Saltires at half mast in Helmand

AS THE hot desert sun sank across Camp Bastion last night, two Scottish soldiers stopped to pay their respects to one of their own.

Lance-Corporal James Johnson, 31, of B Company, 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, who was killed on Saturday by a mine while on patrol in the town of Lashkar Gah, was the first member of the regiment to lose his life in Afghanistan during its latest tour of Helmand Province, and the impact of his death could be keenly felt among the hundreds of Scottish troops currently based here.

All over Camp Bastion, Lion Rampants and Saltires fluttered at half mast. In the Naafi café, Sky News flashed up the latest bulletins on the attack. Outside, several soldiers from the battalion – the word "Argylls" proudly printed on the backs of their T-shirts – sat, their faces set firm, sipping Cokes and cans of Irn-Bru. Meanwhile, soldiers from the 2nd and 4th battalions, currently based here, talked about the devastating impact of losing a colleague.

Captain Philip Morgan, 28, a Dollar Academy-educated graduate of Edinburgh University, was among them. "It's very upsetting when there's a death in the regiment," he said. "A lot of our soldiers and officers swap around between our battalions, so a lot of our colleagues know each other."

The death of L-Cpl Johnson marks a turning point in Scotland's role in the war in Helmand province, where 1,350 Scottish troops are currently fighting the Taleban in some of the harshest conditions on earth. This latest tour, at a time when the death toll has risen shockingly quickly – 13 soldiers have now been killed here over the past three weeks – had so far brought no fatalities for the Royal Regiment, created in 2004 from five famous old Scottish regiments. L-Cpl Johnson's death changes that.

Do the Scots soldiers worry that it may be the start of a spate of deaths?

"Actually, I think it pulls the guys together more," Capt Morgan said. "They see a fatality or an injury and they all rally around each other. They all want to prevent any such incidents from happening again. But it's a very moving experience for them. Such is the will to do well and keep together as a cohesive unit though, they're generally quite a strong bunch."

Down at the vehicle enclosure, members of 2 Scots Mastiff Company are keen to show us around their vehicles, 36 of which are now stationed in Helmand. The Mastiff is currently the British Army's best defence against roadside bombs.

With more than eight tons of armour and looking remarkably like its name – all grizzly iron bars and grills – it can deal with, and has dealt with, IED (Improvised Explosive Device) attacks – the new favourite form of assault by the Taleban.

"One of our vehicles went over one a few days ago," Lance-Corporal James McKenna, 23, from Dumbarton, said. "They didn't notice until someone pointed out the wheels had blown off."

These soldiers, some as young as 20, are friendly and chatty, talking about their experiences of public support at home – "people always support you when you come back home, they welcome you", says one – and laughing and joking. It's clear they are all very close.

"We rib each other, but ultimately you look after each other," L-Cpl McKenna said.

Young as these soldiers may be, they understand the reality of the enemy they are fighting.

"The Taleban should never be underestimated," L-Cpl McKenna said. "Anyone who says they're just normal people are wrong. They're a good fighting force."

The lads were, unsurprisingly, upset at the death of L-Cpl Johnson. "It brings it home how dangerous it is here," Fusilier Darren Philipson, 20, from Kilmarnock, said.

"It brings us down. Especially if the attacks have been somewhere that you've been operating.

"We worked with 5 Scots day in, day out. So when you realise it's one of those boys, you're shocked."

Meanwhile, some miles away, Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary and MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, had flown in to Lashkar Gah, where British forces in Helmand are headquartered, on a whirlwind tour of the province.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Afghanistan was a "noble cause" and that "very real progress" was being made.

He said there were now six million children in school in the country, including two million girls, compared with 2001, when only 200,000 boys were enrolled and girls were banned from receiving an education altogether.

However, Mr Alexander said Afghanistan was still a "desperately poor country" and its development would be a "long-term challenge".

"That's why it's so critical that, alongside the military effort that's being expended, there is also real effort being put in to build the capacity of the Afghan government to deliver the kind of services that people want to see – whether education, whether health or, more basically, law and order," he said.

"So there has to be a seamless match between the military effort and the civilian effort."

For the soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, that match is central to their campaign here in Helmand. And, indeed, camp life trundles on. Chinook helicopters putter overhead, taking troops to forward operating bases throughout the province, while Apache helicopter gunships take off around us.

With about 3,000 troops operating out of here at any one time and a second Bastion Camp (the cunningly named Bastion Two) being constructed, it is a nerve centre that looks like being at the heart of the British Army's campaign in Afghanistan for a long time to come.

But, as darkness crept over the desert sky once more, Camp Bastion's flags remained resolutely at half mast.

It was a stark reminder of the realities of this war, and an acknowledgement that no fatality will ever be forgotten.

Father tells of pride as colleagues honour soldier killed by mine explosion

RHIANNON EDWARD

THE father of a British soldier killed by a mine explosion in Afghanistan spoke yesterday of his pride in his son.

Lance-Corporal James Johnson, 31, of B Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was part of a vehicle checkpoint patrol operating in the Lashkar Gar area when he died in the blast on Saturday.

He was born in Scotland but grew up in Chatham, Kent.

His father, Lawrence Johnson, said: "I am very proud of my son for being a soldier. It was his life. He loved it."

L-Cpl Johnson, who was engaged, was attending to a report of an attack on a civilian aircraft when an anti-personnel mine detonated, killing him instantly.

His death takes to 110 the number of British service personnel who have lost their lives since the start of operations in Afghanistan in November 2001.

His partner, Bernadette Broadley, said: "He was my best friend and my fiancé. I am very, very proud of him."

L-Cpl Johnson, who was known as Jimmy, joined the 1st Battalion the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1997. He served with the Close Observation Platoon (COP) in Belfast from 2001 to 2003 before qualifying as a sniper section commander. He served on a tour of Bosnia in 2005 and later with the Heavy Machine Gun Platoon before transferring to B Company for Op Herrick 8 in Afghanistan.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel David Richmond, said: "L-Cpl Johnson has made the ultimate sacrifice. A superb soldier and junior commander, he died doing the job he loved, among men who held him in the highest regard."

"He was loved and respected by everyone he served with and will be remembered for his humanity, the time he always had for people, his keen sense of humour and, above all, his professionalism."

L-Cpl Johnson also leaves behind his mother Connie and a daughter, Shannon.

Friends and colleagues also paid tribute to L-Cpl Johnson, who was killed by what is believed to have been a "legacy" anti-personnel mine which may have been left over from the Soviet occupation of the country.

Company commander Major Harry Clark said: "Jimmy was a good man and the world is a darker place for his absence."

June has seen the second highest death toll of British troops in a month since operations there began.

The death of L-Cpl Johnson took the number of fatalities this month to 13. It is the worst loss of life for British troops since September 2006, when 19 servicemen died.

Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said: "L-Cpl Johnson was making a vital contribution to defending our country."

Morale boost as MoD slashes phone bills for war-zone troops

PHONE charges for British troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq will be slashed to help them stay in touch with their families and friends, the government said yesterday.

Officers in war zones will now have an allowance of 30 minutes of free calls to anywhere in the world.

Army leaders said it was vital for morale that service personnel could keep in touch with their loved ones by mobile phone from the battle zones.

Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said: "This funding boost will ensure that though our brave boys and girls may be far from home, they can always be in touch with their loved ones."

The government has invested £1.4 million to subsidise bills after it emerged that service personnel were being charged 89p per minute if they were calling from a satellite phone, compared with 11p if they were calling from a base.

From now on, all calls home will cost the same flat rate of 11p per minute, whether personnel are phoning from satellite phones while on duty in the firing line, or from a landline in the safety of a base.

General Sir Antony Walker, a former deputy chief of the Defence Staff, said: "The mobile phone call has such an essential part to play in keeping morale high."

In addition, forces will also have free internet access to e-mail their family and friends.

The British Forces Post Office also offers the free system of e-blueys – a form of e-mail – to troops worldwide.

An e-bluey is printed in the area the recipient is operating in, within 24 hours of it being sent from the family home.

It was revealed last year that British troops faced phone bills five times higher than soldiers serving with Nato.

Paradigm, the company providing the phone coverage for the armed forces, signed a 15-year, £2.5 billion contract with the Ministry of Defence five years ago.

Funeral tributes to 'inspirational' soldier

Mark Bulstrode

A SOLDIER killed in Afghanistan was described yesterday as a "pillar of strength" and an "inspiration" to others.

Lance-Corporal James Bateman, of Colchester, Essex, died in a gun battle while on a routine foot patrol in Helmand Province on 12 June.

About 500 mourners packed into St Peter's Church, Colchester, yesterday for the funeral of the 29-year-old, known as "J".

His widow, Victoria, in a eulogy read by her uncle, Kevan Russell, said: "I hope and pray that a little piece of James remains with me."

The Metallica song Nothing Else Matters, which had been the couple's first dance at their wedding two years ago, was played during the service.

L-Cpl Bateman's father, Keith, also paid tribute to the youngest of his three sons.

"We are here to honour J's name. All who had the privilege of knowing J will appreciate what a special man he was – loving and supportive of his family, devoted to his wife and proud of the Parachute Regiment."

• The bodies of two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan last week were returned to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire yesterday. Sergeant Major Michael Williams, 40, of Cardiff, died in a firefight with the Taleban in the Upper Sangin Valley, while Private Joe Whittaker, 20, of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, was killed while checking for mines.

Warriors are in short supply

MORE than a quarter of Britain's Warrior tanks are currently out of action, government figures revealed yesterday.

From the 793-strong fleet, 203 are either undergoing major repairs or awaiting a refit.

The figures also show that more than half of the army's fleet of Spartan armoured reconnaissance vehicles and more than a third of Scimitars – which perform a similar function – are also unavailable.

Bob Ainsworth, the armed forces minister, said a "high proportion" of the Spartan, Scimitar and Sultan vehicles were "undergoing major overhaul or are scheduled for refit" in a written reply to Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary.

Read Emma Cowing's Afghanistan blog here.