Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified), www.clitheroetoday.co.uk Valley soldiers getting ready to serve in Iraq by Susan Madigan


LEARNING to speak Arabic, dealing with scorching temperatures and being prepared for dangerous situations is all part of the training three Ribble Valley soldiers from the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment are going


through in preparation for a four-month stint in Iraq. The soldiers will be among the 500 troops being


deployed to Basra, in southern Iraq, in July to take over from the Desert Rats. Their mission is to re­ establish law and order and m a in ta in calm th ro u g h h um a n i ta r ia n and peace­ keeping tasks. Drummer James Kemp has


had to rearrange his wedding because of the trip to the Gulf. The 22-year-old, of Clitheroe, was due to marry his fiancee Caroline Grime on August 9th. Now it will be Jan­ uary before they tie the knot. The young soldier, who will also miss his son’s


first birthday in September, said: “I was supposed to be going to Belize in October, so I was going to get married before I went. Now we have had to put it back because of Iraq.” Read soldier Pte Jamie Gruszka only finished his


training a month ago, but the 18-year-old is more than happy to be thrown in at the deep end. L/Cpl Martin Duckworth has mixed feelings


about his trip to Iraq and does not really know what to expect. He said: “I have not experienced any­ thing like this before and, with ginger hair, I don’t know how I am going to cope with the heat. Even two weeks in Tenerife could not prepare me for that! I ’ll have to make sure I take plenty of factor 30 sun lotion with me.” The Clitheroe 22-year-old has


served with the QLR for six years, during which time he has been to Northern Ireland twice, Den­ mark and Canada twice. He said: “My experience in Northern Ireland should stand me in good stead for Iraq.” He added that he would have liked to have gone out earlier. “All those who fought in the war will be


Appeal on home plan dismissed


Council’s refusal of permission for the project, at Higher Standen Farm, off Whalley Road, Pendleton, has been dismissed by inspector Mr John Whalley. He says in his report that the farm complex


CREATING a house out of a “ruinous” barn would damage the countryside, says a plan­ ning inspector. An appeal into Ribble Valley Borough


would create further urbanisation, contrary to local and national policies safeguarding the countryside, concluded the inspector. Adding what would be a new house, due to


includes the original house and two barns each with permission for conversion to two dwellings. Making a sixth dwelling from the barn


the amount of rebuilding required at the par­ tially-collapsed property, would harm the countryside.


Picture memorial to photographer John


A FRAMED picture has been presented to Ribblesdale Camera Club in memory of a leading member. Mr John West FRPS was international­


ly known for his creative and technical flair in the developing field of computer- manipulated photography. His widow, Mrs Jean West, has donated


a framed picture of Venice to the club as a memorial to her husband. Mr West’s death occurred after a short


illness. He had recently brought honour to both the club and himself by winning a slide competition in Barcelona which attracted entries from more than 40 coun­ tries. I t was the high point of a long series of international successes.


Kitchen gets go ahead


A RE-SUBMITTED application for a new kitchen and conservatory at the rear of a Sab- den house has been approved. Officials of Ribble Valley Borough Council


have passed the plans for 34 Whalley Road, acting under delegated powers.


PVC plan approved


A BUILDING at Cheetall Farm, Bashall Eaves, can be used for making PVC conserva­ tories, say officials of Ribble Valley Borough Council. They have approved the change from agricultural use, acting under delegated pow­ ers.


Owner sees car stolen


A PEUGEOT 206 car was driven away from Main Street, Gisburn. The owner, who had only been out of the T-


registered vehicle a short time, could only watch. Police are making inquiries.


Police checking up on caravans


OFFICERS from Lancashire Constabulary's Motorway Unit will be targeting unroadwor- thy caravans today in a drive to improve safe­ ty on the county's motorways. During the summer, many motorists will


travel through the county with their caravans. Many of these vehicles are in good working order, however sometimes caravans are only used a few times a year and as such their road­ worthiness can be questionable. Insp. Peter Stas said: "All vehicles making


long journeys on the motorways need to be in good condition. This includes vehicles being towed, such as caravans. A simple incident such as a puncture on a caravan tyre can spell disaster on our busy motorway network. "To reduce accidents and delays we need to


ensure that vehicles using the county's motor­ way network are in a safe condition. To enable us to do this we have set up a special safety check area at the Vehicle Inspectorate site at Cuerden at the end of the M65. “I t is a specially designed site for the pur­


pose of examining and weighing vehicles and is located at the centre of a motorway inter­ section taking in the M61, M65 and the M6.”


Saturday - Sunday 10am - 4pm • Monday 9am - Spm BANK HOLIDAY SAL


Another BM special saving


Save £1 OO’s


on tills mode! tills


, ■ ,y * ' '■ " A U - *'.■■■ * DRUMMER JAMES KEMP (J140503/3v)


coming home to a hero’s welcome. When we come back no-one will care,” he said. The closest the young soldier has got to action


was when he was stationed in Omagh. He was in the camp when a bomb went off about 800 metres away. He added: “When we go to Iraq there is still a


L/CPL MARTIN DUCKWORTH (JM0503/2p)


chance some of us might not come back alive.” The soldiers are finally glad to be going to the


Gulf after having their hopes dashed at the end of last year when they were told they might be going to war.' To prepare themselves, all 500 soldiers, as well as 100 from the Territorial Army, have already begun


*Vi vj»


lBzxacEa’ -neva? SKsy;-


& Meshm kmowwism £ -•is .u s j tttSTJ1


some intensive training, including how to survive in the desert, deal with the heat, heat stress and being able to carry heavy equipment in sweltering conditions. They have also started to speak Arabic, with


one-hour lessons every day to familiarise them­ selves with simple greetings and commands, such as “get down”, “stand up” and “come here”. Last week they took part in potential scenarios.


Using a mock village a t their base a t Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, the local lads were p u t ' through th e ir paces. The training focused on communi­ cation with Iraqi people and, using interpreters, they had to deal with potentially dan­ gerous situations and people effectively. Colne man Capt. John


Harker, second in command of Burma Company, said: “Although the fighting is over, things are still very unstable and there is a


environment, patrol the streets, help return law and order and distribute medical aid. There will be


ROLL END WAREHOUSE 100’s of carpets to choose from


Telephone 01200 428855 or call in at


Units 1&2, North Street, Clitheroe (ample free car parking -


www.abbeymilluk.co.uk behind BP garage) P irn S&ofi


- The Better Quality Place - For interesting and unusual pieces of Victorian


• polished on the premises. We also make pine wardrobes, Welsh


dressers, drawers, tables etc in new or reclaimed timber to your sizes.


Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, May 22nd, 2003


post-conflict reconstruction phase. Our training is being tailored to suit the conditions we may come up against, with desert survival techniques high on our list of priorities.” Army officers have been out to Iraq to gather


information to pass on to the soldiers during their essential training, which will prepare them for the weather, cultural and language differ­ ences and other conditions they may face. Maj. John Lighten has just returned from a week in Basra. He said: “Conditions are terrible. People are living in squalor -the streets are lit­ tered with rubbish and


unwanted household goods, there is raw sewage fes­ tering in the heat and, not surprisingly, there has been an outbreak of cholera. “We have come home with a good insight into


the conditions the lads are going to face and we will be able to prepare them fully for what they have to do.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36