Mark William Wright,
GC (22 April 1979 – 6 September 2006) was a soldier in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
and a recipient of the
George Cross. He died in
Helmand Province
Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...
, Afghanistan, after entering a
minefield in an attempt to save the lives of other injured soldiers. His actions were
posthumously
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death
* ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987
* ''Posthumous'' (E ...
recognised with the award of the George Cross on 14 December 2006,
[Operational Honours: VC and GC for acts of exceptional valour](_blank)
, MOD press release, 14 December 2006. and
gazetted
A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper.
In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...
the next day.
Wright had served in the
3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade.
Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit, the battalion is capabl ...
in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
and
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
Early life
Before he joined the military, Wright lived in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
.
Military career
Wright joined the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
in January 1999. After training, he joined the
3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade.
Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit, the battalion is capabl ...
in October 1999. He completed three tours in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
within three years, and was Number One in a
mortar detachment by 2003. He was deployed to
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
with his battalion in May 2003. Back in the United Kingdom, he was promoted to corporal. He became a Mortar Fire Controller, and was deployed to Helmand Province with his battalion in May 2006.
[Corporal Mark William Wright killed in Afghanistan](_blank)
MOD press release, 7 September 2006.
Death
On 6 September 2006, Wright was on routine patrol in the region of
Kajaki in Helmand Province.
He entered the unmarked minefield with a small team after another soldier stepped on a landmine
A land mine is an explosive weapon, explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically d ...
. While the first casualty was being tended, further landmines detonated as a landing space was cleared for a
helicopter evacuation attempt, causing severe injuries to several others. Wright remained in the minefield, and ordered others out, but he was himself injured by another mine while making his way to the helicopter. He maintained the morale of the other wounded soldiers despite his serious injuries, including an impromptu rendition of "
Happy Birthday" for a comrade also immobilised by the blasts. Wright later died of his wounds during the flight to the
field dressing station, after a wait of many hours for the
International Security Assistance Force
' ps, کمک او همکاري '
, allies = Afghanistan
, opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda
, commander1 =
, commander1_label = Commander
, commander2 =
, commander2_label =
, commander3 =
, command ...
(ISAF) to scramble an appropriate rescue aircraft.
Reaction
On 14 January 2008, ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' reported (based on a pre-publication copy of the board of enquiry's report) that Wright might have been saved if the British Army had had adequate numbers of winch-equipped helicopters available. Most winches had been withdrawn due to a fault in a sub-system, meaning that Wright and his colleagues had to wait over five hours before being evacuated by a United States'
Black Hawk helicopter. The military report also criticised the facts that: the British troops did not have a map of the minefield, although they were available; British troops had to provide their own mine extraction kits; and that radio problems on the day led to communications breakdown.
In October 2008 an
inquest into the deaths of Wright and other personnel involved in the incident heard further details of the circumstances. A platoon commander had heard from American private security contractors that there were mines in the area, and passed that information on; however, the map used by the troops still showed it as being clear of hazards. The first soldier to trigger a mine was Corporal Stuart Hale. This was reported to (then) Lieutenant Colonel
Stuart Tootal
Stuart may refer to:
Names
*Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile
*Stuart (automobile)
Places
Australia Generally
*Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory
Norther ...
, commanding officer of 3 PARA at the time (since promoted to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
). He requested a
Black Hawk helicopter from the joint helicopter base in
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...
, officers there were reluctant to send a helicopter because of the risk of further mines being present. When bomb-disposal officers told Tootal that it could take 12 hours to clear the mines, he decided to send a British
Chinook to attempt a rescue. This helicopter was not equipped with a winch, so would have to touch down at least its two back wheels to pick the men up. Sergeant Stuart Pearson attempted to clear sufficient area for the helicopter to touchdown, but as he rejoined the rest of the platoon, he triggered a further mine, causing further casualties. The helicopter then arrived and touched down successfully, but the soldiers were now unwilling to risk further detonations, and refused to move toward it. As the helicopter took off again, Wright triggered a further mine, possibly because he, or some equipment, was moved by the downdraft or other effect of the helicopter. Three soldiers had lost legs, and four had other serious injuries. Wright, himself wounded in the arm, neck and chest crawled across the minefield to administer morphine and other first aid measures to his comrades. Two Black Hawk helicopters finally arrived to extract the men, and Wright died in one of these en route to
Camp Bastion. Tootal believes that the additional casualties could have been avoided if a Black Hawk had been despatched in the first instance.
Mark Wright House
On 17 August 2009, the first purpose-built Army Recovery Centre to be set up in the United Kingdom was officially opened and named "Mark Wright House" in honour of Wright. The centre has been jointly developed by the army, and charities
Erskine
Erskine (, sco, Erskin, gd, Arasgain) is a town in the council area of Renfrewshire, and historic county of the same name, situated in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the southern bank of the River Clyde, providing the l ...
and
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes (H4H) is a British charity which provides lifelong recovery support to British Armed Forces service personnel who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty, and to their families, originally only since 11 September 2001, th ...
, and is based at Erskine's Edinburgh Home in
Gilmerton
Gilmerton ( gd, Baile GhilleMhoire, IPA: paləˈʝiːʎəˈvɔɾʲə is a suburb of Edinburgh, about southeast of the city centre.
The toponym "Gilmerton" is derived from a combination of gd, Gille-Moire– a personal name and later surnam ...
. The centre provides a dedicated 12-bed unit for army personnel recovering from injuries, and is designed to ease the transition from medical care at centres such as
Headley Court
Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court (abbreviated to DMRC Headley Court, and more commonly known as Headley Court), formerly RAF Headley Court, was an United Kingdom Ministry of Defence facility in Headley, near Epsom, Surrey, Engl ...
to a return home. As such, the facility also provides facilities for the families of the injured personnel.
Legacy
Scottish actor
David Elliot portrayed Mark Wright in the 2014 film ''
Kajaki'', which depicted the events at
Kajaki dam
The Kajaki Dam is one of the two major hydroelectric power dams of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. The dam is located on the Helmand River 100 miles (161 km) north-west of Kandahar and is operated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valle ...
. The movie was released in the United States (Netflix) under the title of ''Kilo Two Bravo''.
Mark Wright Memorial Degree Team
Mark Wright was a
Freemason and a member of Lodge St Clair No 349, in Edinburgh. A group of
Scottish Freemasons
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
established the Mark Wright Memorial Degree team and toured Scottish masonic lodges performing degree ceremonies with the purpose of raising money for military veteran charities.
The group became the starting point for a new Lodge, Kajaki No 1848, which was chartered by the
Grand Lodge of Scotland and consecrated in 2018. Its first Right Worshipful Master was Bob Wright, the father of Mark Wright.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Mark (Gc)
1979 births
2006 deaths
British Army personnel of the Iraq War
British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
British military personnel killed in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
British Parachute Regiment soldiers
British recipients of the George Cross
Military personnel from Edinburgh
Landmine victims