happened in
their past, this is a lie. Difficult times fall
on us all, life is never going to be
smooth. Do you know what, whether
you believe in God or not, life has its
ups and downs. Just because I believe
in God doesn’t mean that I face any less
difficulties than the next person, the
difference is that my faith is what gives
me the strength to get through.
Now God shows mercy and gives grace.
Grace is a difficult one for anyone to
accept, because it’s not earned, it’s a
free gift. When we see offers on TV or
the Internet we automatically think ’this
offer is too good to be true, there has to
be a catch’. Well yes there usually is
something in the fine print that catches
us out because in this world we learn
that we cannot get something for
nothing. This may be why many don’t
understand grace or struggle with
accepting it, because there is no catch,
it’s there for the taking.
Now let me explain the difference
between grace and mercy. Mercy is not
getting what you deserve. You do
something but you are shown mercy and
go unpunished. Grace is getting what you
don’t deserve. An unmerited gift. A gift
with no catches, no strings attached.
Basically let me explain it like this. There
was a judge, and a man stood before him,
it was his son. Now he loved his son and
would do anything for him, but the fact
remained that he had committed a crime.
The judge (his father) knew that in the
justice system he needed to be punished,
he could not show him mercy because he
had to rule with a mind of justice. The
man’s punishment for his crime was a
hefty fine, which he didn’t have the
means to pay. Now the judge passed
sentence and then got up and came down
from his seat, took off his wig & robes
and promptly paid his son’s fine. Grace
works like this. God has to punish us for
the things we have done wrong because
He is ‘just’, but He loves us as we are his
children, and wants to help us. So he
sent Jesus who paid the price once for all.
This means that even though we all make
bad choices at times or do the wrong
thing (sin), Gods punishment and the fine
we must pay, has been paid for by Jesus.
Now I struggle with this as I know I am
not worthy enough to be called God’s
daughter. How can I possibly accept this
gift as I am not good enough. I am a
divorcee, my ex-husband didn’t cheat on
me, and is still alive, so even though we
are divorced in the eyes of the law,
because I am in another relationship
according to God’s law I am an adulterer.
Thus I am a sinner, I am not good
enough, but

who is good enough? I have a friend
who’s husband served in the army. He
thinks he is not good enough because
he has had to fight and kill people. He
cannot accept the gift of grace because
he see’s his actions as unforgiveable,
even though he was doing his duty and
joined the army to protect people. I
have another friend who recently
turned to me and said God doesn’t
love me because I’m gay. How did I
answer him. God loves us all. Why
do you think he fights so hard and paid
such a high price to save us. He knows
we all struggle, the 10 commandments
were put in the Bible to show us that
none of us can meet that perfection
apart from Jesus, who is God and had
to be the ultimate sacrifice, because we
cannot match up to that ourselves.
Through no amount of effort, of doing
good, of trying to live righteously can
we achieve this. It says in the Bible
Ephesians 2:8
‘For it is by grace that you have been
saved, through faith – and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God –
not by works, so that no one can boast.’
And in Titus 3:5 it is written ‘He saved
us. Not because of righteous things we
have done, but because of His mercy.’
No matter what you’ve done, no matter
what you’ve seen, God knows it all, and
He still loves you. If you were the only
person on earth Jesus would still die to
save you, because each one of us is
important to Him, each one of us is
loved. I realize this is a heavy one this
week and I find it difficult to write about
the crux of the matter, because I know
how hard it is to read it. I don’t want to
come across as some pushy God botherer
and I know that some will see it that way.
All I want is to share the precious gift I
have with you all. In the hope that God
will soften your heart and open your eyes
to the truth, that you may be filled with
peace and hope, in a world that feels so
hopeless and loveless at times.
I want to reassure you that however alone
you are feeling right now, you are NOT
alone in your battle. Please message me
if you have any questions or if you would
like us to pray for you or for someone
you know. Please contact me at
Vickie@thetommyatkinstrust.com.

Gallipoli 101
Remembering one of the
bloodiest campaigns in history
101 years on
25 th April marks the 101 st Anniversary of the battle of
Gallipoli. My Regiment, 1 st Bn Royal Hampshire Regiment
had 2 Regimental days. Minden Day on 1 st August and
Gallipoli Day. So what really happened over a century ago on
this small peninsula to be marked as one of the deadliest
campaigns ever.
In a military disaster 100 years ago, about 58,000 allied
soldiers – including 29,000 British and Irish soldiers and
11,000 Australians and New Zealanders – lost their lives on
the Gallipoli peninsula. A further 87,000 Ottoman Turkish
troops died fighting the allies and at least 300,000 more on
both sides were seriously wounded.
Conceived by Winston Churchill as the First Lord of the
Admiralty, the plan was to knock out Ottoman Turkey,
Germany’s ally, out of the war. The goal of the naval and land
operation was to open up the Dardanelles straits, heavily
mined and defended on its western shore by Turkish coastal
forts and gun batteries on the 50-mile Gallipoli peninsula, to
allied ships, capture Constantinople – present-day Istanbul –
and so link up with Russia. Churchill saw the campaign as a
way of breaking the attritional deadlock on the western front.
“Are there not other alternatives?” he said at the time.
The repeated British and French bombardments beginning in
mid-February against Turkish positions proved ineffective. A
final attempt to force a passage up the Dardanelles in March
ended in three allied battleships being sunk and three badly
damaged. The two landings – one by British troops at Cape
Helles, at the base of the peninsula, and the other on the
western Aegean coast, in the area later known as Anzac Cove,
by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – were met
by fierce and disciplined Turkish opposition. Well dug in and
heavily fortified on higher ground, they had been reinforced
six times over. The allies had badly underestimated the
capacity of the Turkish forces.
Most did not advance more than a few hundred metres from
the shore where they were pinned down. The allies endured
suffocating heat and were surrounded by rotting corpses that
drew thick swarms of flies. They lacked water and thousands
died from dysentery as disease spread. The campaign
did divert large Turkish forces away from the Russians, but
did not produce the desired strategic success.
The allied commander, Sir Ian Hamilton, was replaced by Sir
Charles Munro and the allies withdrew in January 1916. In
contrast to the attack the retreat was considered a major
success. Churchill resigned from the government and went to
command an infantry battalion in France. The disaster
hastened Asquith’s resignation and his replacement as prime
minister by David Lloyd George.

This week in the Clubs
Salford Veterans Breakfast Club
Salford Veterans Breakfast Club has been chosen as one of
the good causes for April's Recycle and Reward in East
Salford. We have asked for funds to cover the cost of a
coach trip down to the NMA for the Northern Ireland
Veterans Association service and parade on Saturday, 10
September, where we will lay wreathes for the 6
servicemen laid to rest in cemeteries across Salford who
died whilst serving on Operation Banner in the province. To
vote, simply click on the link to the Salford City Council
page below, click on the breakfast club in the box of
nominees, enter your email address and then confirm your
vote when you receive an email from polldaddy on behalf
of the organisers. Please vote and share far and wide -
voting ends on Saturday, 30 April! Glenn Croston
Shrewsbury Veterans Breakfast Clubs
A healthy 37 at Shrewsbury VBC today, with 17
being new faces. Some really positive feedback
being posted on the SVBC page too
Aylesford Veterans Breakfast Club
Well done today for the Aylesford BC on their
first meeting ... 10 attended with support from the
Medway & West Kent BC
Kev Rourke
Retford Veterans Breakfast Club
Our breakfast club meeting on Saturday 30th April will be a
little bit different as we will be meeting at the GFG plot at
Tyldesley allotments where we will have a home cooked
brekkie followed by a tour of the site and a look at the area we
want to use for outdoor / bushcraft activities. Then we can all
go to the pelican centre to see what's happening there. Might
have a bit of a full stomach to do the induction. Paul and
Linda, be good if you could attend for your input.
Ian Parkinson

Veterans Radio Net
Our Time| Our Place | Our Voice
Veterans Radio Net
Welcome to Veterans Radio Net (VRN)
The NAAFI of the Air Waves
Sapper Ken is away on sick leave at the moment so I (Pablo) am reporting for Ken this week.
In short, Ken, come back, all is forgiven!!! It has been a crazy time over the past week or so with the
station being run almost single handed by Remy. He has been starting at 7:00am and most time not
coming off until midday. Alongside that he has been doing allsorts of other things to get him through his
normal day. He has a big help in the guise of Carol faithfully alongside him, helping him to steer the
ship safely through the murky waters of internet radio.
A big welcome to Hammie who takes up the second afternoon slot four days a week. After only a week,
he is firmly placed and sounding like he has been part of VRN for ages. Also a huge welcome to the
return of VIP’s master presenter Poor Bob and his Rock ‘n’ Roll Jamboree. Bob takes up the early
evening slot on Wednesdays.
We have a brand new presenter starting on Monday, welcome Kevin Hartley from Hospital Radio.
Looking forward to hearing the show and getting you aboard the good ship VRN.
Keep listening folks and have a great week
See you all soon.
Pablo for Sapper Ken
Mon – Fri 0700 – 1000hrs Sapper Ken Breakfast Show
Mon – Fri 1000 – 1200hrs Remy in the Mid Morning
Mon – Fri 1200 – 1400hrs Sapper Daz does Lunch
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 1400 – 1600hrs Hammie’s Pick ‘n’ Mix Show
Monday 1800 – 2000hrs Kevin Hartley on Monday
Monday 2000 – 2200hrs Vince’s Veterans Blues Show
Tuesday 1800 – 2000hrs GWF Northern Soul
Wednesday 1400 – 1600hrs Bev B’s Bits & Bobs Show
Wednesday 1800 – 2000hrs Poor Bob’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Jamboree
Thursday 1800 – 2000hrs Ricky’s 80’s Show
Friday 1800 – 2000hrs The Sandbag Times Radio Show
Saturday 0800 – 1000hrs The Bangers & Beanz Show

Veterans Help
Other Helpful Links
Our Links

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A word from the Ed
In short, I’m knackered!!
Trying to move SBT and the
rest of the operation into our
new office along with coming
up with this week’s magazine
has been a real task.
We are now in place and now
form the new ‘Veterans
Trident’. This is now the
official company that controls
the Sandbag Times, The
Tommy Atkins Trust and A
Song For A Hero.
We have the Worcester office
for Veterans Radio Net set up
nicely with a whole new sound
system thanks to Vince at Big
Hare Productions. This
includes an interview area in a
nice comfy setting.
Yes we have all gone upmarket
and are now very posh. Haha
As I write this, we are only 2
days away from the brand new
‘A Song For A Hero’ for the
Worcester Veterans B’fast
Club. I must admit I haven’t
even had time to even think
about Saturday night. I know
it will be good because my
brother Vince is in control.
I must say a huge thanks to
John Terry from the Veterans
Breakfast Club Admin who
popped down to Worcester
last weekend to say hello to us
and discuss a few business bits
with me. What a lovely man!!
We also had an extra
Breakfast club for him so he
could meet a few of the rabble
here. He was made very
welcome I’m glad to say.
Keep in touch folks and keep
reading your favourite mag!!
Ways to find us
The Sandbag Times
thesandbagtimes
@thesandbagtimes
sbt@thetommyatkinstrust.com
The Tommy Atkins Trust
www.thetommyatkinstrust.com
TheTommyAtkinsTrust
@TheTATrust
info@thetommyatkinstrust.com
"The Brand New Rock Opera which tells the
truth of what happens to our heroes when the
killing ends. Packed with incredible songs,
breathtaking graphics and an emotional
rollercoaster of a story that will leave you
asking questions for a long time to come.“
Where Do They Go...
...When The Killing Ends

Information Page
Gallipoli – A Soldiers Story – Andrew Roberts
At the start of the First World War, Arthur Beecroft was a recently qualified
barrister in his twenties. Determined to enlist despite a medical condition,
he volunteered for military service, first as a regular soldier, then as a
despatch rider. Offered a commission in the Royal Engineers, in 1915 he
saw action at Gallipoli. Now a byword for catastrophic military disaster, the
Gallipoli Campaign was the ill-conceived Allied invasion of the Dardanelles.
The campaign stalled almost immediately, resulting in over half a million
casualties on both sides. Lucky to survive, several years later Beecroft wrote
a detailed memoir of his experiences. Discovered by his granddaughter and
now reproduced here almost exactly as it was written nearly a century ago,
Beecroft's vivid narrative takes us through those heady days of the
declaration of war, enlistment, initial training, the bungled landing at Suvla
Bay, and the exceptionally difficult conditions of the Gallipoli terrain. This is
no mere jingoistic account. With a keen eye, Beecroft brings to life the men
dogged by disease and exhaustion ordinary soldiers who, even as they
suffered the betrayal of incompetent leadership, displayed extraordinary
reserves of heroism and bravery. Throughout this rare insight into what it
was like for an ordinary 'civilian soldier' swept up in the fog of war,
Beecroft's authentic voice still speaks honestly to us today - of comradeship
and devotion to duty, of fear and facing death. Now published for the first
time in the centenary year of the Gallipoli Campaign, this is a soldier's story
in his own words.
Back Issues of the Sandbag Times are available to download here

This conversation was overheard on the VHF Guard
(emergency) frequency 121.5 MHz
Argentine Air Defence Site: 'Unknown aircraft you are in
Argentine airspace. Identify yourself.‘
Aircraft: 'This is a British aircraft. I am in Falklands airspace.'
...
Argentine Air Defence Site: 'You are in Argentine airspace. If
you do not depart our airspace we will launch interceptor
aircraft!'
Aircraft: 'This is a Royal Air Force Tornado fighter. Send them
up, I'll wait!'
Argentine Air Defence Site: ( .... total silence)
Don't you just love the RAF?
Just love this!!
If you don’t have enough
time to read the SBT?
Get up an hour earlier!!!
Come up with a caption for Sgt Sandbag
and win a prize
Easy Medium Hard V. Hard