News

Grieving mum hits out at defence force

Published

12 years ago

January 16, 2014

HEARTBROKEN mum Helen Thomasen, from Haverfordwest, has slammed the armed forces after her hero son was killed in an Afghanistan firefight.

Lance Corporal Rory Malone was gunned down after he saved the life of Major Craig Wilson, who had been shot by insurgents.

The 26-year-old was then hit by a 7.62mm calibre round before he died on the battlefield with fellow Lance Corporal Pralli Durrer. But Helen, originally from New Zealand, has been appalled by her treatment at the hands of the New Zealand Defence Force, where her son served.

She claims she was misled over the role her boy was playing in the warzone.

“The average New Zealand soldier has not seen combat since Vietnam,” Helen said.

“Our soldiers are only really deployed for peacekeeping missions.”

But this time was different. The so-called “Battle of Baghak” saw Rory and Pralli killed and six wounded, two by so-called friendly fire.

“I never thought for a moment that he would ever be in danger, it had never crossed my mind,” the mum of seven said.

On the day of the battle, on August 4, 2012, Malone – the great-great-grandson of Gallipoli campaign commander Lieutenant Colonel William George Malone – was assigned to one of four patrols. They were responding to a help call from the NDS – the Afghan secret police – who had come under fire after catching a bombmaker in the remote Baghak Valley.

Craig’s patrol were first on the scene. They were there for six hours. Then Major Wilson arrived.

While Malone was briefing Wilson, he saw an insurgent and started shooting at him over Wilson’s shoulder.

The major was hit in the arm and dragged to the back of a Humvee truck by Malone and an unnamed officer.

Malone, who had by then taken a bullet in the leg, also got in the vehicle. But he got out again. The family do not know why he did this.

Seconds later he was dead.

Helen, 53, said questions needed to be answered about why her became a “sitting duck” and why footage of the firefight showed her son “appears to be in charge” of the situation despite his rank.

But she feared she would never get the “full information” from the military.

Helen heard her boy was dead when she was called from New Zealand by her son Peter at 2.30pm, UK time.

“I knew instantly something was wrong because he was ringing at that time,” Helen said.

Peter told her: “Rory has been shot and he is dead.”

“I told him not to ring me up and tell that s*** to me because how could that be true,” Helen said.

Just discovering her son was in combat was “a huge shock”.

“The thing about New Zealand soldiers is that they do not expect to see armed combat,” she said.

“You can be in the army for 20 years and never see armed combat.”

The former Dyfed-Powys Police traffic warden used to watch British soldiers’ coffins being removed from planes on the news.

“I would think, ‘Thank God I never have to go through that’,” she said.

The NZDF could not be reached for comment.

But in a previous statement it insisted it was satisfied with care shown to Malone’s family, and it was always trying to improve.

“The NZDF continues to learn from these experiences and adapt its procedures,” a spokesman said.

News

Welsh Labour promises right to read and play for every child in Wales

Published

14 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

New fund would expand toy libraries and automatically register babies for library cards

EVERY child in Wales will have an equal right to read and play, regardless of their background, under plans announced by Welsh Labour today.

The party says that if it is re-elected in the next Senedd term, it will introduce a new programme aimed at improving access to books and toys for families across the country.

The proposals include automatic registration for a library card for every child in Wales when a baby’s birth is registered, the creation of a nationwide network of 100 toy libraries, and a new Children’s Reading and Play Fund. The fund would help pay for toys and increase the number of children’s books available in both public and school libraries.

Welsh Labour says the measures are designed to ensure that children from all backgrounds have access to resources that support learning, creativity and early development.

Cabinet Secretary for Education Lynne Neagle said the plans would help ensure no child misses out on opportunities because of their family’s financial circumstances.

“Every child in Wales should have access to books and toys, regardless of their background. No child should have to go without because their family can’t afford them,” she said.

“Books and toys are a vital part of growing up. The new Children’s Reading and Play Fund would ensure this is a right for every child in Wales and help reduce costs for families.”

Toy libraries operate in a similar way to traditional libraries, allowing families to borrow toys and return them after use. While some toy libraries already exist in parts of Wales, access is currently patchy.

Welsh Labour says its proposal would establish a national network of 100 toy libraries to ensure a more consistent offer across the country. Under the plan, the libraries would work together and receive national support and promotion.

The party argues that improving access to books and play materials can help support early literacy, learning and social development for young children while easing financial pressure on families.

Further details about the proposed Children’s Reading and Play Fund are expected to be set out as part of Welsh Labour’s programme for the next Senedd term.

Community

Planed wins partnership award for Carmarthenshire wellbeing project

Published

14 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Community hub supporting more than 700 people a month recognised at West Wales health and social care awards

PLANED has won the Working in Partnership Award at the West Wales Regional Health and Social Care Awards, held at Canolfan Pentre Awel.

The awards were hosted by the West Wales Regional Partnership Board and recognise projects that demonstrate strong collaboration across health, social care and community organisations.

The award celebrates the success of the Carmarthenshire Living Well Centre, a project led and managed by PLANED which has become a key hub for community support in the county.

The centre brings together a range of organisations and initiatives offering advice, wellbeing activities and support services free of charge to local residents.

PLANED said the success of the centre has been built on strong collaboration with the many projects and organisations based there, all working together to support communities across Carmarthenshire.

More than 700 people each month now access services at the centre, taking part in group sessions, receiving advice and support, and benefiting from a wide range of community-led activities.

The organisation said the award recognises not only PLANED’s leadership in developing and managing the centre, but also the collective effort of the partners delivering services from the facility.

PLANED added that it will continue seeking further funding to support the development of the centre so it can expand its work and help even more people in the future.

Representatives from the organisation said it was great to see so many partners and familiar faces at the awards ceremony, adding that the recognition belongs to everyone involved in delivering the project.

Ministry of Defence

Tank fire echoes across county as live-fire exercises continue at Castlemartin

Published

14 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENTS across parts of south Pembrokeshire have reported unusually loud explosions over the past week as military exercises take place at the Castlemartin Training Area.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that live firing has been underway at the range between Monday (Mar 2) and Friday (Mar 6) as part of routine training for armoured units.

People living in Milford Haven, Neyland and surrounding communities said the blasts were noticeably louder than usual, with some reporting that the noise could be heard clearly indoors.

One resident in Milford Haven told The Herald that the sound carried across the Haven during the week.

“I’ve lived here for years and you always hear the range from time to time, but this week it seemed much louder than normal. You could hear it clearly inside the house.”

The Castlemartin Range Complex, located on the south Pembrokeshire coast between Bosherston and St Govan’s Head, is one of the UK’s main live-fire training areas for armoured units.

According to the official MOD firing notice for March, a range of weapons systems are being used during the exercises, including 120mm tank guns, mortars and heavy machine guns.

The 120mm main gun used by modern battle tanks produces extremely powerful shockwaves which can carry significant distances, particularly across water.

During some training periods the range operates during normal daytime hours, typically 7:30am to 4:45pm, but certain exercises include 24-hour firing sessions.

For safety reasons, several roads and footpaths in the Castlemartin area are closed during firing periods, including the road from Bosherston to St Govan’s Chapel and access to parts of the coastline.

A sea danger area is also enforced several miles offshore while the exercises are underway.

Castlemartin has been used by the military since the 1930s and is regularly used by armoured units training with Challenger tanks before deployment on operations or major exercises.