The 1st Battalion, The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment, held responsibility for the security of Basra, Iraq’s second city, from June to November, 2003, in the immediate aftermath of the invasion of Iraq by Coalition forces.
The Battalion, with a total strength of 620 men (including 100 members of the TA), had the task of maintaining law and order and restoring normality in a city of 1.5 to 2 million people, which:
§ had been severely oppressed for over 20 years by the previous regime,
§ which was racked by violence,
§ with a severely fractured infrastructure,
§ through the height of summer,
§ with temperatures of 50-60 degrees in daytime,
§ and never less than 40 degrees at night.
THE TASK
On a daily basis, the battalion faced:
- Riots
- Looting
- Armed Robbery
- Smuggling
- Violent Black Marketeering
- Extortion
- House take-overs
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- Kidnapping
- Car-jacking
- Shootings
- Bombings
- Grenade Attacks
- Public disorder
- All capped with GENERAL TERRORIST ACTIVITY
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On a daily basis, the battalion undertook:
- Foot & Vehicle patrols
- Illegal weapon searches
- Capturing former regime personalities
- Raiding illegal arms markets
- Waterborne patrols on the Shatt Al Arab
- Riot Control
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- Protection of the local infrastructure
- Anti-smuggling
- Hostage Rescue
- Civil / Military affairs (see below)
- Police training
- Creation and training of the Police Support Unity
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OPERATIONS
Throughout the tour, the soldiers of The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment were required to undertake almost continuous operations which consistently demanded meticulous planning, careful organisation and the highest level of sustained tactical competence.
RESULTS
§ Over 500 arrests of whom over 100 were terrorist suspects
CIVIL / MILITARY AFFAIRS
The Battalion deployed a 28-man team allocated to improving the city’s infrastructure by working with Iraqi Government agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and charities.
RESULTS
§ The Civil / Military Affairs Cell was credited with improving the city’s:
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o Electricity
o Water
o Fuel |
o Sanitation
o Education
o Host of others |
§ Most significant achievement: on arrival Basra was receiving 4 hours of electrical power a day. On departure, Basra Province was receiving 24 hours a day. (80mw at lowest point to 500 mw on departure)
§ The Battalion spent close to ½ million US dollars on 57 projects to improve schools, hospitals, orphanages and a variety of other vital services. It was instrumental in persuading numerous international organisations to allocate far more money than the British taxpayer alone could provide
§ The Battalion instigated a Schools Twinning Project between schools in Basra and Lancashire. On its departure in November 2003 there were 15 schools participating.
THE COST
The Battalion suffered the loss of one officer killed (Captain Dai Jones) and 36 soldiers injured seriously enough to require evacuation to the United Kingdom.
HONOURS AND AWARDS
In direct recognition of its outstanding work during a particularly difficult and dangerous period, the Battalion subsequently received the unusually large total of 21 honours and awards, including:
§ 1 Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
§ 1 Military Cross (MC)
§ 3 Mentions in Despatches, including one to an attached member of the TA.
§ 2 Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service (QCVS)
The DSO awarded to the Commanding Officer, Lt Col Jorge Mendonca, was the only one awarded during the period of the Battalion’s service in Iraq. All other awards to Commanding Officers and senior officers for this period were non-gallantry awards.
The award of the MC to the late Company Sergeant Major Darren Leigh was the first to be awarded to a member of The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment for nearly 40 years, and the first ever to be awarded to a warrant officer of the Regiment. | 
