b. 1986 Portavogie, County Down, Northern Ireland.
DATE OF CGC ACTION: 01/04/2008 to 30/09/2008 Afghanistan.
Robert W K McClurg CGC MC
Robert McClurg was born in Portavogie, County Down, Northern Ireland in 1986. Just three weeks after his 16th birthday, he had enlisted in the Royal Irish Regiment, and less than a year later, was completing an Arctic warfare course. Prior to his actions in Afghanistan which would ultimately lead to the award of two gallantry awards, he completed a tour of Northern Ireland, and one in Iraq in 2006. He was on his second tour of Afghanistan when the incidents occurred in the summer of 2008.
“I did basic patrol in Iraq. We had no major incidents the whole time we were there — six months. Afghanistan was a totally different ball game. Iraq was all about the IEDs (improvised explosive devices). When I went to Afghanistan the first time it was all about hand to hand gun battles. The last tour was six months.”
Corporal McClurg was a soldier mentoring an ANA company in Helmand province when they came under attack during a six-hour assault. An RIR report into the incident said he along with his Officer Commanding (OC) were heavily involved in co-ordinating fires but “stepped-up to act as the primary mentor for the assaulting ANA”. Suddenly, his group was fired upon and took casualties, including the ANA commander, who became ineffective,” the report revealed.
“Undaunted, McClurg rallied his force, directing and leading a series of frontal and flanking assaults over a series of six hours. McClurg’s intervention turned the battle.” McClurg would be awarded both the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross and Military Cross for his actions in Afghanistan. Following the second tour there, he was then sent to his first tour of the Falkland Islands. In the Falklands, he was part of D Company supporting B Company on the operation. His role in the Falklands was described in an interview with the Belfast Telegraph as “I’m a Mortar Fire Controller — for all the live firing exercises we will be providing the mortar support. It’s not unlike what we have back in the UK, but the weather is just a bit more extreme.”
LOCATION OF MEDAL: WITH RECIPIENT.
