The Sun, Telegraph, Make Fools of Themselves

The Sun and the Telegraph have today made fools of themselves by accusing the BNP of somehow doing something sinister by selling replica Victoria Crosses on its merchandising web site - when in fact the government’s own National Army Museum also sells Victoria Cross replicas! (see screenshot alongside).

The only difference between the BNP’s sale of the replica VC is that it is half the price of the replica that the government’s museum sells! You can buy a replica VC from the National Army Museum for £24.99, or the same thing from Excalibur for £12.00.

Both the Sun and the Telegraph however carry stories which try to create the impression that there is something illegal about Excalibur’s fine and expanding range of collectable items - which includes miniature World War I and II medals, replica coins going back to Celtic, Roman and Saxon times, and a replica Magna Carta.

“It is ridiculous in the extreme for the Sun and the Telegraph to get indignant about replica medals, when the government itself, through the National Army Museum, also sells them to collectors,” says Dave Joines, managing director of Excalibur.

“The pathetic level of their attack is in fact a good sign - because if that is now the way they have to try and attack the BNP, then it just goes to show that we have won the political debate.”

“All they can do now is try and invent half-baked smears which have nothing to do with the issues facing Britain-namely the immigration invasion, the collapsing economy, the dire state of the NHS and the other things which really sway voters,” he says.

The hopeless Sun and Telegraph articles also quote Johnson Beharry, an immigrant from Grenada who entered the UK in 1999 and controversially won a VC in Iraq.

Beharry was clearly dragged out only because of his ethnicity to attack the BNP. He told The Sun: “Selling fake VCs is very disrespectful. The honour of the medal and its history shouldn’t be tarnished like this.”

Quite apart from the fact that replica VCs are also sold by the National Army Museum, and therefore is also condemned in his words, the awarding of the VC to Beharry himself was shrouded in controversy, with critics saying that all he did was drive away very fast from a combat zone.

The action for which Beharry was awarded a VC took place in Iraq on 1 May 2004, when the vehicle he was driving was ambushed. Beharry drove through the ambush to safety - as have hundreds and hundreds of other British soldiers in Iraq under similar circumstances.

This type of action is so common in combat zones, that it actually happened again to Beharry on 11 June 2004, when an identical scenario played itself out.

Despite the fact of driving through an ambush is actually routine for all military vehicles drivers in the British Army in Iraq, the politically correct Ministry of Defence decided to elevate this particular occasion to something worthy of the VC.

At the time, critics pointed out that the VC was normally only awarded for gallant acts of bravery such as the Defence of Rorke’s Drift, head on enemy attacks such as in the trenches of World War I and so on - and that driving a vehicle through an ambush hardly compares to any of these deeds.

Critics suggested that the only reason that Beharry was singled out for a VC was because of a made-up “positive discrimination” directive by the PC-mad government. The less kind critics might now say that possibly Beharry should be the one to be wearing a replica VC instead of a real one.

Real Recipients of the Victoria Cross - Compare their Bravery to that of Beharry’s action:

Rambahadur Limbu, VC, is a Nepalese recipient of the Victoria Cross, belonging to the Begha Clan of Limbu Nationality of Nepal.

Limbu was approximately 26 years old, and was a Lance-Corporal in the 2nd Battalion, 10th Princess Mary’s Own Gurkha Rifles, British Army during the Indonesian Confrontation when, on 21 November 1965 in Sarawak, Borneo, Lance-Corporal Rambahadur Limbu was in an advance party of 16 Gurkhas when they encountered about 30 Indonesians holding a position on the top of a jungle-covered hill.

The lance-corporal went forward with two men, but when they were only 10 yards from the enemy machine-gun position, the sentry opened fire on them, whereupon Limbu rushed forward and killed him with a grenade.

The remaining enemy combatants then opened fire on the small party, wounding the two men with the lance-corporal who, under heavy fire, made three journeys into the open, two to drag his comrades to safety and one to retrieve their bren gun, with which he charged down and killed many of the enemy.

Ian John McKay VC (May 7, 1953 - June 12, 1982) was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, born in Wortley, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.Ian McKay was Platoon Sergeant of 4 Platoon, B Company, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, during the Falklands War.

During the night of 11th/12th June 1982, 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment mounted a silent night attack on an enemy battalion position on Mount Longdon, an important objective in the battle for Stanley in the Falkland Islands.

Sergeant McKay was platoon sergeant of 4 Platoon, B Company, which, after the initial objective had been secured, was ordered to clear the Northern side of the long East/West ridge feature, held by the enemy in depth, with strong, mutually-supporting positions.

By now the enemy were fully alert, and resisting fiercely. As 4 Platoon’s advance continued it came under increasingly heavy fire from a number of well-sited enemy machine gun positions on the ridge, and received casualties.

Realising that no further advance was possible the Platoon Commander ordered the Platoon to move from its exposed position to seek shelter among the rocks of the ridge itself. Here it met up with part of 5 Platoon.

The enemy fire was still both heavy and accurate, and the position of the platoons was becoming increasingly hazardous. Taking Sergeant McKay, a Corporal and a few others, and covered by supporting machine gun fire, the Platoon Commander moved forward to reconnoitre the enemy positions but was hit by a bullet in the leg, and command devolved upon Sergeant McKay.

It was clear that instant action was needed if the advance was not to falter and increasing casualties to ensue. Sergeant McKay decided to convert this reconnaissance into an attack in order to eliminate the enemy positions. He was in no doubt of the strength and deployment of the enemy as he undertook this attack.

He issued orders, and taking three men with him, broke cover and charged the enemy position.
The assault was met by a hail of fire. The Corporal was seriously wounded, a Private killed and another wounded. Despite these losses Sergeant McKay, with complete disregard for his own safety, continued to charge the enemy position alone.

On reaching it he despatched the enemy with grenades, thereby relieving the position of beleaguered 4 and 5 Platoons, who were now able to redeploy with relative safety.

Sergeant McKay, however, was killed at the moment of victory, his body falling on the bunker.
Without doubt Sergeant McKay’s action retrieved a most dangerous situation and was instrumental in ensuring the success of the attack. His was a coolly calculated act, the dangers of which must have been all too apparent to him beforehand. Undeterred he performed with outstanding selflessness, perseverance and courage.

F/O Lloyd Allan Trigg VC (5 May 1914-11 August 1943), of Houhora, New Zealand, was a pilot in the RNZAF. He was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross. His award is unique, as it was awarded on evidence solely provided by the enemy, for an action in which there were no surviving Allied witnesses to corroborate his gallantry.

Trigg was piloting a Liberator V over the Atlantic on 11 August 1943 when he engaged the German submarine U-468, under the command of Klemens Schamong.

His aircraft received several catastrophic hits from the anti-aircraft guns during his approach to drop depth charges and was on fire as Trigg made his final attack. It then crashed, killing Trigg and his crew, so the only witnesses to his high courage were the U-boat crew members.

The U-boat sank but the seven survivors were rescued by a Royal Navy vessel and the U-Boat captain reported the incident, recommending Trigg be decorated for his bravery. The Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously.

The full citation reads as follows:

“Air Ministry, 2nd November, 1943. The KING has been graciously pleased to confer the VICTORIA CROSS on the undermentioned officer in recognition of most conspicuous bravery: - Flying Officer Lloyd Allan TRIGG, D.F.C. (N.Z.413515), Royal New Zealand Air Force (missing, believed killed), No. 200 Squadron.

Flying Officer Trigg had rendered outstanding service on convoy escort and antisubmarine duties. He had completed 46 operational sorties and had invariably displayed skill and courage of a very high order.

One day in August 1943, Flying Officer Trigg undertook, as captain and pilot, a patrol in a Liberator although he had not previously made any operational sorties in that type of aircraft. After searching for 8 hours a surfaced U-boat was sighted.

Flying Officer Trigg immediately prepared to attack. During the approach, the aircraft received many hits from the submarine’s anti-aircraft guns and burst into flames, which quickly enveloped the tail.

The moment was critical. Flying Officer Trigg could have broken off the engagement and made a forced landing in the sea. But if he continued the attack, the aircraft would present a “no deflection” target to deadly accurate anti-aircraft fire, and every second spent in the air would increase the extent and intensity of the flames and diminish his chances of survival.

There could have been no hesitation or doubt in his mind. He maintained his course in spite of the already precarious condition of his aircraft and executed a masterly attack. Skimming over the U-boat at less than 50 feet with anti-aircraft fire entering his opened bomb doors, Flying Officer Trigg dropped his bombs on and around the U-boat where they exploded with davastating[sic] effect. A short distance further on the Liberator dived into the sea with her gallant captain and crew.

The U-boat sank within 20 minutes and some of her crew were picked up later in a rubber dinghy that had broken loose from the Liberator.”

BNP NEWS TEAM.