FIELD NOTES / GALLUS ARCHIVE

Field Notes

Campaign history built to be read: political context, battlefield ground, commanders, first-hand service perspective and remembrance — connected rather than dumped into one feed.

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Every article belongs to a wider campaign space. Use the campaign links above for a guided reading order, or browse the archive below by publication date.

FALKLANDS WAR

Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands War: Political Leadership in 1982

Margaret Thatcher’s role in the Falklands War: from the Argentine invasion and the decision to send a task force to diplomacy, military victory and the political consequences of 1982.

The Basra Memorial Wall at the National Memorial Arboretum; remembrance context for Corporal Paul Joszko, not a portrait of him

IRAQ / TELIC

In Remembrance: Corporal Paul Joszko — 2 Royal Welsh, Basra, 28 June 2007

I remember Corporal Paul Joszko of 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh here as part of the human cost of TELIC 10. He was killed in Basra on 28 June 2007 alongside Private...

US Marines operating in Fallujah during Operation al-Fajr in November 2004

IRAQ / TELIC

Fallujah 2004: The Two Battles, Operation Phantom Fury & the British Role // Log 051

Ryan Small’s first-person, source-led guide to both Battles of Fallujah in 2004: Vigilant Resolve, Phantom Fury, the urban battle and the precise British role of the Black Watch battlegroup in North Babil.

Camp Bastion Memorial Wall in Helmand; remembrance context for Private James Prosser, not a portrait of him

AFGHANISTAN

In Remembrance: Private James Prosser — 2 Royal Welsh, Musa Qalah, 27 September 2009

I remember Private James Prosser here as part of the A Company and Musa Qalah story I served inside on HERRICK 10/11. Pross, of 2 Platoon, was killed by an IED while...

Queen’s Royal Lancers Challenger 2 patrolling outside Basra during Operation TELIC 4, June 2004

IRAQ / TELIC

Challenger 2 in Iraq 2003: British Armour in the Battle for Basra // Log 050

Jamie Waldron’s first-person, source-led field guide to Challenger 2’s combat debut in Iraq in 2003: the Basra Box, combined-arms operations, armour protection, the entry into Basra, the fatal 25 March friendly-fire incident...

British forces operating in Al Amarah, Maysan Province in June 2004; operational context for the Battle of Danny Boy, not a photograph of the battle

IRAQ / TELIC

Battle of Danny Boy 2004: Ambush, Counter-Attack & the Al-Sweady Inquiry // Log 049

Ryan Small’s first-person, source-led field guide to the Battle of Danny Boy on 14 May 2004: the Route 6 ambush, the Warrior quick-reaction force, 28 Iraqi dead and nine detainees, the body-identification...

British troops removing name plaques from the Camp Bastion Memorial Wall for repatriation; remembrance context for Private Richard Hunt, not a portrait of him

AFGHANISTAN

In Remembrance: Private Richard Hunt — 2 Royal Welsh, Musa Qalah, August 2009

I remember Private Richard Hunt here as part of the A Company and Musa Qalah story I served inside on HERRICK 10/11. Hunty, of 2 Platoon, was wounded by an IED on...

Irish Guards soldier covering Royal Engineers at a burning oil well in Basra, 3 April 2003

IRAQ / TELIC

Basra 2003–2009: Britain’s Main Iraq Front — Invasion, Occupation, Basra Palace & Withdrawal // Log 048

I served in southern Iraq on TELIC 3, TELIC 6 and TELIC 10, and they felt like three very different campaigns. This first-person Basra field guide combines the invasion and occupation chronology...

Major General Robin Brims at Basra Airport in April 2003

IRAQ / TELIC

Major General Robin Brims: 1 (UK) Armoured Division & the Invasion of Iraq 2003

A biography of Major General Robin Brims, commander of 1 (UK) Armoured Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq: the British order of battle, the southern Iraq mission, the capture of Basra...

British Army memorial service in Helmand Province; remembrance context for Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett, not a portrait of him

AFGHANISTAN

In Remembrance: Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett — 2 Royal Welsh, Musa Qaleh, 14 March 2009

H was a personal friend of mine. I remember Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett here as the 2 Royal Welsh C Company sniper killed near Musa Qaleh on 14 March 2009, while keeping...

Queen’s Royal Lancers Challenger 2 crossing into Iraq during Operation TELIC, 21 March 2003

IRAQ / TELIC

Operation TELIC 2003–2011: Complete British Iraq Campaign Guide — Invasion, Basra, Insurgency & Withdrawal // Log 047

I use this guide as the spine of Britain's Operation TELIC story, from the 2003 invasion through occupation, militia conflict, transition and withdrawal. Jamie Waldron's first-hand TELIC 3, 6 and 10 memories...

A British Challenger 2 crossing into Iraq on 21 March 2003; campaign context for the political road to the Iraq War, not a portrait of Saddam Hussein

IRAQ / TELIC

Iraq 1990–2003: The Political Road to War — Kuwait, Sanctions, Inspections & the 2003 Decision // Log 046

I approach the road to the 2003 Iraq War from the perspective of a soldier who later served there on TELIC 3, 6 and 10. This first-person political field note follows Kuwait,...