MOD Archives - The Stray Ferret

Ministry of Defence advertises £204 million contract for Harrogate army collegeJunior soldiers in Harrogate among first to swear oath to King Charles III

Junior soldiers in Harrogate have become some of the first British army service personnel to swear the oath to King Charles III.

A total of 211 junior entry soldiers at the Army Foundation College, on Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate, swore the oath on Sunday night, signifying their enlistment into the army.

The college provides basic training to recruits aged 16 and 17. The courses last for either 23 or 49 weeks.

22 junior soldiers in Harrogate complained of sexual assault last year

Twenty-two junior soldiers at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate said they were raped or sexually assaulted last year.

Figures released by ministers reveal 47 British army recruits under the age of 18 claimed to have been raped or sexually assaulted last year.

Dave Doogan, the Scottish National Party MP for Angus, asked armed forces minister Leo Docherty how many of those were from the Harrogate college.

Mr Docherty replied:

“Of the 47 victims in those statistics, 37 were female and of those cases one has been proven, four are ongoing, and 11 have been transferred to the civilian police.

“Twenty-two were based at the Army Foundation College at the time of the offence.”

The Harrogate college, which recruits about 1,500 recruits each year, is the only British army establishment that delivers military training to junior soldiers aged 16 and 17. Recruits undertake 23-week or 49-week basic training at the college on Penny Pot Lane.

The college on Penny Pot Lane.

Colonel Philip Ingram a former army commanding officer and NATO planner was quoted in The Sun saying:

“These statistics are shocking whatever way you look at them.

“They highlight the most basic of failures in command at a number of different levels and yet it takes a parliamentary question to get the information into the public domain, delivered by the very minister who continuously says the MoD is making huge progress in addressing inappropriate behaviours.

“It is clear that either he is lying or is being lied to in his briefings and the result is the lifetime of trauma imposed on the victims, some of whom are still children. Until defence gets some form of independent oversight then it will continue to cover up what can only be described as atrocious acts.”

The Stray Ferret asked the Ministry of Defence to respond to the allegations and asked why so many abuse claims were made by recruits at Harrogate.

An MoD spokesperson said:

“There is absolutely no place for unacceptable behaviour in the army. We recognise the great courage it takes to come forward and report a sexual offence and commanding officers will always refer any allegation of rape and sexual assault, or any other offence which may have a sexual element, to the service police. All allegations are thoroughly investigated, and support provided to alleged victims.

“At the Army Foundation College emotional, psychological and the physical safety of our young junior soldiers is taken extremely seriously and is central to the ethos at the college. Junior soldiers are empowered to call out unacceptable behaviour and should have confidence that their complaint will be investigated.”

Series of claims

This is not the first time concerns have been expressed about behaviour towards junior soldiers at the Army Foundation College.

Claims of bullying and abuse were raised in the House of Lords in November last year.

Last year also saw a female instructor at the college demoted after being convicted of punching teenage soldiers and three parents call for the college to be closed after claiming their children were abused.

But the college was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted last year. Government inspectors gave positive feedback on safeguarding at the college, saying it investigated incidents thoroughly and made necessary improvements.

Last year Carol Monaghan, the Scottish National Party’s spokesperson for the armed forces, attempted to introduce a clause in the Armed Forces Bill preventing 16 and 17-year-olds enlisting in the army. Anyone under the age of 18 in the UK is legally classified as a child.

But Kevan Jones, Labour MP for North Durham, defended the college. He said:

“I suggest that anyone who wants to see the positive way individuals can and do improve their lives visits the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.”

Hundreds of junior soldiers graduate from basic training in Harrogate

A graduation parade in Harrogate today marked the completion of training for over 400 of the British Army’s newest soldiers.

A crowd of around 2,000 family members and friends witnessed the occasion at the Army Foundation College on Penny Pot Lane.

The college provides training tailored exclusively to junior soldiers, who are all under the age of 18 when they join up.

army college graduation MOD Crown Copyright 2022 / Cpl Danielle Dawson RLC

Lieutenant Colonel Simon Farebrother MC, commanding officer of the college, said:

“Those graduating today have proved equal to the test and represent the very best of our nation’s young people.

“They are now ready for their second phase of training which will hone the skills learnt here and develop those required for their chosen trade.”

MOD Crown Copyright 2022 / Cpl Danielle Dawson RLC

The event was presided over by Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Tickell, deputy chief of the general staff in the British Army.

The parade, which featured music from the British Army Band Catterick, marked the culmination of months of military training and education at the college.

A statement by the Military of Defence said:

“Through leadership development, The Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme accreditation, sporting prowess, adventurous training, and education — no other military invests the time, energy, and breadth of resources into its soldiers as the British Army does through the Army Foundation College.

“The college is also one of the most effective education establishments in the United Kingdom and, as an Ofsted outstanding institution, it represents the jewel in the crown of the British Army’s training engine.”

Menwith Hill upgrades part of £2.8bn programme

The Ministry of Defence has revealed plans to upgrade RAF Menwith Hill as part of a £2.8 billion project to improve United States military bases in the UK.

Last week, the MOD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation appointed a consortium of building consultants, Mace, Turner & Townsend and Atkins, as a delivery partner for building works at RAF Menwith Hill and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

The works are part of the United States Visiting Forces Infrastructure Programme.

An MOD spokesperson told the Stray Ferret the aim of the programme was to provide a base for American F-35 fighter jets at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk and to further support the US Air Force presence in the UK, which includes at RAF Menwith Hill on the outskirts of Harrogate.

As part of the programme, which will be paid for by the US government, various buildings at the base will be replaced or improved. The contract with Mace, Turner & Townsend and Atkins, could also be extended to eight years.

In response to a question this week from Leeds North West Labour MP Alex Sobel, the government revealed the works at Menwith Hill will cost $40m.

Steve Rix, programme director at the MOD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said it would help the US military “execute missions” from the UK.

Built in the 1950s, Menwith Hill is one of the United States’ largest overseas surveillance bases. Giant radomes, or ‘golf balls’, are a distinctive feature of the 500-acre site

A campaign group has called the planned upgrades at RAF Menwith Hill “of concern”.

Martin Schweiger, a spokesperson for the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign, said:

“The news that a large contract is being let for substantial upgrades to the infrastructure at Menwith Hill is of concern. The specification of the upgrades has not, so far, been made available to the public.

“There is now a substantial and growing US military boot print across the UK that ties our military activity to what we are directed to do.

“The upgrades make it plain that this military occupation is set to continue for a long time into the future”.

Major infrastructure project planned for RAF Menwith Hill

A major five-year project to upgrade infrastructure at RAF Menwith Hill is planned.

The Ministry of Defence’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) this week appointed a consortium of building consultants, Mace, Turner & Townsend and Atkins, as a delivery partner for the United States Visiting Forces (USVF) Infrastructure Programme.

Few details have been made public about the programme other than it will involve “upgrading existing facilities and building new ones” at the base in Nidderdale as well as RAF Fairford in Gloucester.

Steve Rix, DIO programme director, said the programme would help the US military “execute missions” from the UK.

“I am pleased to welcome our delivery partners to the DIO USVF Infrastructure Programme team and look forward to working with them to ensure we continue to support our USVF customers’ needs, enabling them to execute missions from their bases in the UK.”

The Stray Ferret asked the MOD how much the project will cost and what upgrades are planned but we did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Built in the 1950s on the edge of Nidderdale, Menwith Hill is one of the United States’ largest overseas surveillance base. Giant radomes, or ‘golf balls’, are a distinctive feature of the site.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved several planning applications in recent years to expand the base. A council report said this reflected the “increasingly wide-ranging and technologically sophisticated surveillance apparatus” built up at the base.

A report published in October 2021 alleged the base provided intelligence for the high-profile US assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

Harrogate district soldiers given military burial 104 years after death

Two Harrogate district soldiers killed during World War One have finally been laid to rest today with full military honours.

Their bodies were among nine sets of human remains found during civil engineering works in the Belgium town of Beselare three years ago.

Archaeologists from the Flanders Heritage Agency subsequently discovered the remains of the trench, a bomb pit and a separate bomb pit outside the trench.

Eight of the nine bodies found inside the trench are believed to have died at the same time as the result of an explosion in October 1917. The ninth was found separately.

Through a combination of military research, anthropology and DNA, Ministry of Defence ‘war detectives’ managed to identify seven of the nine soldiers by name.

The men included 21-year-old Lance Corporal Stanley Blakeborough from Pateley Bridge and 28-year-old Private Harry Miller, who worked as a farm labourer in Burton Leonard.

An eighth casualty, who remains unknown, is believed to have served with the same regiment (11th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers) whilst the ninth and final casualty is unknown by name or regiment.

The service in Belgium today. Credit: Ministry of Defence

Nicola Nash, from the Ministry of Defence said:

“After working on this case for nearly three years, it gives me an immense feeling of pride to see these men finally being laid to rest. It has been wonderful to share this emotional day with so many of the family members, who have travelled as far as Australia to attend.

“The sacrifice these men made will never be forgotten.”

Today’s service was organised by the MoD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Tyne Cot Cemetery near Ypres in Belgium.

The MOD war detectives also traced the relatives of some of the men, with five different families attending the service.

The Duke of Kent attended the service in his capacity as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Ripon residents ‘not being listened to’ on plan for 1,300 homes

Residents in Ripon have accused Homes England of a lack of transparency around its proposed 1,300 housing development at Ripon Barracks.

The land at Claro Barracks, Deverell Barracks and Laver Banks is being developed by the government’s housing agency, Homes England, and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). There are 1,300 homes mooted and it’s designated within Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan.

Homes England is set to publish its full masterplan for the site next week. On its website last year it said residents have a “once in a lifetime” chance to influence how the masterplan is formed.

However, Barbara Brodigan from the Ripon Spa Residents Action Group told the Stray Ferret that lockdown has meant local residents have failed to have their voices heard.

Ms Brodigan said:

“There’s been a lot of strong feeling about this. We’ve had a problem with lockdown that it prevented residents not being consulted properly and not being listened to. They are not being given any information.”

Homes England held a consultation last year to get the public’s views on the development.

They had planned to engage with residents again in April, but Ms Brodigan said these meetings failed to materialise due to lockdown.

She said traffic in Ripon is already “horrendous” and the addition of an extra 1,300 homes will make congestion worse. Homes England have so far proposed several minor improvements to the local road infrastructure including the addition of two new mini-roundabouts.

Ripon City Council also commissioned its own traffic report into the development which is still yet to be published.

Ms Brodigan criticised Julian Smith MP, for not meeting with the group since January or updating residents about his discussions with Homes England.

Last week, Mr Smith published on Facebook a letter he sent to Homes England detailing concerns raised by residents around transport infrastructure.

He also called on Homes England to hold a “renewed round of engagement” in ways “as open as possible”.

Ms Brodigan added:

“Where is Julian Smith? These people are accountable to us but they are not sharing information with us.”

Julian Smith’s office told the Stray Ferret that he is yet to receive a reply from Homes England.

Homes England sent the following statement to the Stray Ferret:

“We are shortly going to write to local people to invite them to view an online exhibition we are holding to explain our proposed planning application, this follows on from the exhibition we held last year and the meetings we have had with a range of community groups.

“We understand that because of the restrictions in place due to COVID 19 we have not been able to hold the usual face-to face exhibition, but the online exhibition will be supported by an explanatory video, which will provide local people with significant information.

“The Exhibition will provide detail about our proposed transport improvements, which covers a range of measures, including improvements to junctions and other works.

“Our first principle is to create a development that sustainably helps reduce car journeys by providing local facilities. We understand that this is not practical for everyone so as a next step we will also enhance the pedestrian and cyclists’ routes within the development and to Ripon City centre. We understand that a development of this size will create extra car journeys and working with the local Highways Authorities our modelling has identified the need for a number of junction improvements which we will explain at the exhibition.”

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Series of claims

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