View allAll Photos Tagged Defence
Estonian Defence Force Soldiers from Estpla-26 during a patrol in Mali in support of the French-led Operation Barkhane – November 2018
Photo: Estonian Defence Force
Took this on my way back from Crammond Island this evening.
Took a few long exposures too.
I had to get away with my thoughts - Mum had a stroke this morning. I hope everything goes well with the recovery.
A human to fill the gap in time where a defence should have been during WW2,
A few more shots taken in Porthleven, Cornwall.
The cannon on the quay, but is it ready to defend the town's harbour from hostile boats?
some of our crack troops patrolling the coast....makes me feel secure seeing them about......or it could be a shot from that Film with the Lighthouse...The Smog or something....
thanks for looking in.....appreciated.....best bigger....hope you have a Great Weekend
Eccles-on-Sea was once a substantial medieval settlement on the exposed North Sea coast of Norfolk, recorded in the Domesday survey with extensive arable land and a long-established community clustered around its parish church, St Mary’s. The church itself, probably Norman in origin, stood at the heart of the village for centuries and its tall tower became a familiar coastal landmark for sailors. Over time the landscape turned against it. From the late Middle Ages onward a series of powerful storm surges began eating away at the soft shoreline. By the sixteenth century the sea had already breached the outskirts of the village and St Mary’s was repeatedly damaged by windblown sand and salt water. Eccles was officially united with neighbouring Hempstead in 1571 because the old church had become too storm-ravaged to maintain.
Across the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the settlement continued to shrink as the coastline marched inland. Houses, fields and tracks were slowly consumed or buried, leaving only fragments of foundations beneath the dunes. The church tower outlasted everything, standing isolated on the beach like a ruined marker of the village that once surrounded it. It finally collapsed in a storm in 1895, ending more than seven hundred years of continuous presence.
Most of old Eccles now lies beneath sand, sea or modern coastal defences. In the twentieth century the Bush Estate was built just inland, protected by works installed after the catastrophic 1953 flood. Even so, the sense of a lost community lingers here. The shoreline still hints at the long battle between settlement and sea, and the vanished church remains part of local memory, a reminder of how quickly Norfolk’s coast can change.
Eccles aerial image - Norfolk coast
Salses-le-Château, Languedoc-France.
Shot taken with the Pentax 67II on AGFA APX100@80 developed in Moersch EFD 2+1+50 for 10 minutes.
Japan Air Self Defence Forces, Mc Donnell Douglas (Mitsubishi) F-15J Eagle, cn 085, marked 72-8885, seen at Hyakuri Air Base (IBR / RJAH) durinh Hyakuri Airshow2018.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the 3rd week of December, 2016.
On occasional check on works on-going close to the centre of Bray itself, in and around the Bridge.
This is a section of the flood protection scheme that I haven't covered in any great detail. Inconvenient for me to access, and others cover it much better.
Check out 'Turgidson'.
Looking upriver, towards the People's Park, standing on the 'Fran O'Toole Bridge' with the new boardwalk under construction.
=================
Bray gets a riverside boardwalk as part of the final element of the River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
The boardwalk - similar to the one along the River Liffey in Dublin city centre - will be incorporated into the wall beside the Fran O Toole Bridge.
It will connect Castle Street to the Peoples Park and will be a welcome added amenity for Bray.
The boardwalk forms part of the final large works package for the River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
This part of the scheme runs from the People's Park to the Railway Bridge on the Little Bray side of the river.
The works consist of curved sheet piled walls approaching the railway bridge which will be faced with masonry and the construction of footpaths in this area.
There will also be a stone faced sheet pile wall along the Lower Dargle Road from beside the Fran O'Toole Bridge to the Peoples Park.
The work is very timely as part of the existing inner wall alongside the Lower Dargle Road was severely undermined and collapsed during a storm which occurred just before Christmas.
When the project is completed, Bray will be protected from a one-in-one-hundred year storm, including all the floods of the sort that would have ravaged the town in the 20th century, and a one-in-200 year tidal event.
========================
These images shows the skeleton of the structure 'hanging' from the upgraded stone-clad wall, adjacent to Upper Dargle Road.
This part of the scheme runs from the People's Park to the Railway Bridge on the Little Bray side of the river.
On this particular day, the high water mark is actually caused by the high sea tide, pushing upriver from the Bray harbour estuary. This is not the result of waters running down-river from the nearby mountains. Hence the calm still appearance.
Pictured are The RAF Red Arrows display Team flying along the River Mersey as Royal Navy regulars and reservists march past The Royal Liver Building in Liverpool.
Spectacular celebrations marked the ninth annual Armed Forces Day, honouring the exceptional work and dedication of our brave Servicemen and women deployed around the world.
A record 300 plus events including parades, military displays and community fetes took place right across the country to say thank you to the Armed Forces community for the outstanding work they do; Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and women, both Regulars and Reservists were recognised alongside the wider defence family such as Cadets and veterans past and present. ..The National Event was held in Liverpool attended by His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex representing The Queen and the Royal Family. Also in attendance was the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence.
-------------------------------------------------------
© Crown Copyright 2014
Photographer: Sgt Jamie Peters
Image 45162764.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk
This image is available for high resolution download at www.defenceimagery.mod.uk subject to the terms and conditions of the Open Government License at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/. Search for image number 45162764.jpg
For latest news visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
Follow us:
Gomdruk, gumprint
Paper Canson Montval 300 gr.
Layers:
1: Parijs blauw
2: Gummigut modern
3: Kraprood
4: Kadmium geel
5: Permanent karmijn
6: Phthalo blauw
Scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are continuing to work with a range of industry partners to develop the Army’s Future Soldier Vision (FSV), showcasing the personal equipment that soldiers could be using by the mid-2020s.
As well as the design of advanced combat clothing, which includes new materials like four-way stretch fabric and silent hook and loop pockets, new body armour will be lighter, and a new high-tech helmet will have state-of-the- art built-in communication systems.
The Vision is part of the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) plan to ensure that British Soldiers have high-quality equipment utilising the latest technologies, as part of an integrated system. Future Soldier Vision (FSV) gives companies an aim point – an example of an integrated soldier system that balances military need with technology that delivers distributed power to data, scaleable and integrated protection, augmented surveillance and target acquisition, and a range of functional fabrics incorporated into the clothing.
Partners include The Royal College of Art (RCA) who provided professional designers, who – when they weren’t working in London on high-end jewellery – spent months working on the clothing to ensure prototypes were fitted to the body, were easy to run in and comfortable to wear.
-------------------------------------------------------
© Crown Copyright 2014
Photographer: DSTL Porton Down Photographer
Image 45163939.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk
This image is available for high resolution download at www.defenceimagery.mod.uk subject to the terms and conditions of the Open Government License at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/. Search for image number 45163939.jpg
For latest news visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
Follow us:
Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2015
Bill Speakman VC in the first wheelchair.
He was born in 1927 and brought up in Altrincham, Cheshire, and educated at Wellington School.
On 4 November 1951, William Speakman, a 25-year-old Private serving with 1st Battalion The King’s Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB), displayed one of the most outstanding examples of leadership and courage in British military history, recognised with the award of the Victoria Cross. His was one of only four awarded for the Korean War and the first VC to be invested by Queen Elizabeth II.
The Battalion had taken over the defence of a tactically important hill, nicknamed “United”, which had been captured by the Australians. The KOSB quickly set about improving the defences, taking in a plentiful supply of ammunition, particularly grenades, to withstand the expected Chinese counter attack. Following a heavy artillery barrage, a full scale assault from a Chinese Division of 6,000 men was pressed forward with great ferocity reports. For over four hours of intense fighting, Speakman rallied a group of five other soldiers, most senior to himself, and repeatedly charged the attacking waves of Chinese infantry. Outnumbered by at least ten to one, Speakman was reckoned to have thrown or rolled over 100 grenades at the enemy.
Having exhausted their ammunition and taken considerable casualties, the company was ordered to retire under cover of artillery and mortar fire, whilst in a final charge Speakman threw smoke grenades. The withdrawal with as many wounded as possible was accomplished in an orderly manner. Speakman and his Company Sergeant Major, both badly wounded, helped each other down the hill, before being evacuated by field ambulance.
The remainder of his military career was spent with the KOSB. He rose to the rank of Sergeant, serving in Malaya, Aden, Borneo, Germany and the UK. He retired from the Army in 1968.
After various false starts in ill-suited jobs, he joined the Merchant Navy where he had a successful second career as a Master at Arms with the Union Castle Line.
He emigrated to South Africa and took up flying microlights over game reserves. He later returned to Britain and spent a year as a pensioner at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, before going back to South Africa for a second time. Eventually he returned to Altrincham before retiring permanently as a Chelsea pensioner in 2015.
He died on 20 June 2018 in Chelsea, aged 90. His Victoria Cross is displayed in the National War Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle. His ashes were buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery, South Korea on 19 February 2019.
In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Remembrance Sunday is held to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages, attended by civic dignitaries, ex-servicemen and -women, members of local armed forces regular and reserve units, military cadet forces and uniformed youth organisations. Two minutes’ silence is observed at 11 a.m. and wreaths of remembrance poppies are then laid on the memorials.
The United Kingdom national ceremony is held in London at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Wreaths are laid by Queen Elizabeth II, principal members of the Royal Family normally including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent, the Prime Minister, leaders of the other major political parties, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and the civilian services, and veterans’ groups. Two minutes' silence is held at 11 a.m., before the laying of the wreaths. This silence is marked by the firing of a field gun on Horse Guards Parade to begin and end the silence, followed by Royal Marines buglers sounding Last Post.
The parade consists mainly of an extensive march past by veterans, with military bands playing music following the list of the Traditional Music of Remembrance.
Other members of the British Royal Family watch from the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
After the ceremony, a parade of veterans and other related groups, organised by the Royal British Legion, marches past the Cenotaph, each section of which lays a wreath as it passes. Only ticketed participants can take part in the march past.
From 1919 until the Second World War remembrance observance was always marked on 11 November itself. It was then moved to Remembrance Sunday, but since the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995, it has become usual to hold ceremonies on both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Each year, the music at the National Ceremony of Remembrance remains the same, following a programme finalised in 1930:
Rule, Britannia! by Thomas Arne
Heart of Oak by William Boyce
The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore
Men of Harlech
The Skye Boat Song
Isle of Beauty by Thomas Haynes Bayly
David of the White Rock
Oft in the Stilly Night by John Stevenson
Flowers of the Forest
Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar
Dido's lament by Henry Purcell
O Valiant Hearts by Charles Harris
Solemn Melody by Walford Davies
Last Post – a bugle call
Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1, by Johann Heinrich Walch
O God, Our Help in Ages Past – words by Isaac Watts, music by William Croft
Reveille – a bugle call
God Save The Queen
Other pieces of music are then played during the march past and wreath laying by veterans, starting with Trumpet Voluntary and followed by It's A Long Way To Tipperary, the marching song of the Connaught Rangers, a famous British Army Irish Regiment of long ago.
The following is complied from press reports on 8 November 2015:
"The nation paid silent respect to the country's war dead today in a Remembrance Sunday service. Leading the nation in remembrance, as ever, was the Queen, who first laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in 1945 and has done so every year since, except on the four occasions when she was overseas.
Dressed in her customary all-black ensemble with a clutch of scarlet poppies pinned against her left shoulder, she stepped forward following the end of the two-minute silence marked by the sounding of Last Post by 10 Royal Marine buglers.
The Queen laid her wreath at the foot of the Sir Edwin Lutyens Portland stone monument to the Glorious Dead, then stood with her head momentarily bowed.
She was joined by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who was invited to the Cenotaph for the first time to lay a wreath marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by British troops.
Watched by his wife Queen Maxima, who stood next to the Duchess of Cambridge in the Royal Box, the King laid a wreath marked with the simple message, 'In remembrance of the British men and women who gave their lives for our future.'
Wreaths were then laid by members of the Royal Family, all wearing military uniform: Prince Philip; then Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Prince William at the same time ; then Prince Edward, Princess Anne and the Duke of Kent at the same time.
Three members of the Royal Family laying wreaths at the same time was an innovation in 2015 designed to slightly reduce the amount of time of the ceremony and thereby reduce the time that the Queen had to be standing.
Prince Charles attended a remembrance service in New Zealand.
The Prime Minister then laid a wreath. The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, appeared at the Cenotaph for the first time. He wore both a suit and a red poppy for the occasion.
His bow as he laid a wreath marked with the words 'let us resolve to create a world of peace' was imperceptible – and not enough for some critics. Yet unlike the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Battle service earlier this year, Mr Corbyn did join in with the singing of the national anthem.
Following the end of the official service at the Cenotaph, a mammoth column more than 10,000-strong (some 9,000 of whom were veterans) began marching along Whitehall, saluting the Cenotaph as they passed, Parliament Street, Great George Street, Horse Guards Road and back to Horse Guard Parade. The Duke of Cambridge took the salute from the column on Horse Guards Parade.
Time takes its inevitable toll on even the most stoic among us, and this year only a dozen World War Two veterans marched with the Spirit of Normandy Trust, a year after the Normandy Veterans' Association disbanded.
Within their ranks was 95-year-old former Sapper Don Sheppard of the Royal Engineers. Sheppard was of the eldest on parade and was pushed in his wheelchair by his 19-year-old grandson, Sam who, in between studying at Queen Mary University, volunteers with the Normandy veterans.
'It is because of my admiration for them,' he says. 'I see them as role models and just have the utmost respect for what they did.'
While some had blankets covering their legs against the grey November day, other veterans of more recent wars had only stumps to show for their service to this country during 13 long years of war in Afghanistan.
As well as that terrible toll of personal sacrifice, the collective losses – and triumphs - of some of the country’s most historic regiments were also honoured yesterday.
The Gurkha Brigade Association - marking 200 years of service in the British Army – marched to warm ripples of applause. The King’s Royal Hussars, represented yesterday by 126 veterans, this year also celebrate 300 years since the regiment was raised.
They were led by General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of Nato and Colonel of the regiment who himself was marching for the first time.
'We are joined by a golden thread to all those generations who have gone before us,” he said. “We are who we are, because of those that have gone before us.' "
Cenotaph Ceremony & March Past - 8 November 2015
Summary of Contingents
Column Number of marchers
B (Lead) 1,754
C 1,298
D 1,312
E 1,497
F 1,325
A 1,551
Ex-Service Total 8,737
M (Non ex-Service) 1,621
Total 10,358
Column B
Marker Detachment Number
1 Reconnaissance Corps 18 Anniversary
2 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment Old Comrades Assoc 10
3 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery Association 60
4 Royal Artillery Association 18
5 Royal Engineers Association 37
6 Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Association 65 Anniversary
7 Airborne Engineers Association 24
8 Royal Signals Association 48
9 Army Air Corps Association 42
10 Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps Transport Assoc 54
11 RAOC Association 18
12 Army Catering Corps Association 48
13 Royal Pioneer Corps Association 54 Anniversary
14 Royal Army Medical Corps Association 36
15 Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Association 48
16 Royal Military Police Association 100
17 The RAEC and ETS Branch Association 12
18 Royal Army Pay Corps Regimental Association 36
19 Royal Army Veterinary Corps & Royal Army Dental Corps 18
20 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 24
21 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Assoc 48
22 Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 30
23 Royal Dragoon Guards 78
24 Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own & Royal Irish) 12
25 Kings Royal Hussars Regimental Association 126
26 16/5th Queen's Royal Lancers 36
27 17/21 Lancers 30
28 The Royal Lancers 24 New for 2015
29 JLR RAC Old Boys' Association 30
30 Association of Ammunition Technicians 24
31 Beachley Old Boys Association 36
32 Arborfield Old Boys Association 25
33 Gallipoli & Dardenelles International 24
34 Special Observers Association 24
35 The Parachute Squadron Royal Armoured Corps 24 New
36 Intelligence Corps Association 48
37 Women's Royal Army Corps Association 120
38 656 Squadron Association 24
39 Home Guard Association 9
40 British Resistance Movement (Coleshill Research Team) 12
41 British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association 48
42 British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association 24
43 Royal Hospital Chelsea 30
44 Queen Alexandra's Hospital Home for Disabled Ex-Servicemen & Women 30
45 The Royal Star & Garter Homes 20
46 Combat Stress 48
Total 1,754
Column C
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Air Force Association 150
2 Royal Air Force Regiment Association 300
3 Royal Air Forces Ex-Prisoner's of War Association 20
4 Royal Observer Corps Association 75 Anniversary
5 National Service (Royal Air Force) Association 42
6 RAFLING Association 24
7 6 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Association 18
8 7 Squadron Association 25
9 8 Squadron Association 24
10 RAF Habbaniya Association 25
11 Royal Air Force & Defence Fire Services Association 30
12 Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Association 30
13 Units of the Far East Air Force 28 New
14 Royal Air Force Yatesbury Association 16
15 Royal Air Force Airfield Construction Branch Association 12
16 RAFSE(s) Assoc 45 New
17 Royal Air Force Movements and Mobile Air Movements Squadron Association (RAF MAMS) 24
18 Royal Air Force Masirah & Salalah Veterans Assoc 24 New
19 WAAF/WRAF/RAF(W) 25
19 Blenheim Society 18
20 Coastal Command & Maritime Air Association 24
21 Air Sea Rescue & Marine Craft Sections Club 15
22 Federation of RAF Apprentice & Boy Entrant Assocs 150
23 Royal Air Force Air Loadmasters Association 24
24 Royal Air Force Police Association 90
25 Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Association 40
Total 1,298
Column D
Marker Detachment Number
1 Not Forgotten Association 54
2 Stoll 18
3 Ulster Defence Regiment 72
4 Army Dog Unit Northern Ireland Association 48
5 North Irish Horse & Irish Regiments Old Comrades Association 78
6 Northern Ireland Veterans' Association 40
7 Irish United Nations Veterans Association 12
8 ONET UK 10
9 St Helena Government UK 24
10 South Atlantic Medal Association 196
11 SSAFA 37
12 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 12
13 Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women 48
14 British Nuclear Test Veterans Association 48
15 War Widows Association 132
16 Gurkha Brigade Association 160 Anniversary
17 British Gurkha Welfare Society 100 Anniversary
18 West Indian Association of Service Personnel 18
19 Trucial Oman Scouts Association 18
20 Bond Van Wapenbroeders 35
21 Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain 25
22 Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów Limited 18 New
23 Royal Hong Kong Regiment Association 12
24 Canadian Veterans Association 10
25 Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen's Association (UK Branch) 24
26 Hong Kong Military Service Corps 28
27 Foreign Legion Association 24
28 Undivided Indian Army Ex Servicemen Association 11 New
Total 1,312
Column E
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Marines Association 198
2 Royal Naval Association 150
3 Merchant Navy Association 130
4 Sea Harrier Association 24
5 Flower Class Corvette Association 18
6 HMS Andromeda Association 18
7 HMS Argonaut Association 30
8 HMS Bulwark, Albion & Centaur Association 25
9 HMS Cumberland Association 18
10 HMS Ganges Association 48
11 HMS Glasgow Association 30
12 HMS St Vincent Association 26
13 HMS Tiger Association 25
14 Algerines Association 20
15 Ton Class Association 24
16 Type 42 Association 48
17 Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service 36
18 Association of WRENS 90
19 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association 10
20 Royal Naval Communications Association 30
21 Royal Naval Medical Branch Ratings & Sick Berth Staff Association 24
22 Royal Naval Benevolent Trust 18
23 Yangtze Incident Association 24
24 Special Boat Service Association 6
25 Submariners Association 30
26 Association of Royal Yachtsmen 30
27 Broadsword Association 36
28 Aircraft Handlers Association 36
29 Aircrewmans Association 40 Anniversary
30 Cloud Observers Association 10
31 The Fisgard Association 40
32 Fleet Air Arm Armourers Association 36
33 Fleet Air Arm Association 25
34 Fleet Air Arm Bucaneer Association 24
35 Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association 24
36 Fleet Air Arm Junglie Association 18
37 Fleet Air Arm Officers Association 30
38 Fleet Air Arm Safety Equipment & Survival Association 24
39 Royal Navy School of Physical Training 24
Total 1,497
Column F
Marker Detachment Number
1 Blind Veterans UK 198
2 Far East Prisoners of War 18
3 Burma Star Association 40
4 Monte Cassino Society20
5 Queen's Bodyguard of The Yeoman of The Guard 18
6 Pen and Sword Club 15
7 TRBL Ex-Service Members 301
8 The Royal British Legion Poppy Factory 4
9 The Royal British Legion Scotland 24
10 Officers Association 5
11 Black and White Club 18
12 National Pigeon War Service 30
13 National Service Veterans Alliance 50
14 Gallantry Medallists League 46
15 National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association 98
16 National Gulf Veterans & Families Association 30
17 Fellowship of the Services 100
18 Memorable Order of Tin Hats 24
19 Suez Veterans Association 50
20 Aden Veterans Association 72
21 1st Army Association 36
22 Showmens' Guild of Great Britain 40
23 Special Forces Club 12
24 The Spirit of Normandy Trust 28
25 Italy Star Association, 1943-1945, 48
Total 1,325
Column A
Marker Detachment Number
1 1LI Association 36
2 Royal Green Jackets Association 198
3 Parachute Regimental Association 174
4 King's Own Scottish Borderers 60
5 Black Watch Association 45
6 Gordon Highlanders Association 60
7 Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association 12
8 Queen's Own Highlanders Regimental Association 48
9 London Scottish Regimental Association 30
10 Grenadier Guards Association 48
11 Coldstream Guards Association 48
12 Scots Guards Association 48
13 Guards Parachute Association 36
14 4 Company Association (Parachute Regiment) 24
15 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 72
16 Royal East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) Past & Present Association 30
17 Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Regimental Association 24
18 Royal Hampshire Regiment Comrades Association 14
19 The Royal Hampshire Regimental Club 24 New for 2015
20 Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 48 New
21 Royal Sussex Regimental Association 12
22 Green Howards Association 24
23 Cheshire Regiment Association 24
24 Sherwood Foresters & Worcestershire Regiment 36
25 Mercian Regiment Association 30
26 Special Air Service Regimental Association 4
27 The King's Own Royal Border Regiment 100
28 The Staffordshire Regiment 48
29 Rifles Regimental Association 40
30 The Rifles & Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Association 30
31 Durham Light Infantry Association 60
32 King's Royal Rifle Corps Association 50
33 King's African Rifles 14 New for 2015
Total 1,551
Column M
Marker Detachment Number
1 Transport For London 48
2 Children of the Far East Prisoners of War 60
3 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 24
4 Munitions Workers Association18
5 Evacuees Reunion Association48
6 TOC H 20
7 Salvation Army 36
8 Naval Canteen Service & Expeditionary Force Institutes Association 12 Previously NAAFI
9 Royal Voluntary Service 24
10 Civil Defence Association 8
11 National Association of Retired Police Officers 36
12 Metropolitan Special Constabulary 36
13 London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 36
14 London Ambulance Service Retirement Association 18
15 St John Ambulance 36
16 British Red Cross 12
17 St Andrew's Ambulance Association 6
18 The Firefighters Memorial Trust 24
19 Royal Ulster Constabulary (GC) Association 36
20 Ulster Special Constabulary Association 30
21 Commonwealth War Graves Commission 12
22 Daniel's Trust 36
23 Civilians Representing Families 180
24 Royal Mail Group Ltd 24
25 Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 24
26 The Blue Cross 24
27 PDSA 24
28 HM Ships Glorious Ardent & ACASTA Association 24 Anniversary
29 Old Cryptians' Club 12
30 Fighting G Club 18 Anniversary
31 Malayan Volunteers Group 12
32 Gallipoli Association 18
33 Ministry of Defence 20
34 TRBL Non Ex-Service Members 117
35 TRBL Women's Section 20
36 Union Jack Club 12
37 Western Front Association 8
38 Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign 18
39 Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes 24
40 National Association of Round Tables 24
41 Lions Club International 24
42 Rotary International 24
43 41 Club 6
44 Equity 12
45 Romany & Traveller Society 18
46 Sea Cadet Corps 30
47 Combined Cadet Force 30
48 Army Cadet Force 30
49 Air Training Corps 30
50 Scout Association 30
51 Girlguiding London & South East England 30
52 Boys Brigade 30
53 Girls Brigade England & Wales 30
54 Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade 30
55 Metropolitan Police Volunteer Police Cadets 18
56 St John Ambulance Cadets 18
57 YMCA 12
Total 1,621
44 Infantry Group Mission Readiness Exercise
130 Defence Forces soldiers from the 44 Infantry Group are entering the final phase of intense training in preparation for the forthcoming deployment to the United Nations Disengagement Observation Forces, (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights region of Syria.
The training took place in the Glen Immal Co Wicklow. The personnel of the unit have a mix of experience, from first trip soldiers and officers, to highly experienced Senior NCO's and Commanders.
The 44 Infantry Group wil deploy to Syria in March, taking over from the 43 Infantry Group who have been serving with UNDOF since September 2013.
The Mission Readiness exercise put commanders and soldiers through a demanding series of scenarios based on the potential threats they may be encountered in the volatile mission area. The Troops face a series of scenarios involving simulated explosive strikes, air mobile helicopter drills,anti-ambush tactics, detailed operational planning and medical evacuation exercises.
It's hard at the frontline.
Cucumbers die. Cucumbers get saved.
And occasionally, cucumbers defy explanation.
Crikey.
Unexpected.
Yup.
Anyway...er maybe you'd love to:
Strobist:
Two Bowens Gemini Pro 500's with big softboxes camera left and right at 45 degrees, both set on 3.3. Triggered by PC cord cable.
Old WWII coastal defense battery at the mouth of St. John's harbour in Newfoundland. These forts have fallen into ruin since the war but still contain a couple of British 4.7 Quick Fire guns. This shot taken from a boat.
Defence Minister Anita Anand, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly listen to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland speak during a media availability following a cabinet retreat, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022 in Ottawa. Trudeau says Canada is extending its mission to train Ukrainian soldiers by three years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
ODC-Defence
A delicate plant like Rose Of Sharon is a tasty treat for deer. Putting it in a tall cage is the way to keep them from getting to the leaves. I'll have to find another deterrent once the plant gets bigger.
Israeli soldiers maintain their Merkava tanks at a deployment area near the border with Syria at the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on May 6, 2013. Syria has accused Israel of launching a series of airstrikes this weekend on targets near the Lebanon/Syria border, including an arms shipment and the Jamraya research centre, that was thought to produce chemical weapons.
Found this old International ex Civil Defence truck planted in a flower border at the back of a restaurant. I love rusty old vehicles, but I would love to see this restored.
Air Defence Battalion:
- Battalion/Battery HQ:
6x L82A1 Riflemen
1x Warrior IFV
1x M103 MCV
1x MX-14 Truck
- Anti-Air Missile Battery:
4x L82A1 Riflemen
3x MLT Trucks
2x MX-17 with troop shelter/fire control
1x MX-17 with Air Search Radar
- MANPADS Team
6x L82A1 Riflemen
8x MANPADS equipped L82A1 Riflemen (Paid for as MANPADS)
2x Leyland DAF Trucks (Glorfindel)
- RAPIER LADT
13x L82A1 Riflemen (8x= RAPIER Crewmen w/ Rifles)
1x Land Rover (LWB)
3x Leyland DAF Trucks (Glorfindel)
2x MANPADS equipped L82A1 Riflemen (Paid for as MANPADS)
2x RAPIER Mk.1 SAM's
- Mobile AAA Unit
6x L82A1 Riflemen
3x Milda IV Mobile AAA
1x Leyland DAF Truck
2x Land Rovers (LWB)
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the last full week of November, 2016.
A quick trip down to the Harbour area, just to check out progress here. This is a section of the flood protection scheme that I have pretty much ignored -- it's inconvenient for me to access, and others cover it much better.
Check out 'Turgidson'.
Standing on an access bridge, adjacent to the Bray Boxing Club (from whence sprang Katie Taylor, and others of illustrious note), looking back up the river, towards the town direction.
In the foreground is the Railway bridge, and in the distance we can see some construction works taking place on the Ravenswell Road, temporarily closed due to on-going works.
That is the site of the old Bray Golf Club -- hotly contested as a (potentially) poorly considered site for a shopping centre development complex, and still an area of ground that has to act as a flood plain in the event of tidal surges.
The Irish Rail Bridge, Bray Harbour:
Phase 1 flood defence works to the Irish Rail bridge commenced in August 2016.
Phase 2 flood defence works will be completed during May to September 2017. This work is being undertaken directly by Irish Rail.
The work includes strengthening the integrity of the bridge by creating buttresses around the base of each pillar.
To do this they have to pile-drive sheets into the river bedrock.
The work is complicated by;
(a) the need not to damage or disturb in any way the actual bridge itself (Irish Rail train and DART carriages pass overhead on an hourly basis), (b) the confined spaces under the bridge, and (c) the twice-daily rising tides from Bray Harbour which spill upriver into the newly expanded basin.
To create proper foundations for the columns, the guys are having to drive steel piles deep into the bed of the river. Similar to work done elsewhere. Within that waterproof chamber, they set/poured concrete to build the columns.
This pile driving work here involves a sub-contractor using an excavator-mounted vibratory pile driver – possibly a ‘Movax’ model. That’s the combination they used in 2014 with the work opposite La Vallee.
Very delicate work - pick up, adjust grip, swivel, align, interlink with previous pile, and then drive downwards.
Once driven down to the required depth, a weldor comes along and makes short shift of cutting through to the proper height. The excavator then grips the upright spar and gently 'breaks' it off. You might ask -- why not cut the sheet beforehand? It would make life easier for everyone, especially when 'driving' it down to the bedrock in such tight confines.
Israeli soldiers rest before an exercise in built up area on July 3, 2018 in Tzeelim, South Israel. The soldiers practiced fighting in the Gaza Strip against Hamas militants.
Source: Getty Images Europe
Dover Castle, Kent, England
Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent, England and is Grade I listed. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history.
Some writers say it is the largest castle in England a title also claimed by Windsor Castle.
Estonian Soldiers during their final mission readiness exercise in the vicinity of ̃ before deploying to Iraq as part of ESTGUARD-4, which is part of the NATO Iraq Mission.
Photos: Estonian Defence Force
Shot taken at the old cemetery in Bad Godesberg with a Nikon D90 converted to capture infrared images above 820nm.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the 3rd week of December, 2016.
These images show the (completed) work on the soil stabilisation project, opposite the Riversdale apartment complex, where critical work was necessary to protect and preserve a steep section of the slope.
Some 4 years ago the steep part of the bank had been stripped away and a lot of work invested in 'soil stitching', intended to stabilise the integrity of such a steep, but 'exposed' bank. The soil on the hill behind had been prone to slippage, aggravated by shallow rooting trees etc.
It would seem that yet another strip will have to be similarly treated to 'preserve' it's integrity.
Check out the images here, taken in August 2012:
The Maniscopic forklift carried a platform upon which the contractors mounted a drilling rig - used to bore drills into the steeply sloped bank, which are then injected with a liquid cement solution and finished out with fastening rods.
The guys then laid rolls of heavy-duty mesh in long verticals. The mesh is caught around the sunken rods, and secured with an anchor cap to keep in place.
Not sure whether these are bio, or non-bio degradable mesh rolls. But they do look more like synthetic rather than geofabric material.
The little Bedford 4x4 is favoured to transport materials, and men, to and fro along the Slang/Rehills section of the riverbank.
At this time of year, and with the conditions prevailing, they park the vehicle close to where the top of the banks narrow, and proceed on foot. Only tracked or forklift machinery proceeds the full length to the work area.
As we saw, it's slow, messy, mucky and remorseless work.
Not without an element of danger.
And, just as suddenly, they were gone.
The temporary working 'shelf' stripped away, and the river returned to it's normal width.
But, something doesn't seem right/complete.
Some of the synthetic strips seem to be simply attached, with considerable 'space' behind, and no evidence of any kind of hydro-seeding etc.
That slope does not, to my untrained eye, look like something designed to withstand 10 years of 'climate warming' excesses.
When does the first tree come tumbling down?