9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2002 - Page 0063
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2002 |
| Transcription |
REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) 61 tale but 436 perished, either drowned or eaten by sharks. This, alone, is a remarkable story, and yet there are individual tales of bravery of men, in particular a 19 year old officer who gave up his place in a lifeboat for a married man. The King of Prussia ordered the story be read out at the head of every regiment of his army as an example of discipline, courage and self-sacrifice. Capt Nelson (Retd), Capt Snaith (Retd) and Capt Inglefield were fortunate enough to represent the regiment at the rededication of the memorial at Danger Point on the 150th anniversary of the disaster. I would recommend to anyone who is lucky enough to be in Cape Town to make the short trip to Danger Point and watch the sea boil over the Birkenhead Rock. For the more adventurous, it is also possible to dive with the descendants of the Great Whites which accounted for so many lives, and for the slightly less adventurous the Birkenhead Brewery provides some well needed sustenance! EHSI Military Liaison Officer to United Nations Mission in Angola ourtesy ofa rather dubious ‘A’ Level in Portuguese I found myself being posted at short notice to Angola to provide liaison between the United Nations, the Government forces and the Rebel forces. The long summer days that I had looked for- ward to in the peaceful surrounds of South Dorset were not to be, instead I was to be in a country I couldn’t even locate with any confidence on the map, indeed my only information on Angola came from the film ‘Wild Geese’ and I gather that is only loosely based on the country. After a morning’s briefing in the MoD and Foreign Office I wasn’t much the wiser as to what my job was to be although I did now know that there had been a civil war in Angola for the best part of 40 years and there had been a cease fire two months prior to my arrival. The history of Angola is somewhat complicated but in nutshell the Portuguese left lock stock and barrel in 1975 after a war of Independence, and ever since then there has been a civil war as rival factions battled for power, essentially over the enormous natural resources of the country. The Government, MPLA, con- trolled the oil, and the rebels, UNITA, the majority of the dia- monds. There was also heavy international involvement in the war on both sides, primarily South Africa and Cuba although clearly the US, USSR and UK were not entirely disinterested. It is no coincidence that Angola was, until 1991 (GulfWar) the bat- tleground for the largest tank battle since WWII. This history made for an incredibly interesting background in which to work. The Portuguese did not treat Angola as a Colony but more as a province of Portugal. Their plans for the country were incredible grandiose. Throughout the country it is difficult to get away from their legacy, however, nowadays it requires a vivid imagination to picture how it might have been. With the exception of central Luanda 40 years of civil war has taken its toil on any traces of colonial civilisation. I was fortu- nate to travel extensively throughout the country in order to establish safe routes for the UN and there is very little to give hope in the immediate future. The total lack of infrastructure hampers all aid efforts, and when combined with the threat from landmines, it makes the country one of the most difficult for Aid Agencies to operate in. I also found it incredibly frustrating. Angola earns an incredi- ble sum in revenues from off shore oil resources. However, none of this money finds its way back into the system. Instead the beneficiaries drive around in vulgar 4x4 claiming that the international community owes them reparations for prolonging the civil war and using Angola as a battleground for the Cold War. Meanwhile, a third of the country are starving with no means to support themselves. Unlike other African famines Angola’s problems are man . made. When the war ended a third of the population were internally displaced. It is not that Angola cannot feed itself, it is that the population have no seeds, tools or access to lands to cultivate. Angola was the bread basket of Southern Africa, and will be again. J. The Name’s /ng/efle/d , Ed /n/ef/e/d Angola is a fascinating country which has enormous potential in the years to come. Optimistically, I believe the war is finally over but after 4 decades of violence I find it unlikely that the peace they enjoyed at the end of 2002 will be long lived. The potential rewards from banditry are too tempting, diamonds can be found lying on the ground and there are many individu- als with riches beyond belief. I would not recommend it for a holiday but I would recommend it unconditionally as a posting. The variety that working for the UN provides is fantastic and, of course, UN pay should not be scoffed at! EHSI _ a r ‘l F/sh/ng for Mar/m off the coast of Luanda |
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