22/10/2012 Inside Out South

Welcome to Inside Out South from Salisbury, a city proud of its

association with the military. Tonight... We need a mother

campaigning for the former battalion of her son as the fight

intensifies on government cuts. makes me so angry that this is how

they are being treated and that they do not need them any more. It

is a throwaway society and it is not good enough. They deserve

better. Last week, Parliament decided to save one battalion that

was due to be cut. This might not be binding but it could be a

kickback against plans to cut 20,000 soldiers. Positive four stop

we had two horses -- we head to the horses and a new event. We have got

a couple more and we have got a small ones. This is Inside Out

I the right, quick march! In the past few days they have been

demonstrations against cuts to the army including a march on

Westminster which one colonel described as the first of its kind

since the days of Cromwell. If we are to create a balanced army

capable of providing serious military capability for the future,

a small number of units and Italians will have to be withdrawn.

How have things changed in the last 24 months to such an extent that we

are prepared to reduce a well recruited and sustainable and

fighting regiment like it Regiment of Fusiliers to one Battalion? 2nd

battalion the Royal Welsh is similarly and the Mercian Regiment

also using capable and sustainable With 20,000 soldiers set to lose

their jobs it is time to be Tidworth near Salisbury. Home to

the 2nd Battalion the Royal Welsh, one of those due to be cut in the

Defence Review. Also home to the Highland Gunners otherwise known as

the 19th Regiment the Royal Artillery. And right now, they are

about to come home from Afghanistan. He is coming home today. How long

have you waited? Six and a half months. More than 200 days. Very

hard. It has been an emotional roller-coaster, really. You are

waiting for the telephone call and I have not heard anything in seven

months. It is a very long time. Crazy. Every emotion you can

imagine. Now I cannot even remember my name or anything! It has been

hard. They have just returned from Helmand Province, where they have

been training Afghanistan soldiers and police ahead of the British

withdrawal in December, 2014. They recruit from the Highlands and

Emotional reunions are part and parcel of army life, but there are

fears a smaller army could mean more frequent tours, putting more

stress on families. I know who I am going to pick up first! I am

looking forward to getting used to family life again. My feeling is

one of joy and I am just relieved to have him home in one piece.

have been told we cannot talk to the soldiers about cuts and the

effect they might have on morale. Instead we are talking about how

proud they are to have done their work in Afghanistan. Very proud. We

have done a good job. I am very proud. I was in Afghanistan for

years ago. Coming back in March, I bit is the difference then and I

noticed the difference after six months and is a different country.

The dynamic is changing constantly around us. We had to focus on a job

in Afghanistan. Everything is changing. We are probably not the

best people to answer that question, but saying that, we have personal

opinions. The army is in a state of flux. We are waiting to see where

we stand. Can we talk to the soldier? Is not a soldier! While

the Highland Gunners look safe as a regiment, no-one can be sure they

won't be one of the 20,000 soldiers to be cut. Under the changes

announced by the Defence Minister Philip Hammond in the summer, the

regular army will shrink from 102,000 to 80,000, with the

territorial army having a greater role. -- 82 thousand. And that

means we will have to reassess how often and how long we go to war,

according to the former Gulf war Commander of the Desert Rats.

have got to make certain that if we reduce the army, we do not send

people on operations more frequently and you have got to be

careful about operations you get involved in. We are a bellicose

nation. We like getting involved. With the war in Afghanistan, we

were far too involved and we had too many soldiers. That has got to

stop. We have got to be much more careful about how often we say, yes

we want to get involved in this operation. Local casualties of the

cuts include Two Three Pioneer Regiment in Bicester and the

Tidworth-based 2nd Battalion the Royal welsh who will be merged with

the 1st battalion. Is there any particular reason you want going to

Kandahar? Among the people concerned is the mother of Private

Richard Hunt, who was killed in Afghanistan. That is a prominent

picture. This is Richard and that is the other lads that was killed

some weeks later, James. That is the the picture with both of them.

And we have got his dresser. This is made out of spent cartridges

which they do for every lad killed. And you have got the plume and

badge put on top and that is sent home to you. And we have got this

lovely picture of Richard. And again, it is made out of what they

can get their hands on. He said, I am sorry, it is a bit rough but I

said I did not mind because it is made with love and respect. It is

one of the last pictures of him. Six foot two inches and eyes are

blue. That is very precious to me. I will try and keep it clean. And

upstairs we have the big room, which actually would have been

Richard's had he come back. It would have been his pad. It is

filled with all sorts of mementoes from his Mexican Hat, to his drums

down at the bottom. The room as I picked up to begin with was when I

was actually at the funeral of two of the Royal Welsh that died

recently. Then we thought it will be the 1st Battalion, the second,

or it will not be at all. But the actual announcement was the

television announcement made by Philip Hammond. It particularly

annoyed me because he said that he would merge the first and second

battalion. You can only emerge battalions when there are places

for them to do too. The 1st Battalion is also in Helmand

Province and is also recruited in Wales. They cannot merge them

because they will be no jobs for them to go to. Unless they went to

battalions outside of Wales, that is if there are jobs for them to go

to which I doubt, then be anything they are going to be getting his

step p 45. I think a lot of this will have an impact on particularly

areas of southern Wales which traditionally recruit them. The

army see it as a way of mobility. It is for people coming out of

troubled circumstances and people that have had a difficult start in

life and it is a way of gaining expertise, experience and skills

that they can take into employment later. You are losing that

opportunity for some of these communities, because they have got

less regiments to return to. That is going to have an impact on Wales.

If this had been 20,000 doctors, nurses, teachers, train drivers,

they would be an uproar and the unions would be in on it. The army

has no union. They cannot speak for themselves. Richard is actually

buried in the local church straight across the. We can see these little

building and window and he is to the right of that. -- across the. -

This is Richard underneath the tree. He was placed it because it gives a

direct view to the farm across the grounds so we can see him and he

can see us. I come here almost every day in the summer months. And

then about two or three times a week during the winter. I come down

at his birthday and at Christmas I gave him a small Christmas tree.

I've read out aloud to him. I bring a book down, normally a military

book because that is what he likes and I normally used to read to him

as a child. It makes me angry that this is the way they are being

treated. That is the job done and we do not need you any more. It is

part and parcel of the Railway Society and is not good enough

because they deserve better. -- throw away society. Even some of

those that agree with the cuts they think that they might have fallen

in the wrong places for political reasons. Scottish regiments like

the Highland Gunners have been left untouched even though unlike Welsh

regiments, the Scots struggle to recruit locally. I think the logic

of making these cuts... The army is going to come down to 80,000

personnel. That is partly economic will. The reality is that we cannot

afford to maintain what we have currently got. What I would have

done differently is to focus on different types of cuts. The

Scottish regiments will be in trouble because they cannot recruit

from other forces and I would merge them with other battalions instead.

I would question if gurkhas should be retained. We have historically

kept them because we have struggled to recruit from raised regiments

with exception of Scotland, that is not a problem. We have kept them

because they were trippers. Prior to the reform debate -- troopers.

They cost the army a lot less than the British soldier. You are paying

extra to keep them compared to ordinary British soldiers. The

third reason we want to look at this is because that when they are

retired, they are often retired to Nepal and they take their pension

and they invest in part of international development for their

country. Now it is changing about where they can leave after they

retire and a lot of them are staying here. That lost revenue

stream is a problem for the poll. I think that they could have been cut

alongside a number of Scottish regiments. I think the Scottish

question leads us to the issue of Scottish independence and David

Cameron did not want to keep ammunition for Alex Salmond and

campaign for Scottish independence. Trying to placate nationalism

against this is damaging the They are clearly having difficulty

in recruiting in Scotland. There are a lot of Fijian soldiers in the

Scottish battalions. It needs to be treated with kid gloves at the

moment, we cannot have it going off the Independent so play around with

the Scottish at your peril. A Welsh Italian, well recruited, having to

be cut, probably for political reasons -- a Welsh Italian to stop

I was upset because it is always sad to see anybody go. Towns around

Salisbury Plain have long been linked to the army because this is

where they come to train. You would expect a special sort of affection

and increased concern about the cuts, especially in garrison towns

like Tidworth. It is wrong, they are putting people out of service,

and they are dumping on them. is a threat every time, everywhere,

these days, nowhere is safe. Tidworth will be Tidworth for ever

and ever. It is the army that has kept it going. It is a Garrison,

that is it. They put a lot into the community. They have kept us

employed for many years. We have only recently retired but we were

both employed by the MoD. I did their to one years. Added 36 years.

-- 31 years, I did 36 years. planned withdrawal of around 20,000

troops based in Germany does mean soldiers will need to find new

bases at home. That could be good news for local economies. Tidworth

is a real winner, people are talking about a super Garrison, all

the major equipment in the British Army, the division that will take

part in a large port will be based around Tidworth and Salisbury. Look

out, get ready for more people, a more permanent presence. It is good

news for Tidworth in terms of building and those sorts of things.

Last year at the second Battalion - - the 2nd Battalion, The Royal

Welsh came back from Afghanistan before how much longer will it be

home as Britain decides which was a can of fortified in future.

honest view is it is a good thing they will not be used quite so

often because the army is going to be smaller, I feel we have overdone

it in the recent past, history may well show actually it wasn't the

best moment for us to get involved in these arguably unnecessary

conflicts we have got involved in. These lads have put so much into

their careers, and I did write a letter to Philip Hammond and asked

him it is all very well doing surveys asking how happy they are

with a job and their pay and all that sort of thing, but has he

recently asked somebody who has come back from the 4th tour off

Afghanistan how they feel about being handed their p 45? I couldn't

see myself in another battalion, having the same and the sphere. It

is amazing. They are cracking bunch of lads. As a Welsh man to serve

with the Royal Welch in Afghanistan is a great thing and it obviously

bring on a back is one of the best feelings a man can have. Just

marching up there I had tears in my eyes. We are all home, all safe.

Next, travellers and their horses go together like bangers and mash,

gin-and-tonic, tea and biscuits. Throw in some parts and you have

got one of the events on the travellers calendar, who could

resist an invitation to Danny 170 courses and families from

across the country arrive at any keeper's home in the New Forest.

They are lightly gypsy families but others have heard about this annual

event. They come from all about -- all over the country. This is

proper New Forest Drive, there are other smaller ones, but they are

trying to copy me. I started at about nine years ago. Only just

friends and family. I think we had 27 on the first one, every year it

has got bigger and bigger. Today there were 170 falsies. Everybody

loves to get together, they come from all over the country. I am

just trying to keep things going. It is fabulous. They deliver

coloured horses, and they left to see them and they are their pride

and joy. That is the way we do it. Ever popular among the regulars is

a patriotic top Hungarian or strainer. -- horse trainer. I have

got all my Hungarian family. A really good guy, because, very

patient but very strict. He sticks to the rules, but experience.

a horse riding nation, we came to Europe on horseback. This is where

it comes from. If you open your brain, mind, heart, you can

understand a horse and it can understand you, a good friend.

came here the last three years, so much fun, so we come every year.

Every year we have an extra horse. This is Albert, his second time,

and this is Dolly, her first time. It is so well organised, everybody

is so friendly, everybody is there to help, and you get to see the

same faces year after year, really good fun. No reunion is complete

without music, and one son has been specially written to celebrate the

occasion. -- and of one song. will be headed out the gate. We go

Although it doesn't have official approval the bat is now it happens

unseen to turn a blind eye. -- the authorities. A lot of holiday

people love to see it and you get the odd one who doesn't. A lot of

people take photographs, you just get the odd one who is impatient.

They forget the horses were here before the cars. Most of them are

all right. You cannot grumble. is it about all these black and

white and brown and white horses had makes them so attractive to

gypsy families. The coloured horses stand out, when the traveller man

got a club tour still look pretty and if they go to a fair and

wonders told they can say they can pick them out. They always

different. The colours are so different, just like the Indians.

When they went out their painted them all up stop I don't know what

it is, do something about the colour. As long as you have got a

good kind I, that is the main thing. Well behaved. Tree to might, they

were true you ride. Life is changing and horses are becoming

more of a hobby than a necessity. lot of people in the 50s and 60s

travelled a nomadic lifestyle. A lot of us are settled down. I have

got a couple of businesses, not all of us, but some have moved on.

have got four children at school, one works in the city in London,

but we still want to keep our culture where we are. My boys still

comes on the drive, I picked him up from the train station in his

three-piece suit. If you come from India and to live in England you

are still in June. We are travellers, because some of us live

in houses and some don't, we have still got our culture me want our

children brought up with our principles. 95% of travellers have

got good morals, principles, good principles around gills, our

daughters are brought up not to have boyfriends and tell the right

age. Good morals. The other 5% you cannot help, but there are a lot

more this D Bevan said travellers. We like to meet up, it keeps our

children's tradition. My parents lived in trailers, and my great

grandparent travelled on the With a long line of horses like

this crossing busy tourist routes an event like this has its dangers

and the organisers live in fear at something could go wrong. -- that

It is not about racing, at least not yet. This is a family day and

It all changes at Balmer Lawn in Brockenhurst where the youngsters

in particular let rip. We like to keep the family altogether. That is

where the kids have got horses, saved them running the streets. If

they have caused is there with him all the time. He keeps all the

family together. It brings them all together. Later on in life they

will be good horsemen and women. They have had so much handling of

them. Like anything else, the more you use a horse, the better they

While the forest in agent least a few bemused day-trippers looking on

-- invasion. For one man the drive has a special meaning. It means a

lot to me, the highlight of my life, really. Every year we look forward

to it. Going back to your roots. You have been used to being brought

up with it. I have always liked horses. My father used to go to

Stow-on-the-Wold in a wagon, a proper gypsy wagon. I suppose it is

in the breeding. Hanging away from what we are. This is my grandson,

tummy, he would be the same. We look for our family and our horses

It is brilliant, going through the forest, not another place like it

in England. Such character. At the moment I am feeling very

tense. I am hoping when we get back him and everybody is back in the

yard safe, that is our day ever with and we can relax and do what

we have got to do, the horses will be washed down, everybody us will

be tidied up, they can be fed, put to bed, and we can start enjoying

On the way home there is a chance for the more competitive to show

off their horses Paiseys. -- paces. You cannot be live. You can go

abroad, a lot of good places, but the New Forest is a real special

place, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, so relaxed. He takes

your mind of everything. Get away from the phones, this and that,

People say I have had a good day, shake my hand, it has been

marvellous, that is what I love to That is just about all we have got

time for. Don't forget, if you think you have got a story for us