Commonwealth troops in the British Army -- Black In Britain.

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FIGHTING FOR QUEEN AND MOTHER COUNTRY

THE WAR 02 MAR O8 Black Royal Marines Commando Ben McBean hailed as a 'real hero' by Britain's Prince Harry lost an arm and a leg in the Afghan war and flew back to the UK for medical treatment. Being British he's entitled to NHS treatment and more but what of the 3,000 soldiers from the Commonwealth? If Ghurkha war vets are having trouble what of the boys from Zimbabwe, Ghana, Jamaica, St.Lucia and St.Vincent?

The British Armed Forces difficulty in finding manpower from within the British Isles has resulted in mass recruitment abroad. But prospective recruits lured into the service with hints of gaining British citizenship face being abandoned if invalided and injured in conflict.
Already 10 per cent of serving personnel come from 57 countries worldwide and according to a recent report in the Guardian, some military observers believe that figure will rise, and by 2020 one-in-five will come from the Commonwealth.
But if newspaper reports are to be believed, it is suggested that MoD top brass want to cut back on foreign recruitment. According to Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, Nick Harvey, the proportion of Commonwealth soldiers rose from 0.4 per cent 10 years ago to 6.7% last year and is growing despite concentrated efforts -- and a 33 per cent rise advertising and marketing -- to recruit locally.
Despite this, some defence chiefs say the number of non-British soldiers may have to be capped. It follows reports last year that senior military officers fear that the army could be losing its Britishness. The cap is believed to have the backing of General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the army, and ministers.
But an MoD in a statement said: "The military has a long and successful tradition of employing and integrating overseas personnel and we have no wish to discontinue this practice."
A romantic almost comic-book boy’s own view of serving in the British Army still exists within the Commonwealth, but the realities of military service are considerably different. Grenada-born Corporal Johnson Beharry, awarded the Victoria Cross, for his brave exploits during the five-year-old Iraq war suffered near fatal injuries. He remains incapable of returning to combat but received extensive medical treatment. The top brass and media feted him, but reports indicate that for hundreds of soldiers from similar backgrounds the situation is not the same. Many face being returned to their countries of origin where the medical treatment required for their rehabilitation does not match even the NHS at its very worst.
Compensation for their injuries and pensions are also an issue as seen recently with Gurkha war veterans. If concerns by some Commonwealth governments to gather a head of steam then caps on foreign recruitment won’t be an issue, but recruitment might.

NUMBERS FOREIGN SOLDIERS AND THEIR COUNTRIES:

FIGURES FROM A 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE SHOW
Fiji 2,000 soldiers
Zimbabwe 565
Ghana 660
Jamaica 975
South Africa 720.
St. Lucia 225
St. Vincent 280 recruits respectively.

FACTS:

COMMONWEALTH NATIONALS DO NOT NEED BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO JOIN THE BRITISH ARMY

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