Bronze Star for British Officer

[bigjarofwasps]

I came across this guy, whilst surfing the net. He appears to have two bars for his General Service Medal, anyone any idea as to what they are? I`m assuming one is Northern Ireland, but the other looks newer any ideas?

[ehrentitle]

I came across this guy, whilst surfing the net. He appears to have two bars for his General Service Medal, anyone any idea as to what they are? I`m assuming one is Northern Ireland, but the other looks newer any ideas?

Does the fact that he was an EOD expert who worked his way up through the ranks help? Here his a write up on his service in Northern Ireland:

Battling the bombers: 'Nerve ends were wriggling around like bits of spaghetti'

01 May 2005

SHARDS of metal blasted into Staff Sergeant Colin Whitworth's visor and the breastplate on his protective suit.

He had been attempting to defuse a loyalist bomb placed under the car of man with Sinn Fein connections in Antrim's Rathenraw estate.

Whitworth was holding the device, believing he had rendered it safe, when suddenly it exploded.

"I didn't feel any pain," he recalls of that terrifying moment in March 1993.

But when he removed his shrapnel-peppered visor, he says: "I saw my left hand was gone.

"The nerve ends were riggling around like little bits of spaghetti.

"Then the guys started putting on field dressing and I felt the pain, pain like I'd never felt in my life before. Unbelievable pain.

"I was taken to hospital in Ballymena, conscious, bleeding all the way. There was a great clump of field dressings on the arm.

"I knew the bomb suit had saved my life, prevented more injuries."

At the hospital, the emergency team swung into action.

"They were tremendous, superb. They offered to screen off my face, but I declined and told them the hand was already gone, that I'd seen it.

"I don't think they believed me at first because of the clump of dressings on my arm, but then I offered to sell them my golf clubs cheap."

Whitworth refused to be invalided out of the Army and, moreover, against, all the odds, worked his way back into his old job.

After four weeks' hospital treatment, he was moved to Woolwich where he was advised his discharge papers would soon be served.

There followed what he calls "a violent encounter" with the brigadier concerned, but the EOD establishment moved in and found him a job as number two at the Joint Services EOD operations room at Didcot.

"The trade and the regiment looked after me and kept me involved in bomb disposal.

"That meant a lot to me. I don't know what would have happened if I'd been discharged."

But Whitworth was not content to run a desk.

Over the next few years, with the help of prosthetic experts, he developed a set of special attachments to enable him to work as an operator again.

He also made various adaptations so that he could carry the equipment with lanyards and clips.

Such was his determination that he steadily worked his way up from staff sergeant to warrant officer 2, warrant officer 1 and captain.

He regained his EOD operator's licence and returned to serve in Northern Ireland.

Says Whitworth: "When I joined up, after choosing the ammunition trade, the recruiting sergeant asked me if I had a full set of fingers and he told me, I wouldn't have when I finished."

http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=634792

Edited March 11, 2006 by ehrentitle

[bigjarofwasps]

Well I think that confirms the NI clasp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ehrentitle]

Well I think that confirms the NI clasp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also see that his Bronze Star Medal is announced on the MoD's Armed Forces Operational Awards List #25 published just last year. So my assumption is that he received the Bronze Star for EOD efforts either in Iraq or Afghanistan. Kevin

[bigjarofwasps]

Yes, I concur I think its safe to say he got his BS, for Iraq, as he doesn`t seem to have the OSM. I trying to narrow down the other clasp for his GSM, and can only think of the Air Ops Iraq clasp. Would the RLC/OED be deployed on this I know the RE did?

[samrchds821]

This is actually my old boss for 321 eod sqn, NI. I don't think he's ever had nything to do with Air Ops, but I know lots of people who have Iraq bar for their GSM. It's just something to do with the first Iraq war. It was an Op that people got a GSM for, but if you aready had a GSM NI, you just got a second bar instead of another medal. You can't be awarded the same medal twice.

[icemanzag]

It could be a "Lebanon" clasp which was awarded to a few UK service personnel from 1982-84?

[bigjarofwasps]

Kuwait or Northern Iraq Southern Turkey perhaps?

[Davies98]

Hi I just came across this topic . I am the young soldier then that cave first aid at the bomb site does anyone no how I can contact him. 

[Davies98]

On 28/11/2017 at 21:09, Davies98 said:

Hi I just came across this topic . I am the young soldier then that gave first aid at the bomb site does anyone no how I can contact him. 

 

[peter monahan]

Davies

Good on ya, as the Aussies say! 

'BigJarof Wasps posted what look like newspaper photos, so I'd assume he has some clues.  Try sending him a message - click on his name and you can send a private message.  Also try googling the gent on Facebook and social media, though as an ex-NI type that is probably going to be less helpful.  Good luck!

Peter

[Badger9849]

On 02/12/2017 at 16:33, Davies98 said:

 

Hi Davies 98, what was your role at the incident when the device initiated?