DEAD MEN RISEN DEAD MEN RISEN THE WELSH GUARDS AND THE REAL STORY OF BRITAIN’S WAR IN AFGHANISTAN TOBY HARNDEN First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Quercus 21 Bloomsbury Square London WC1A 2NS Copyright © 2011 Toby Harnden The moral right of Toby Harnden to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Lines from ‘Home front’ from the collection Laurels and Donkeys (Clutag Press, 2010) are reprinted by kind permission of Andrew Motion. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of material reproduced in this book. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make restitution at the earliest opportunity. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library HB ISBN 978 1 84916 805 2 HB ISBN 978 1 84916 421 4 TPB ISBN 978 1 84916 422 1 Text designed and typeset by Ed Pickford Maps © William Donohoe You can find this and many other great books at: www.quercusbooks.co.uk In memory of the Welsh Guardsmen and their comrades who did not return. For Cheryl, Tessa and Miles Harnden Contents Maps Author’s Note Prologue 1 Cymru Am Byth 2 Green Zone 3 Whitehall Warrior 4 Fighting Season 5 The Afghan Factor 6 Barma Inshallah 7 Flashman’s Fort 8 Life is Fragile 9 Mystery Junction 10 Low Metal Content 11 Heaven in Helmand 12 Big Hand, Small Map 13 On the Canal 14 Top Cover 15 Regret to Inform 16 Men of Harlech 17 Battle Shock 18 One Shot, Two Kills 19 Dragon Punch 20 Time and the Clock Epilogue List of Personnel Chronology Glossary Notes Bibliography Acknowledgements List of Maps Picture Section Picture Credits Index