bigjarofwasps

The total number of UK troops killed in operations in Iraq has risen to 130 after a soldier was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Basra on 21 January.

An unnamed soldier was killed in the northern part of Basra on 21 January after the patrol vehicle he was travelling in was hit by a roadside bomb.

Four soldiers were also injured, one "very seriously".

British soldier killed in Basra

The soldier was on a routine patrol when the attack happened

A British soldier has been killed in southern Iraq after his Warrior patrol vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.

Four soldiers were also injured, one "very seriously", in the attack on the routine patrol in the north of Basra.

The soldier was serving with 2nd Battalion The Light Infantry, as part of a unit attached to 1st Battalion the Staffordshire Regiment, officials said.

About 7,000 UK troops are in Basra. The government says it hopes to transfer security to Iraqi forces this year.

The casualties have been medically evacuated from the scene and are receiving the best possible medical care at the field hospital

The attack happened near the districts of Al Hadi and Al Jezaizah.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it was unclear whether the soldiers had been dismounted from the armoured vehicle when they were attacked. "The casualties have been medically evacuated from the scene and are receiving the best possible medical care at the field hospital," he added.

The soldier has not yet been named but the MoD said his family had been informed.

Heavy casualties

A total of 130 British troops have now died in Iraq since March 2003, of whom 99 are classed as having been killed in action.

On Thursday a rocket attack on the British Basra Palace military camp wounded six soldiers, one seriously.

And on Wednesday, two British soldiers sustained minor injuries after a roadside bomb exploded in the Al Ashshar area of Basra province.

US forces in Iraq suffered some of their heaviest casualties in recent months on Saturday, with 25 personnel killed.

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceN...rahCityIraq.htm

A wonderful thing GMIC, following seeing my post here I was contacted by a member & offered a mint cased one! Having waited a number of years just to find one of these rare beasts I now have two!! Just like the proverbial number 8 bus, you wait for ages for one, then two turn up.....

Enjoy...... I did!

Cheers

Don

I love a happy ending!!!!

Hi Guys,

Having just recently read a very good book about the Brinks Mat gold bullion robbery. It got me thinking as to were the Royal Mint, gets their gold from, and is it possbile that some of this gold, might well have made its way into the Royal Mint? Has anyone got any thoughts or opinions? Look forward to hearing them.....

Gordon.

The total number of UK troops killed in operations in Iraq has risen to 129 after a soldier was killed while on duty in Basra on January 13.

Kingsman Alexander Green, from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died after being shot by small arms fire whilst on a task in the Hayy Al Muhandisn District of Basra City.

Kingsman Green, 21, from Warrington, had already been identified by his colleagues and commanders as a professional soldier with real leadership and command potential.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Hutchinson described him as an "inspiration".

"If you could capture in one man all that a Kingsman could hope to be, you would struggle to come closer to the mark than him", he said.

He leaves behind a two-year-old son.

Sergeant Wayne Rees, from the 19 Light Brigade, the Queen's Royal Lancers, was killed in a road crash while on patrol in the Maysan province of southern Iraq.

The 36-year-old, from Nottingham, was a loving family man with a mischievous wit, colleagues said.

His squadron leader, Major Martin Todd, said the regiment had lost not only a charismatic and wholly professional soldier but also one of its most ebullient and best loved characters.

He was engaged and had an 11-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son.

Cheers Chris, I love stuff like this, thanks for sharing it with us

Gordon.

The total number of UK troops killed in operations in Iraq has risen to 128 after a soldier from the Queen's Royal Lancers died in a road traffic accident in Maysan province.

I am currently reading a book called `The Salvage of the Century` by Ric Wharton, it covers mainly the gold bullion recovered from HMS Edinburgh, sunk during WW2. However, he also talks about HMS Hampshire, her final voyage to Russia and the theory that Kitchener was accompanying one million gold sovereigns, valued today at ?60,000,000. This is the first time I have heard this claim. He does go into various additional theorys, i.e, about the files being withheld after 50 years, no one being allowed to dive on her, as she`s a war grave, but that no one died on her when she sank save Kitchener. This I feel is untrue, but can anyone confirm or deny this & has anyone heard the sovereigns claim?

Interesting how he didn`t get an LSGC? Also the War Medal but no Defence Medal. Am I right in thinking that SA had their own War Medal as well?

The Great Gold Robbery 1855

http://www.btp.police.uk/History%20Society...d%20Robbery.htm

Flying Squad foils ?80m robbery

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3723839.stm

Brinks Mat

http://www.bbc.co.uk/crime/caseclosed/brinksmat.shtml

Brinks Mat Gold 'is abroad 'Monday 5th Mar 2001.

MISSING gold from the Brinks Mat bullion robbery is in the Philippines, says a member of the gang who stole it.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Independent from his West Country home, one of the men behind Britain's biggest heist has sensationally claimed that the ?28million haul was stolen booty belonging to Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda.

And almost all three tonnes of it went back to the Philippines after the robbery, says the source, a close friend of gangland killer Kenneth Noye, who helped mastermind the raid.

The Indy has agreed to not to publish the gang member's identity but has passed full details of his extraordinary revelations to detectives at New Scotland Yard investigating the 1983 robbery.

Speaking from his sprawling home, surrounded by security cameras and guarded by two dogs, named Brinks and Mat, the leading underworld figure, said: `Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos had stolen the bullion from their own people and were looking for a safe home for the loot in Britain.

`The Brinks Mat gang was simply hired to retrieve the gold from the Marcos family. All of it was returned to the Philippines for which gang members received substantial payment.

`None of the gold remained in this country, that is why the police will never find any of it here. Everything went back, the gold that has been found was not from Brinks Mat, and the police know that.

`They could carry out tests on the gold to prove that.

`Everyone thinks that the gang was looking for travellers' cheques and stumbled on the gold.

`But if that was true then why did they have three lorries waiting to take it away? You don't need lorries to steal a few travellers' cheques.'

The Brinks Mat insider refused to reveal who had hired the gang or how the bullion was returned to the Philippines but claimed insurance money had been paid to the Marcos family after the robbery and police documents relating to the case referred to Imelda Marcos.

During the now infamous raid at Heathrow airport, the gang doused security guards with petrol and threatened to ignite it unless they co-operated. Convicted road rage killer Kenneth Noye, 53, whose wife Brenda now lives in Looe, was jailed for 14 years for handling the bullion.

This month detectives searching for the loot searched two yards behind a scrap metal merchants in Hastings, Sussex. And it is likely that more raids will follow, a police spokesman said.

The late President Ferdinand's glamorous wife Imelda was born into poverty but amassed a huge wealth of her own.

After her husband's death in 1989 she stood trial in New York to answer charges of concealing ownership of US property and other goods, bought with stolen Philippine government funds.

She was acquitted, with her lawyer claiming the responsibility had lain solely with her husband.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Warrant-Kenn...y/dp/0752876201

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/714289.stm

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Number/340645

The Brinks Mat Robbery occurred on 26 November 1983 when six robbers broke into the Brinks Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport, England. The robbers thought they were going to steal ?3 million in cash; however when they arrived they found ten tonnes of gold bullion (worth ?26 million). The gang got into the warehouse thanks to security guard Anthony Black, the brother-in-law of Brian Robinson who conceived the raid. Scotland Yard quickly discovered the family connection and Black confessed to aiding and abetting the raiders, providing them with a key to the main door and giving them details of security measures. Tried at the Old Bailey, Robinson and gang leader Michael McAvoy were each sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for armed robbery. Black got six years, and served three.

Prior to his conviction McAvoy had entrusted part of his share to an associate John Perry. Perry recruited Kenneth Noye (who had links with a legitimate gold dealer in Bristol) to dispose of the gold. Noye melted down the bullion and recast it for sale. However the sudden movements of large amounts of money through a Bristol bank came to the notice of the Treasury who informed the police. Noye was placed under police surveillance and in January 1985 killed an officer he discovered in his garden. At the resulting trial the jury found him not guilty on the grounds of self-defence. In 1986 Noye was found guilty of conspiracy to handle the Brinks Mat gold, fined ?700,000 and sentenced to 14 years in prison, although he only had to serve 8 years before being released in 1994.

However, in 1996 Noye murdered motorist Stephen Cameron during a so-called "road rage" incident and fled the country. The police tracked Noye to Spain and in 2000 he was arrested, deported back to Britain, tried and convicted. He received a life sentence.

Missing gold

Although the gold that Noye had hidden was eventually recovered, the Brinks Mat story is still far from over. Three tonnes of gold is still missing from the original robbery and this is one element of the case that remains open.

Three tonnes of stolen gold has never been recovered. It is claimed that anyone wearing gold jewellery bought in the UK after 1983, is probably wearing Brinks Mat

Hi Bear, this is really interesting. I know next to nothing about ancient coins, so am very curious as to how they know that there counterfeit? Can you shine any light on this?

This is not metal, but a very interesting piece of currency.

No worries Warlord, your thread is most welcome, please feel free to add more info or post new threads, that you think might be of interest. I believe that the Falklands have their own gold coins to?

Gordon.

The quanty of silver and gold was very substancial. At the time the treasure was noted of ?500,000 specie brought back by Anson on his return in 1744. This was struck into,

Five - Guineas. curent value F - ?1000.00 VF - ?2750.00 EF - ?6500.00

One - Guineas. curent value F - ?650.00 VF - ?1750.00 EF - ?4000.00

Half - Guineas. curent value F - ?500.00 VF - ?1750.00 EF - ?3750.00

Crown curent value F - ?100.00 VF - ?350.00 EF - ?850.00

Half - Crown . curent value F - ?35.00 VF - ?100.00 EF - ?350.00

Shilling.curent value F - ?15.00 VF - ?55.00 EF ?- 225.00

Sixpence. curent value F - ?15.00 VF - ?50.00 EF ?110.00 .

Possibly as interesting as these pieces are those that came latter. On the accession of George III there were scarcely any crown pieces in the Country, half-crowns were much impaired, and shillings were estimated to have lost a sixth and sixpences a quater of their original weight. It is important to remember at these times, the weight of the coin represented its value. Hardly any silver was coined. Various experiments were tried. Spanish coins captured by the Navy and Privaters were stamped with the goldsmiths' hall-mark were circulated in 1797, the dollar being current at 4 shillings and nine pence which drew the cynical gib of "two king's heads not worth a crown. This being an illusion to the fact that both King George and Charles IIII of Spain were mad.

Many thanks Warlord, thats really interesting !!!!!!!!

I have seen pictures of the coins, with goldsmiths markings you mentioned, again very interesting. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Friday, 29 December 2006

A British soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb in Basra, southern Iraq, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was killed while taking part in a routine patrol in Basra City.

The Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle which he was travelling in was targeted by a roadside bomb.

He was airlifted to the Field Hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base, but died later as a result of his injuries.

There were no other casualties.

According to the MoD his family, who have been informed of their relative's death, have asked for a period of grace before further details are released.

The total number of UK troops killed in operations in Iraq now stands at 127.

Sergeant Graham Hesketh, from the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was killed by a roadside bomb while taking part in a routine patrol in Basra City in southern Iraq.

The Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle which he was travelling in was targeted by a roadside bomb.

The 35-year-old, born in Liverpool and who grew up in Runcorn, Cheshire, had a fiancee who is a soldier also serving in Iraq.

He had a seven-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/a...d=1770&ct=5

Hi all,

Just wondered what examples of some of these might run? I know it probably can vary by dates and definitely by condition but just a rough idea if possible.

Thanks,

Dan

Good question Dan, I`ve seen Lima half crowns for between ?15 & ?40. Couldn`t say for full crowns, as I`ve never seen any for sale. The Vigo type again, I`ve only ever seen a half crown and that was for nearly ?300 if I recall correctly! Hope this helps.

Gordon.

Many thanks for sharing this one with us Carol!!!!!!!!!!

"Moscow gold", ''el oro de Mosc?" in Spanish, was a term applied to Spanish gold reserves transferred to the Soviet Union and to Soviet-controlled banks by the Spanish Republican government in 1937 to purchase arms and military equipment during the Spanish Civil War. At the time, Spain had held the world's fourth largest gold reserves, worth more than US$750 million. More than US$500 million worth of these reserves were transferred to the Soviet Union, the only nation to supply significant quantities of arms and equipment to the Spanish Republic during the war. The director of the Bank of Spain stated his opposition in the secret meeting that approved it. When the Nationalists learned of this, Francoist press stated that this gold was a property of all the Spanish people, not the Spanish government.

Spanish historians have contended in years since that much of the Soviet hardware sold to the Republic was of marginal quality and was sold at deliberately inflated prices and that the Republican government of Juan Negr?n L?pez failed to respond to and may have been complicit in this malfeasance, contributing to the Republican defeat in the Civil War. The issue of "Moscow gold" was raised as a critique of the reemergence of the PSOE party during the Spanish transition to democracy.

Hi Bear,

Wonderful!!!!!!! Many thanks for sharing them with us !!!!!!

Gordon.