DISGRACEFUL
They were innocents thrust into a bloody Cypriot conflict in the 1950s...how could some penpusher NOW think it is fair to pursue soldiers in their 80s over alleged ‘wrongdoing’
VETERANS and MPs reacted with fury yesterday after a witch-hunt against old soldiers was dramatically extended to take in events dating back more than 60 years.
Former Royal Signals Regimental Sergeant Major
Sam Bedwell said he had been contacted by Government lawyers regarding “allegations of wrongdoing” by Britain in Cyprus between 1955 and 1960.
In a letter lawyers acting for the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office asked him for his assistance “in relation to any recollection of events and matters during that period which are relevant to this litigation”.
The letter stressed that any involvement would be “entirely confidential” and voluntary.
But critics warned that it is only a matter of time before claims are made against British forces in the Second World War.
Mr Bedwell, who served for 35 years in the Army before working as a civil servant for the Royal Navy, said: “I was in Cyprus 62 years ago. I was 21 at the time. It is ridiculous. How old are the claimants? They must be aged 80 to 90. It is absolutely bonkers.
“I was there in 1956. The letter asked me to state whether I had or had not witnessed anything untoward during the operations. I had not.
“What I witnessed was the exemplary way in which all duties were carried out by our forces under very trying conditions.”
Mr Bedwell, who is now 83 and a bell ringer at his local church in Cornwall, added: “Anyone claiming compensation for anything that happened 62 years ago should have done it by now.
“It seems to me that someone is pulling their strings and this Government is going along with it. It beggars belief.
“Seeing recent reports of doubtful payments of huge sums of money being paid after the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns and the disgraceful hounding of old soldiers who only did their duty in Ulster, I am of the opinion that the Government must stop this nonsense now and institute a statute of limitations law immediately.”
Torture
This is the latest legal challenge faced by the British military. Troops faced 3,400 allegations of wrongdoing in Iraq – the vast majority levelled by a now disgraced law firm.
The inquiries cost the taxpayer £34million and military personnel years of anguish but failed to secure a single prosecution.
Meanwhile, four British soldiers are facing trial over incidents in Northern Ireland dating back as far as 1972 – despite having been cleared of wrongdoing at the time.
Another 278 cases involving Northern Ireland veterans are thought to be under investigation.
And the Government has faced compensation claims over its handling of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya from 1952 to 1963.
The claims relating to the Cyprus Emergency were given the go-ahead earlier this year when the High Court cleared the way for 34 elderly Greek Cypriots to seek damages from Britain over allegations of torture and human rights abuses.
The allegations centre on the Greek Cypriot insurgency which led to independence in 1960. The Government denies the claims.
The chairman of the all-party Commons Defence Committee, Julian Lewis, said: “What is totally outrageous is for the Government to go on fishing expeditions of this sort so long after the event.
“For anything like this to be pursued there needs to be overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing in the past and a reasonable explanation of why the matter is only now being pursued. The failure to grasp the problem in relation to Northern Ireland is fuelling the concerns of veterans including those who fought and won the Falklands campaign that they will be next to be targeted.
“Any country that cannot protect its service personnel from this phenomenon of so-called ‘lawfare’ does not deserve to have servicemen and women defending it in uniform. If you take this to its logical conclusion you could see Second World War RAF personnel hounded through the courts by people who lost relatives to bombing of German cities.”
Cyprus veteran Les Smith, who is tracing relatives of personnel killed in Cyprus so they can claim the Elizabeth Medal, said: “We lost 371 personnel plus 21 British policemen in Cyprus but this gets brushed under the carpet. Now this has reared its ugly head. It is awful.” Les, 80, from Lancashire, who served as a driver in Cyprus between 1957 and 1959, added: “Most of the 22,000 who served there were National Servicemen and very few of us wanted to be there.
“They were a ruthless enemy and like any terrorist you did not know who they were. Wires were put across roads so if you had a jeep they would chop your head off.
“I do not think it is reasonable to pursue people who were out there doing their duty and who are now at least in their late 70s. I think that to a man the veterans will be disgusted that this kind of thing is happening now. It is about lawyers trying to jump on the bandwagon and make money.”
Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon, who served in Cyprus in the 1960s and was a patron of a campaign to build a memorial to the fallen on the island, said: “The
evidence is on the side of those who think there are people out there looking for an opportunity to make a bit of money. In Cyprus in many cases the troops were National Servicemen – and then 60 years on they find themselves involved in litigation. There’s got to be a big question mark about the proposition that you can remember what happened 60 years ago.”
A Government spokesman said: “The claim we are currently defending is for compensation, not a criminal investigation. No veterans are required to take part in the Government’s defence and any discussions they voluntarily take part in will be strictly confidential.
“We recognise the concerns people have raised over historic allegations, and that’s why the Defence Secretary recently created a dedicated team to consider this important issue and advise on the way forward.”