Isabel George - Dog Soldiers - Part 1 of 3 - Love, loyalty and sacrifice on the front line

Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Timeline Introduction 1 Please God, look after him … 2 Man down! 3 For Queen and country – The Troubles 4 The dogs of war – deployment to Afghanistan 5 Sasha enters the theatre 6 Home – RAF Lyneham Moving Memoirs eNewsletter About the Publisher

HarperElement

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London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HarperElement 2016

FIRST EDITION

© Isabel George 2016

Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2016

Front cover photographs (soldier) © Crown 2016, Ministry of Defence, published with kind permission of the family of Lance Corporal Liam Tasker.

All other images © Shutterstock.com

A catalogue record of this book is

available from the British Library

Isabel George asserts the moral right to be

identified as the author of this work

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

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Source ISBN: 9780008148065

Ebook Edition © January 2016 ISBN: 9780008154363

Version: 2015-11-26

Cover

Title Page Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Timeline Introduction 1 Please God, look after him … 2 Man down! 3 For Queen and country – The Troubles 4 The dogs of war – deployment to Afghanistan 5 Sasha enters the theatre 6 Home – RAF Lyneham Moving Memoirs eNewsletter About the Publisher

Copyright Copyright Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Timeline Introduction 1 Please God, look after him … 2 Man down! 3 For Queen and country – The Troubles 4 The dogs of war – deployment to Afghanistan 5 Sasha enters the theatre 6 Home – RAF Lyneham Moving Memoirs eNewsletter About the Publisher HarperElement An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published by HarperElement 2016 FIRST EDITION © Isabel George 2016 Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2016 Front cover photographs (soldier) © Crown 2016, Ministry of Defence, published with kind permission of the family of Lance Corporal Liam Tasker. All other images © Shutterstock.com A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library Isabel George asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books. Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green Source ISBN: 9780008148065 Ebook Edition © January 2016 ISBN: 9780008154363 Version: 2015-11-26

Timeline Timeline Northern Ireland border, Clogher, County Tyrone, 23 July 1973 Corporal Bryan Criddle RAVC was injured when an IRA bomb, hidden in a milk churn, was detonated remotely. He died due to head injuries four days later. His dog, Jason, was blown 30 feet in the air but survived. Northern Ireland, Kilkeel, 28 May 1986 Corporal Brian Brown QGM from Ballynahinch was a member of 3 UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment) and had been awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his service in Northern Ireland. He lost his life on 28 May 1986 when a bomb exploded at a garage in Kilkeel. Oliver, his search dog, was also killed in the blast. The ashes of the faithful Yellow Labrador were buried with his master. Northern Ireland, Crossmaglen, 21 May 1988 Corporal Derek Hayes of the Royal Pioneer Corps died with his Army search dog, Ben, when an IRA booby trap bomb exploded. Cpl Hayes and Ben were on patrol in Crossmaglen when they were asked to investigate a partly hidden box in a ditch but as they approached the device exploded, killing them both. The ashes of the faithful Yellow Labrador were buried alongside the soldier. Northern Ireland, Belfast, 25 May 1991 Corporal Terry ‘Geordie’ O’Neill was the victim of a ‘coffee-jar’ bomb (Semtex, nails, bolts and ball bearings). He was killed instantly. Darren ‘Swifty’ Swift, his fellow handler, standing alongside him, lost both legs in the attack, which took place as the two soldiers exercised their dogs in the yard of the Army Dog Unit. Several dogs were injured in the blast, including Geordie’s dog, Blue, and Swifty’s dog, Troy. Four dog soldiers lost their lives during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, between 1973 and 1991. The conflict in Afghanistan was to claim the next man and dog.

Introduction

1 Please God, look after him …

2 Man down!

3 For Queen and country – The Troubles

4 The dogs of war – deployment to Afghanistan

5 Sasha enters the theatre

6 Home – RAF Lyneham

Moving Memoirs eNewsletter

About the Publisher

Northern Ireland border, Clogher, County Tyrone, 23 July 1973

Corporal Bryan Criddle RAVC was injured when an IRA bomb, hidden in a milk churn, was detonated remotely. He died due to head injuries four days later. His dog, Jason, was blown 30 feet in the air but survived.

Northern Ireland, Kilkeel, 28 May 1986

Corporal Brian Brown QGM from Ballynahinch was a member of 3 UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment) and had been awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his service in Northern Ireland. He lost his life on 28 May 1986 when a bomb exploded at a garage in Kilkeel. Oliver, his search dog, was also killed in the blast. The ashes of the faithful Yellow Labrador were buried with his master.

Northern Ireland, Crossmaglen, 21 May 1988

Corporal Derek Hayes of the Royal Pioneer Corps died with his Army search dog, Ben, when an IRA booby trap bomb exploded. Cpl Hayes and Ben were on patrol in Crossmaglen when they were asked to investigate a partly hidden box in a ditch but as they approached the device exploded, killing them both. The ashes of the faithful Yellow Labrador were buried alongside the soldier.

Northern Ireland, Belfast, 25 May 1991

Corporal Terry ‘Geordie’ O’Neill was the victim of a ‘coffee-jar’ bomb (Semtex, nails, bolts and ball bearings). He was killed instantly. Darren ‘Swifty’ Swift, his fellow handler, standing alongside him, lost both legs in the attack, which took place as the two soldiers exercised their dogs in the yard of the Army Dog Unit. Several dogs were injured in the blast, including Geordie’s dog, Blue, and Swifty’s dog, Troy.

Four dog soldiers lost their lives during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, between 1973 and 1991. The conflict in Afghanistan was to claim the next man and dog.