The Club was pleased to receive news from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment – known as the Vikings – as they serve in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. We recently sent kit to the battalion following the tragic death of Corporal Darren Bonner, a Spurs fan.
The Vikings are deployed as part of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in southern Afghanistan.
Recently the Vikings led Operation LASTAY KULANG which has succeeded in squeezing out the Taliban in the north and south of the Upper Sangin Valley renowned to be a Taliban stronghold.
Here is an extract from their release...
A MORALE BOOST FOR SPURS FANS SERVING IN AFGHANISTAN
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Vikings, and supporters of ‘Spurs’ have had a morale boost when they recently received THFC goodies whilst serving in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan.
At the request of the family of Corporal Darren ‘Daz’ Bonner, who died last month in Afghanistan, the club sent some shirts to his fellow Vikings and Spurs fans in Afghanistan.
Warrant Officer Mark ‘Frankie’ Freeman, who knew Darren Bonner well and shared his passion for Tottenham, said: “It is a fantastic gesture that the club has made in the memory of a fellow Viking who loved and always talked about Spurs, and it is good to see some support back home for what the lads are doing out here.”
Frankie himself has always been a Spurs fan as long as he can remember and he always tries to catch up with the latest THFC news even on operations.
He said: “I started to support Tottenham when I was about 8 while most of my family supported Arsenal. In my 23-year Army career, I have always tried to catch up with every Spurs’ game thanks to the website, Sky Sports and Soccer AM even if I still believe we don’t see enough of Spurs.”
1 Royal Anglian will try to raise some money for a Memorial Fund they have created to support the families of soldiers killed and wounded in action, and Frankie added: “I wrote to THFC just days before ‘Daz’ was killed for any donation they would like to make for the end of tour raffle which we will organise for families of soldiers killed or injured in Afghanistan it has been fantastic that the club has contributed these shirts.”
IF YOU wish to make a donation to the Memorial Fund please email at
[email protected] or if you wish to write to Frankie
[email protected]
THE Club was represented by Sporting Director Damien Comolli at Corporal Bonner’s funeral and once again, the Club would like to pass its condolences to family and friends.