TA closed down for six months

The labour clique which at the moment runs the country has in its wisdom decided to save twenty million quid by closing down the Territorial Army.

Not satisfied with having slashed the numbers in the TA from 57,000 to 19,000, Brown and his cronies have now called a halt to all TA training for the next six months - that's drill-hall instruction, weekend exercises and all other raining associated with the TA.

This is bound to have an impact on operations in Afghanistan as hundreds of TA soldiers routinely serve on the frontline.

The news will go down really well with the guys who give up their time to serve their country; I'm sure it's just what they wanted to hear. It's certain to encourage more volunteers to join up.

So much for "One Army".

Nice one Gordon.

BBC: Cuts force TA to cease training

TA Field Hospital medics honoured

The life-saving work of the medics from TA 208 (Liverpool) Field Hospital (Volunteers) was praised at a ceremony at a Merseyside hospital. A painting, "Safe Return", showing medics in action in Afghanistan, was presented to Aintree University Hospital Trust in recognition of the support they and their staff give to troops serving on the frontline.
Click Liverpool: Praise for leading Merseyside Hospital's life-saving role with British army in Afghanistan


Not far away in North Wales it was being announced that medics from the 203 (Welsh) Field Hospital (Volunteers) were being awarded the Freedom of Llandudno in recognition of the service they have given to the Army in Afghanistan. The honour will be bestowed at a special meeting of Llandudno Town Council on Saturday, September 19th. Another dozen 203 Welsh Field Hospital volunteers are preparing to go to the war zone by the end of the year.
North Wales Weekly News: Medics ‘humbled’ by freedom honour

It's worth remembersing that not only do these volunteer medics work in the operating theatres in the Camp Bastion Military Hospital, they also fly direct into battle areas to give emergency treatment to wounded soldiers as part of the MERT (Medical Emergency Response Teams).

Congratulations to the TA medics who do such an incredible job in providing expert medical care to both the military and civilian casualties in Afghanistan.

MoD: Reserve medics get ready for frontline hospital duty

133 Field Company: Freemen of Ashford

133 Field Company, REME, has been given Ashford's highest civic honour: the Freedom of the Borough. The TA unit has had a long association with Ashford having been based in the town for a number of years and recruiting mainly from the local area.

Leader of the Council Cllr Paul Clokie said: "It was a great and rare honour to have witnessed the Freedom of the Borough passed to the 133 Field Company. The unit has been active in Afghanistan and Iraq and has shown considerable bravery, and it is this and its long association with Ashford that makes this Freedom so deserved.”

Well done, Ashford! Well done 133 Field Company!

BBC: Highest civic honour for TA unit
Ashford Borough: REME given freedom of borough
Army.MoD: 133 Field Company

4 Mercian's 150th anniversary parade in Kidderminster

To mark the 150th anniversary of Kidderminster's association with the Army, the 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment will be marching through the Worcestershire town on Saturday.
4 Mercian is a Territorial Army Battalion and can trace its roots back to the volunteer militias of 1859. Volunteers from Kidderminster have
served with distinction in the British Army in both World Wars and more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is appropriate therefore that it will be the TA who will make up the parade to commemorate the anniversary on Saturday.
A proud day for 4 Mercian! A proud day for Kidderminster!

Express and Star: Army’s 150th to be marked in town

TA's first UN peacekeeping mission

That the Territorial Army is now part of mainstream Army operations has been further reinforced by the current six-month deployment of 32 Signals Regiment as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. This is the first time that the TA has been deployed independently on a UN operation.234 troops from 28 different TA units have been brought together into 32 Signals Regiment Group and will be guarding and patrolling the Green Line which separates the Greek- and Turkish-controlled areas of the island.
Lieutenant Colonel Jenkins, CO 32 Signals Regiment Group, said: "This TA deployment is a first. The reservist soldiers themselves have actually proven to bring a lot more to the mission; they are mature and have approached things in a slightly different light than their regular counterparts."
Sergeant Mark Pool sais: "For the TA to get this tour in Cyprus, it has been marvellous. It's a way of us proving that we can come together as a coherent unit and achieve exactly the same as a regular unit."

MoD: Cyprus operation is TA's first ever UN mission

TA100 - Durham's first Military Tattoo

Durham city is to host its first military tattoo on Saturday 6th September on Palace Green outside the Cathedral. This "huge military spectacular" is being organised by the Reserve Force and Cadet Association (RFCA) for the North of England. Staged to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army, it is not surprising that this year's event will be having a special TA theme.

The Tattoo Director, Major Eric Ingram, says: "We're laying on a show that covers the 100 years of the Territorial Army. So we're going to do a little bit about World War I, a bit about World War II and quite a big re-enactment of a battle that's a typical example of what's happening in Afghanistan at the moment."
The event will involve 150 TA soldiers, local army cadets, military bands and veterans. In addition to re-enactments of events from the TA's history, the programme includes music from a number of military bands (including pipes and drums) and displays of military vehicles.

The anticipated 1,500-2,000 spectators will be able to watch the action taking place in the central arena. Tickets are on sale at the Tourist Information Centre in Millennium Place, Durham and cost £5 for the afternoon preview and £10 for the evening. Details are available on the TA100 website below.

The Tattoo will serve to emphasise the valuable contribution that the TA continues to make to Britain's Armed Forces and is sure to encourage new recruits to its ranks.

Link> TA100: Durham Military Tattoo
Link> BBC: Durham Military Tattoo

TA Centenary Parade: Northampton 8th June

Hundreds of past and present members from Northamptonshire's Reserve Forces will be present at the Centenary Parade taking place on Sunday in Northampton town centre. Taking part in the parade will be TA veterans, serving members of the local 118 Recovery REME (TA) unit, a contingent from the Royal Anglian Regiment and Army cadets.

As well as the parade through the streets of Northampton, there will be a service at All Saints Church followed by a medal-giving ceremony led by the Lord Lieutenant. The events will be rounded off with a curry lunch at the TA Centre.

Spokesman Capt Bill Reader said: "The event is one of many taking place throughout the country from April 1 to Remembrance Day."It is about saying thank-you to past and present personnel who have served in the TA and given their time and in some cases their lives for the country."

A proud day for the TA and Northampton.

Link> Northampton Evening Telegraph: Parade tribute to our reserve army
Link> TA100

TA Centenary Parade - Hertford, July 27th

Text of a letter which appeared in the Welwyn and Hatfield Times.

SIR....

This year marks the centenary of the Territorial Army. TA soldiers are the hidden heroes in our community. Dedicated and professional, they balance their civilian lives with a regular commitment to training and, when called upon, serve alongside their colleagues in the regular army. Winston Churchill referred to them as being 'twice a citizen' - squeezing two jobs, two lives into the space in which others barely have time for one.

During this centenary year the Welwyn and Hatfield division of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) would like to thank the men and women of Hatfield, WGC and the surrounding area who unflinchingly dedicate themselves to their TA duties.

With the ongoing pressures on all our armed forces, TA and reserve members have been mobilised in numbers unprecedented in recent history. These reserve forces leave their civilian lives and families at home while they are deployed in the battle-zones of Iraq or Afghanistan with all the accompanied hardships and dangers. While they are away, families undergo the stress of having a loved one on the frontline but without all the support of the established military community. Having experienced situations that may be unimaginable to many of us, they return and occasionally find it difficult to settle back in to a civilian life.

To mark the centenary of the Territorial Army, there will be a parade of TA, Old Comrades Association and army cadet force members, in Hertford on July 27. It will start from the TA Centre, St Andrew's Street, Hertford, at 9.50am, and will end at All Saints Church for a service between 10.15 and 11.15am. The parade will then march back to the TA Centre for a presentation and buffet lunch at midday. On parade will be 13 Platoon of the Royal Anglian Regiment, Infantry, and the Medical Support Unit, Evacuation Squadron of 254 Medical Regiment.

Signed: Robert Woods, SSAFA Forces Help, divisional secretary

Says it all.

Link> The Welwyn and Hatfield Times

TA Centenary Parade in Reigate

Thousands of people are expected to turn out to honour members of the Territorial Army when they parade through the streets of Reigate on Saturday, May 10th. The parade, part of the TA's centenary celebrations, will be made up of local troops from 150 Recovery Company Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers and 2 Field Troop 579 Field Squadron many of who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The event is being organised by the Borough Council: "We wanted to recognise the service of the Borough's troops to their country and to thank them for the sacrifices they and their families have made. The parade will enable both the Council and the Borough's residents to join together to show our gratitude."

Link> BBC: Thousands expected to honour TA

Territorial Army - 100 years - TA100

On 1st April the Territorial Army celebrated its 100th anniversary. Originally founded as a home defence force in 1908, the TA was soon slogging it out in Flanders and its personnel have fought alongside their regular Army comrades in virtually every theatre of war since then. Today its 35,000 volunteers constitute a quarter of the British Army and many of them have seen active service in Afganistan and Iraq.
In 1998 the TA fell victim to the Labour Government's now infamous 'Strategic Defence Review'; its 33 battalions were reduced to 15 and thousands of experienced and loyal personnel had their service terminated. Despite this the TA was able to play a major role in Operation Telic with 6900 being mobilised and deployed to Iraq and it continues to provide around 1,200 troops each year to support the regular Army in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. The TA is being relied upon more heavily than at anytime since World War II.

The Territorial Army fulfills four main functions:

• to provide a pool of trained personnel which can be used to expand the ranks of the regular army at a time of national crisis;
• to support the Army in its conflicts around the world (it is estimated that 20000 have been in operations over the last 10 years);
• to provide the Army with professional skills and expertise acquired during civilian careers ( the TA runs the only British field hospital in Afghanistan); and
• to provide a major link been the military and the civilian population serving to reduce the military's remoteness and to increase the general public's understanding of what the Armed Forces do.

Since 2003 eight TA soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan. Last month, Pte Luke Cole, a TA soldier from Wolverhampton, was awarded the Military Cross for aiding wounded colleagues while under fire in Afghanistan.

The MoD has launched TA100 – a major campaign to acknowledge the contribution of Territorial Army soldiers since 1908. Events and and commemorations will take place throughout 2008 across the UK to both celebrate and promote the work of the TA. One of the first events will be a parade in Guildford town centre at 2pm on Saturday 5 April.

Link> TA100 (great website!)
Link> MoD: TA Centenary starts with a bang
Link> MoD: The Territorial Army
Link> Guildford Borough Council: Parade starts celebration of 100 years of the Territorial Army
Link> The Telegraph: Queen thanks Territorial Army on centenary

A book has also just been published to coincide with the anniversary: Territorials, A Century of Service

Link> MoD: TA history published to mark centenary