I need your help and support to give our lads in Afghanistan some moral support for the difficult job they have there. As many of you know are lads are currently fighting a vicious war in Afghanistan. While many of us have the luxury to sit about with friends and family and enjoy our christmas dinner many of our lads will be stuck in Afghanistan without such luxuries and a few dare I say it may never see their loved ones again.
My old regiment The Household Cavalry like many other of our lads at the moment are currently serving 6 month tours there, C squadron my old squadron and HQ squadron are there at the moment to be relieved by D squadron in March 2008. The regiment has already lost four men in the conflict there.
My own son who attended school in Albox since 2002 is now a member of the same regiment and it is plausible that some time in the future he maybe joining them there. He is eighteen in May. I also have a second son who is joining them in January 2008.
I would kindly ask you to spare a thought for our lads there. I am asking if any of you would be happy to make a cheque donation prior to christmas with letters of support to the lads, etc. I will ensure that both the cheques and the letters will be sent to the regiment at Windsor where the cheques will be converted into items such as shaving and washing kits, magazines, books, etc, etc. The letters from yourselves will also go along way to giving them a boost of moral to know that even our expat community in Spain are supporting them.
I am currently the official association representative of the Life Guards Household Cavalry in Spain which can be varified by Major Dick Hennessy-Walsh at Combermere Barracks, Windsor tel. 0044 1753 755 297.
I can be contact by phone on 950527003 or 627437405
If any of you have any other ideas of how we can raise money quickly before 11 December I will be most interested.
I will arrange for the lads in Afghanistan to write back to you all who have sent letters and will arrange for the squadron to reply back to you all in the form of a letter which I will have published in the Messenger Sol Times and The Post.
I am travelling back to the UK on the 11 December and It would give me great pleasure to be able to hand over to the regimental Colonel your cheque donations along with your letters from our local expat community here.
Please be generous and make our soldiers christmas a little more bearable. All cheques should be made payable to Central Bank The Household Cavalry Regiment. Please mark your letters The Household Cavalry Afghanistan. Please do not enclose cheques with these letters. All can be sent to me at: Casa Mariposa, Rambla Los Pardos, Taberno 04692, Almeria, Spain to be here no later tha 10th December please.

Please go to the folowing link to make a credit card donation: http://www.thespainforum.com/classifieds/category-41.html

Thank you in advance

Michael Creagh
Taberno

Since starting this thread I have just recieved two individual donations of one hundred pounds each. This is excellent news and only proves that us expats do care about our lads out there in Afghanistan. On behalf of the Household Cavalry Regiment I would like to pass on their heart felt thanks to all the donations and letters that you are sending in.
As mentioned before all donations have to be in by the 10th December to ensure that the regiment has reciept by 14th December and all donations will be sorted ready for Christmas Day.
We are also running an auction for a ride in a Spartan ?tank?as used by the troops in Afghanistan. The individual that donates the largest sum in a cheque made payable to Central Fund The Household Cavalry Regiment will recieve a ride for them selves and their immediate family from http://www.tanksinspain.com. Please read previous thread for where to send cheque.

Thank you one and All

Michael Creagh

News just in
British troops on 6th of December have completely surrounded the town of Musa Qala in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Taliban forces have held this town since February and are believed to have dug in deep with trenches, sniper positons, machine gun posts and booby traps to defend this position against UK forces.
The UK force is lead by the Scots Guards and 40 Commando Royal Marines, backed up by The Household Cavalry with Light tanks, the Royal Artillary and the Green Howards. Commanders on the ground have suggested that this is a major battle and will involve our troops fighting street by street, house by house and room by room. The Taliban leaders have suggested they have already destroyed a tank belonging to the Household Cavalry but this has been denied by forces on the ground. This is the most dangerous area in Helmand Provence.
Lets pray that our lads get through this conflict ok.
Please see thread on helping our lads out there have a better Christmas.

tankman