Ambush in Basra: How These British Soldiers Survived | TEA & MEDALS
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- čas přidán 19. 05. 2021
- In the first episode of our new podcast, we tell the story of Corporal Chris “Barney” Balmforth who was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery in Iraq.
He tells the story of how he fought off up to 10 heavily armed Iraqi terrorists and saved the lives of four of his comrades when his Land Rover was ambushed by rebels in Basra.
In Tea & Medals we follow former soldier and BFBS video producer, Darren Coventry as he talks to men and women who have received the UK’s highest military honours.
Hear them describe the captivating stories behind their acts of courage, bravery and valour.
You will also hear from those who witnessed the incidents behind these honours, who tell the story from their perspective and paint a fascinating picture of the personalities involved.
Also available wherever you get your podcasts! www.forces.net/teaandmedals
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BIG NEWS: The Team behind Tea and Medals have released a brand new podcast over on the Forces TV CZcams Channel. Let us know what you think of 'Near Death' czcams.com/video/-DDHeGaTEq8/video.htmlsi=oeurFUeqtSQuZQzO
Around the 21st minute mark is the perfect analogy when trying how to explain what makes the British Military such an elite force. His only thought was to get them out of danger even with his leg removed, using the stump for the clutch pedal and with his thighs hit from small arms fire. The British Military are built up differently during training, that's why it's nice to see us helping other allied forces with training.
Got to love the Brits and their fanatical devotion to the ideology of banter. One of them has both of his legs blown off and his mates are still having a go at him by asking if he thinks he can stand and that it's just scratch. Priceless.
He didn’t lose his legs. Very badly injured and was touch and go for a while. But recovered due to the amazing medical evacuation and treatment available. The banter would probably have been the same if he had been more seriously injured though.
Yeah but no. Niether of those is banter. The former is somebody, almost certainly with no medical training, misreading the severity of his wounds, likely due to stress/adrenaline. The latter is the corporal trying his well intentioned best to take his friend's mind off his wounds by downplaying them.
Dedicated as we are to the bants there's definately unwritten rules. To paraphrase the guy himself the art of banter lies in finding the line between 'serious' and 'dickhead'.
I had the great pleasure of working with Chris some years ago and apart from him not ageing one bit (I wonder how he does it)… he is one humble, but talented chap…..this was great to see……Heroes aren’t necessarily in your face, they can just be the people next door….
Excellent citation and clearly well deserved.
Absolutely So
you dont age normally after what they been through lol normal life can be easier if you have the support
youtube.com/@MdSohag-kp3fk
The two guys who served together are hilarious. Props to left guy for driving the central reservation
brave men one and all and .like this story i hope the British sense of humour will never fade
As a Brummie,these lads make me so proud.Thank you for your service .
"because you're a Professional Soldier!" ...sums up a LOT!
Bravo, these and all lads under fire.
So he let them go to fight/kill another day.
@@jules151968 that's the rules of engagement, as he said he'd be prosecuted if he'd killed them...
@@jules151968 so thats your main take away..a criticism
@@vanpallandt5799 Yea, a criticism of the rules of engagement.
@@jules151968 thats what soldiers have to obey..as he said not terrorists or guerrillas
One could say "thank you for your service", but it just doesn't seem enough. Suffice to say, you are all the very best of us.
Very remarkable account, extraordinary teamwork in a genuinely shocking situation. Always the best to our friends in the British Army from an appreciative American.
wonderful account of how our guys are the most professional military in the world... these guys are real heroes and deserve the respect that most times is missing from the general public.. a fantastic interview .... this should be on the BBC... not the hours of BS that they pump out of idiots being overpaid for doing nothing..
And yet it takes soldier A and B to ruin it.
@Syphax Atlas you should go to protest somewhere else. No one is interested your opinions. People die over there.
@@CreatureOTNight perhaps you should serve in the forces before making such a claim.
@Syphax Atlas By taking part in the Normandy Landings?
@@richardboote2370, that comment is EXACTLY RIGHT, there will always be idiots making stupid comments, usually never having served their country, so thank you for putting this idiot back in their place.
I was Royal Engineers 1985-1991. Support Corps i know, but even after all this time seeing these guys it's as if they're my work colleagues or very close friends.
I'm proud of them and will not have anything said against them. Such is the esprit de corps of H.M. Forces.
🇬🇧
Very proud of our armed forces, God bless them all ❤🇬🇧
Rather incredible to think that Cpl. Balmforth, after routing the ambush team, then paused to give first aid to the insurgent who had attacked him. As he says, his every instinct was to pursue and indeed execute the fleeing insurgents and yet his training and awareness of Rules Of Engagement came to the fore. (Whether those ROE are practical is another matter.) Instead of giving in to his anger he acted as he had been trained. I'm surprised that the actions of wounded trooper/driver 'Pikey' who, despite being gravely injured, managed to get his vehicle and crew to a place of relative safety, was not at least 'Mentioned In Dispatches'. We so often hear sensational tales of service personnel acting 'improperly' and yet stories such as this one remain generally unheard. xx SF
Pikey was awarded the Queens Commendation for Bravery. The awards process is largely conducted behind closed doors so we will never know their thinking or how they determined the award he would receive.
@@darrencoventry6788 That is good to hear, clearly this podcast is about Cpl Balmforth and his well deserved MC... many thanks Darren for letting us know Pikey was recognized also.
I did get awarded a queen's commendation for bravery,but this was missed in the interview,I didn't mention it and I'm not sure anyone else knew about it
you boys are legends.make us normal blokes feel silly. be proud of yourselves because we fucking are
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf" - G. Orwell
But these guys are also gents.
It makes me angry every time you see some sportsman or celebrity given a Knighthood for doing a pointless job. Yet our countries heroes are never given the same recognition.
@jason owen, I'm a disabled British war pensioner and one thing that I've discovered is that a true hero is humble! When they're telling their story, they're not bigging up their part and they always say that they could have done more or done things differently..... they're not happy in the spotlight and would prefer to be quietly going about their business. The exact opposite of the "Celebrity's" One of the best stories of this humility is Bill Speakman or William Speakman-Pitt who sold his Victoria Cross because he needed to replace the roof on his cottage.....what was more important? His VC or keeping the roof over his family's head... literally! Would a Celebrity do this? And who really deserves the Award or Medal?
@@joseywales3789 See to me and to many others in this country you are classed as a true hero. Somebody who has given so much yet is still humble. I think that is what the definition of a hero is. Yet the meaning of hero has been lost in recent times, footballers are classed as heroes nowadays. And i truly believe we should stop calling these people heroes. Especially when we have so many already living in our streets and communities that very rarely receive the recognition they deserve, such as yourself.
I know what you mean. And effectively, these guys are ensuring the sports stars and celebrities have the freedom, choice and security to do their thing in the first place.
10% off their massive pay cheques for the Forces wouldn't be unreasonable.
Thats modern day when heros dont take lives or do things that would joe civi into a world of legal hurt. You join the forces these days knowing that at worse you wont make it out and at best you aint going to find it easy on civi street.
Considering that the UK has already pulled out of Afghanistan, with a lot of dead people as a consequence of the invasion, leaving it to the Taliban, i would say that what these men were doing was equally pointless. Who gained from this, except military contractors and Afghani druglords?
I'm glad the Brits are our allies they know how to fight and are very professional not to mention tough sobs
A cracking interview , their the reason the British army is one of the best fighting forces in the world.
Bloody well done Barney and Pikey !! And Tea and Medals is a great concept, excellent, all the blokes involved are top notch. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to the guys tell their story. We need more of it. Cheers, Robbo, ex-Cav, RAAC, Australian Army
I think the world would be a totally different place if we didn’t have these guys. Well done fellas! 👍
They all deserved medals and that they are alive and enjoying life and sharing incredible stories like this is really appreciated by those that understand sacrifices these guys made.
My dad was in the marines,my uncle was in the marines,my cousin was in the navy,my mum was in the navy,my sister was in the navy,another uncle was in the navy..I joined the RAF..
No ones perfect mate, don’t beat yourself up! 😉
Thank you all for your service, my family are all ex-services.
7% of people need to be differant 😂
Bah bah rainbow politically correct sheep.
Don’t dwell on it🤣 my dad was in the RAF and I was a Booty.
gee there's a pattern here. A kiwi here, I was in Cambodia in '92. My troop (communications) were based in Stung Treng sector (northern border, we had borders with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam). We had been in location for about 3 months when a civilian kiwi guy and his Swedish girlfriend turned up at our HQ, back packing around Cambodia. The country was under cease fire with sparodic fighting around the place, certainly not a safe place to be wondering around ...
@Craig Rik, I'm a disabled British war pensioner and I'm always amazed at the stupidity of some people! Einstein said “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” About sums it up! I sometimes wonder if humanity is getting more foolish as I'm pretty sure that they didn't have New Zealand backpackers/hitchhikers wandering around no mans land in the Somme or tourists heading to Berlin in the summer of 1945. It's probably best to stay out of War Zones unless you've got a very good reason to be there! Even then, keep your head on a swivel!
Touble with kiwis they come from peaceful islands expecting the whole world to be the same. Or maybe theyre love of sheep have turned them bonkers.
Real heroes,real men and a fantastic documentary. Thanks for your service,your country is proud of you 👍🏻 ❤️
I was in 16 Battery in Basra, same tour. The Shia was a mad place to patrol through, proper cowboys and indians stuff. The one night BFBS came on patrol with us was "The night of the Donkeys" absolutely not a soul out apart from donkeys. We had our worst day on 22nd March 2004.
Hi mate, was that riots by O.S.B? Bad day that was
What an absolutely _incredible_ series
This is some of the most powerful first-hand combat accounts I've ever seen.. hits like those 70's Vietnam documentaries
Absolutely outstanding
All love and success 🇬🇧
Wow!! One of the most inspiring, uplifting and utterly devastating interviews i have ever seen. Much love to you guys for all you have been through and sacrificed. Great interview bfbs !! 💗
All the forces deserve our fullest support - well done lads keep smiling
I can not claim to have experienced the life, I had choices that led me down a different path. Thank you all, and I wish there was more that I could do to support you all. Stay strong , you were and always should be, you are amazing.
Typically understated and low-key, our service personnel are the pride of our nation and God bless 'em all. Relative lightweight here with one 1970s UNFICYP tour and a few postings on Banner in the 80s. Had to wait till well after discharge to get out to Kandahar as a relative dinosaur on contract. These people are on another level and we should all be proud of them.
It's amazing to listen to...veterans regardless of army or country, sound similar. The same things are funny, the same things irritating, the same things remarkable.
Keep these coming! Incredible work....I could listen to our veterans endlessly, what a story too!
LISTEN TO WAR CRIMINALS ITS FUN FOR THE WAPTE PERSONS
I keep rewatching these. You should make more tea and medals interviews they’re brilliant.
When I ever watch these type of thing's, one thing what must keep them going. The sense of humour they have.
AS A FORMER INFANTRY SOLDIER A SENSE OF HUMOUR ( Military Humour) KEEPS YOUR SPIRIT UP, THROUGH GOOD AND BAD TIMES. I MYSELF HAVE EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS COMBAT SITUATIONS. THE BRITISH ARMY IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD. WELL DONE MEN. THANKYOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. CIVILIANS WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND. AND YET WHEN THERE IS AN EMERGENCY THE ARMY IS ALWAYS THERE TO HELP. PROUD TO BE BRITISH. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN .
They also enjoy watching the corpse of a dead toddler laying over her toys, while listening to her mother crying and begging to not kill her aswell (Basically the only thing the "heroes" in nato is capable of )
That is, if they do not get killed by a couple farmers with sandals though
Good interview. Remembering all those who weren't so lucky including Major Matthew Bacon, my brothers mate from school.
I believe I bumped into the gentleman who was the sgt major a few times at camp wolf in 2003.
I was born and raised in Scotland but served in the United States Army.
I met a lot of British servicemen while serving especially in Kuwait/Iraq my team was situated just behind the mortuary affairs for a few weeks and was haunted by the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice coming in there.
The soldiers I met were brilliant and I managed to get supplies to some of them to make things more comfortable.
I believe the chaplains name was Paul, occasionally I would swing by the tent and watch an episode of Corrie and pick up a brew and a daily mirror.
Just outstanding fellas.
But unfortunately we had to witness the lorry bringing back the dead it took a toll on everyone.
Thank you all for your efforts.
Quality lads! it's nice to have you all back home and thank you for telling the story
Total respect from a fellow veteran guys,an honour!!
Unfortunately it just shows how unprepared we were, a tank regiment going to war in land rovers!!
Small world! I was an American MP working with you all from Basra to Talil AB. We hung out with a Brit yall called Bashum (sp?). March '03 to July '03. We were Det. 1, 302 nd MP co. Texas.
Respect MP there that got to be tough
6 british mp's not so fortunate
Having little ammo and wearing
Red berets were mistaken for paras
And executed!
The British Soldier is an ordinary person who routinely achieves extraordinary things. Wonderful story and I know the location from my time at the Shatt al Arab Hotel in 2006.
Thank you for this brilliant video & thank you to all the men & women who serve to keep this country safe. Huge respect 👏
Awesome tale, thanks for telling it. Thank you all for your Service.
Thank you all for your service and sacrifices. Respect brothers.
An awesome and inspiring tale....Thank you
Thanks for your service guys - much love 👍
These things amaze me.
My father served in WWII and his stories about the few fights he was in (plus all the time in other activities after the war was over, but before he went home), are like this.
Rambling, back and forth in time, full of the ridiculous, the strange dissociative moments, horrific incidents quickly passed over, the well-remembered good officers and mates... it's a delight to hear.
As a veteran myself and had my son who did two tours in Iraq I can honestly say that the boots on the ground did what was asked of them and much much more besides, and I don’t think ANY of the coalition partners could have done more, however, the fact is that the coalition wasn’t wanted there, our political masters decided that Afghanistan needed to be “westernised” and tried to impose our ideal, ideology, and way of life upon them, our politicians didn’t learn a thing from the Russians experiences or from further back in history our own follies in their country. It is no surprise to me, and I dare say any boot that was deployed there that, as has been proven in recent days by the Americans leaving in the dead of night, without telling their Afghan counterparts, that after all is said and done, the Afghan people will return, more or less, to the way of life they have lived for centuries, that of a tribal and feudal civilisation. Why did we (by we I mean leadership) get a surprise when the tensions between our men and women and the Afghan military/police and citizens started to show almost immediately after we established ourselves in their country, why were we surprised that those we were there to help turned on us from within their armed forces and police, and WHY did so many brave service personnel have to either show enormous courage, determination, and sense of responsibility when these terrible events happened, and WHY did so many have to pay the ultimate price for our political folly.
Cpl Balmforth richly and deservedly was awarded his Military Medal, his actions speak louder than any words can, but I wish, and I would imagine he does too, that he was never put in the position where he had to take the actions he did, nonetheless I salute him and every other person who has, is and will serve, and to all those that paid the ultimate price, RIP, Lest We Forget.
Thanks for posting this incredibly moving and emotive tribute to Cpl Balmforth. 😀☹️😡🥲👍🇬🇧🏴
How can you move all that gear over night , don't believe all you read .
@@philsinfield4665 The Americans left tonnes behind. Shipping containers full of weapons. You only have to look at the latest news clips from Afghanistan to see that the Taliban are holding American combat rifles and not the usual AK47. Many are wearing body armour too.
@@philsinfield4665
But you weren't there!
Yeah and they had left all the armoured vehicles even helicopters I myself am a veteran and wish I never had to set foot in that country but as usual we will forever do the work of the politicians and risk our own lives while they sit in their comfortable chairs etc with their loads and loads of money and not have to worry about a thing.
This series of documentaries is superb, exceptional storytelling from exceptionally brave people.
All our service personnel deserve our support , so when you see that poppy tin put in as much as you can because we owe our freedom because of their sacrifice.
thank you guys for all you do and did,god bless you.
I helped train the police support unit that passed out on 30 Oct 03 attached to the QLR's on op telic 2, you probably ended up with some of those boys.
I got IED'd on the road in to palace but luckily the device didn't initiate properly.
That was the most dangerous tour I deployed on, but perversely, the one I enjoyed the most. I still have the program for the PSU pass out parade!
Matt...Was on Optelic 2 back in 2003.Not a good tour for the M.P's Al Amarah/Basra nr the Palace.Two seperate incidents.Also QLR's lost their O.C in marked army ambulance.(i.e.d)enroute to B.I.A from Shaibah Log base.Not forgetting the Basra riots Aug 03.I was up at Camp Abu Naji when that kicked off..Numerous other incidents too,Not good but enjoyed the tour too.!!.....
@@exrfn Hi mate. It wasn't an OC we lost, It was Capt Dai Jones, can't remember what job he was doing but he was just hitching a lift in the ambulance if I remember. In the back of it was a Sgt from one of our TA coys who was a former WG that survived Sir Galahad, he was being transported for treatment after being stabbed in the arse during a riot.
Great story, very well told.
really good video BFBS Creative. I broke the thumbs up on your video. Always keep up the brilliant work.
So glad I found this. I was on Telic 3, In Basra. (october 2003 - may 2004)
Thanks for sharing !
We are so lucky in the UK to have guys and girls like you looking after us 👍
A great story and well told
Outstanding.
Tea & Medals is amazing, subscribed.
This is whole thing is lunacy. We see British soldiers showing exemplary courage and Barney showing astonishing restraint (he could have smoked the minibus full of retreating insurgents) , Pikey (who should have at least got a Mention in Despatches for driving his vehicle out of the kill zone) lost a leg and then they lads get interviewed THREE TIMES by the RMP in case they've done something wrong.
As the RMP with Barney and attached to his unit I was also interviewed. But nobody was treated as suspects in this scenario. It was early days in an insurgency and not many people had been ambushed like this (that was to change very quickly) so everyone was interviewed as a victim and for evidence gathering in case Pikey had died and there was a need for a coroners inquiry. As time went on investigations into this kind of incident were led at unit level and only involved service police if there was a death. Pikey was fortunate and kept his leg, he was recognised as well.
@@darrencoventry6788 Thanks for coming back with this info and making me better informed.
Love these stories. Impossible to imagine it happening in real life.
Thanks for service guys
Awesome lads! Gentlemen! Guy From Northern Ireland with military family here you boys, brave hero's we salute you.
So proud of these brave men.
The word that comes to my mind is “Tenacity “ well done the Team !!.👏👏👏👏👏
Great video. Respect to all of these guys. I salute you.
The way he laughs.
You learn to laugh like that when you have been thru trauma.
Great story and great way of bantering through it. Lets get the right medal for the footless driver! Its never too late and his reactionary resolve was more than deserving of it. Come on, get on with it!!
Hey thanks for this,top quality stuff
Thank you for your service, gentlemen.
We hope you enjoyed this series Jeremy. We have just confirmed a second series so make sure you are subscribed if you want to see more.
That was brilliant. Superb video
More of these please.
First off, those guys were hysterical. They were joking about the worst day of their lives. The best part of this video is the interviewer (A) giving the soldier a chance to tell their story, and (B) then having them listen to others talk about their observation of the action. Thanks, I really enjoy these videos and I'll forward them along.
Thatz because that wasnt the last of it. There were still many months of that tour and then more yet in 2006 with another ambush situation
Great channel and great interviews
Top lads amazing heroism and such great banter!! UK military best in the world !!!! keep doing these videos ❤️
My hubby is long dead, he was royal engineers. It would be nice if you would or could do a programme on the corps units, e.g. reme wedgies signals, etc tell the people what the do. All people assume the military is cavalry and infantry.
I’m Sorry for your loss .
You have a good point re who ‘ gets the glory’ . Nothing can happen without the guys behind the scenes.,
BZ boys,you did a stirling job.Got to love the way our guys laugh off such a terrible time.
Love that sense of humour of our British Military ...........................................
On another level unless you have been part of this Formidable Mob ;)
Then it's another day in Paradise
Amazing story! Respect to you servicemen and women hearts of lions 💪🇬🇧
What a brilliant way of doing these gents justice.
If you've enjoyed this episode of Tea & Medals, why don't you grab another brew and listen to the other episodes in the series? Find them here on our CZcams channel - czcams.com/play/PLLhFHD8go5ZdrgsP1TdMXo3GPzrVPK8Ha.html - or wherever you get your podcasts!
Pull up a sand bag init 😜
This is excellent!
Incredible blokes!...ALL of you!
Great stuff!
An amazing story by some amazing squadies.
I was out on Op Telic. Huge respect to you guys, a challenging situation. Well done Barney and all his Brothers in Arms.
Only just brought myself to watch this😂😂😂thanks for making me do the interview boys,glad were all still here😂😂😂😂😂
Respect brother..... good drills!
Well done lads.
This series is incredibly good. Please do more!
There is more on the way! ☕
@@BFBSCreative outstanding. As a photographer I really appreciate the effort with the making of this series. As a member of a 'broadly' military family it is great to spend time listening/watching military people discuss their experiences in such an forthright manner.
Simply proud to be British, Pikey, you’re a hero!!!
😂😂😂😂😂thanks
Major respect serving with father that incredible as a civvie thanks to whole family they sound amazing 🇬🇧
Barnforth, is a born warrior. Fast thinking and aggressive. All soldiers should have an attitude like he has.
Amazing story
Brilliant thx
Superb.
This needs to be made into a movie
I was A Coy Ftrs section 1rrw and was stationed in osb at the time of this. It was a hard tour. 20bde guys should be proud of the good work we achieved
I think Pikey and I we were taken back to Bath Party HQ with the RRW then. And Pikey was helicopter casevac from there. Pretty confusing time so might be a bit wrong on the actual camp. I personally was dropped off at the front gate of Basra Palace a bit later and walked back in.
@@darrencoventry6788 I find It so hard to remember so much stuff but also remember other stuff vividly. I think party HQ was where C Coy Rrw and the artillery battery where stationed
Thank you, boys ❤🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
"good work" in question:
Dead Toddlers and Women
Looting and destroying civilians' property
Nobody with sense sets out to be brave. They set out to do a task. They do what's needed, even forcing themselves to complete the task despite every nerve telling gem to freeze or quit. They carry on because they couldn't live with themselves if they didn't, or it could cost someone hard or leave mates in the shit.
I've seen a young guy stand crying and shaking, looking broken, but he didn't stop and smashed on at his task, when he had nothing left.
Greatest thing I ever saw. Proper makes you proud of human spirit.
These are remarkable people.