British Army news stories on Newser

Prince Harry Promoted to Captain

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 13:14:12 CDT

Prince Harry? That’s Captain Prince Harry to you. The prince was promoted to his new rank in the British army after completing five years of service, the BBC reports. Harry, who trains as an Apache helicopter pilot, became the first royal in more than 25 years to serve in a...

Prince Harry Taliban Kidnap Drama Irks Royals

Rob Quinn — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 02:42:00 CDT

Prince Harry begs his Taliban captors for his life in a British drama to be broadcast later this month, and the royal soldier is not amused. Channel 4's "dramatized documentary" The Taking of Prince Harry mixes footage of a kidnapped Harry, played by actor Sebastian Reid, with real interviews with...

'Hurt Locker' Brit Dies Disarming Afghan Bomb

Rob Quinn — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:18:56 CST

A British soldier with the kind of chillingly dangerous job featured in the movie Hurt Locker has been killed disarming a roadside bomb to clear a route for a new Afghan offensive. Warrant Officer David Markland, 36, had survived 8 stints in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Times of London...

Brits Waterboarded Irish Prisoners in '70s

Rob Quinn — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:05:00 CST

The British Army used waterboarding on prisoners in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, according to lawyers for a man appealing his 1973 conviction. Liam Holden was convicted of killing a British soldier on the basis of a confession which he says was extracted by torture: Holden, who spent 17 years...

Afghan War Could Last 40 Years: UK General

Kevin Spak — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:14:13 CDT

The Afghan war could last three to four decades, the new head of the British Army predicted today. “It will take time. This is nation building,” Sir David Richards said, “not the starry-eyed type, but nation-building nonetheless.” He allowed, however, that “the Army’s role might evolve” over the 30-40 years...

Sadistic Brit Soldiers 'Made Iraqis Dance Like Jacko'

Rob Quinn — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:54:31 CDT

British troops called Iraqi detainees "apes," beat them so that their moans of pain sounded like an "orchestrated choir," and forced them to dance like Michael Jackson, a public inquiry into the death of one of the detainees heard yesterday. The inquiry panel was told that Baha Mousa, a hotel...

Brit Families Can Sue Over Soldier Deaths

Matt Cantor — Tue, 19 May 2009 08:22:01 CDT

A British court has ruled that defense heads can be sued for neglecting soldiers’ human rights—meaning decisions made on the battlefield could be subject to litigation, the Times of London reports. The ruling stemmed from an inquest into the heatstroke death of a soldier due to what the coroner...

British Town Honors War Dead With Silent Farewells

Rob Quinn — Tue, 19 May 2009 04:00:49 CDT

A lone man's silent salute to a military hearse grew into a tradition that now involves thousands who line the streets of a small British town, the New York Times reports. The bodies of UK troops killed in Afghanistan pass through Wootton Bassett on the way from the nearby air...

Wills Wants to Be a Real Soldier

Katherine Thompson — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:12:00 CDT

It may seem like England's Prince William has it all, but the News of the World is reporting that the 26-year-old is jealous of his brother's chance to serve in Afghanistan . An undercover reporter says he got the prince to open up at a party, reports the AFP, but a...