b. 1969 Dover, Kent.
DATE OF CGC ACTION: 01/06/2004 Al-Amarah, Iraq.
Christopher M Broome CGC
Chris Broome was born in Dover, Kent in 1969. He enlisted in the British Army at the age of 18 and by the time of his first tour of Iraq, he was a senior NCO in the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. He was a 17 year veteran who was in command of a Warrior. His job was to resupply the beleaguered Cimic House in Al-Amarah, where Major Justin Featherstone and his troops were under siege, surrounded by Mahdi Army fighters. Convoys were repeatedly attacked by insurgents; Private Johnson Beharry would be awarded his Victoria Cross for his work on such missions, and it would be Broome who cradled the seriously injured soldier in his arms after he was almost killed by a rocket-propelled grenade. Broome’s citation for the CGC states “he demonstrated gallantry, leadership and courage far beyond that reasonably expected of one in his position,” and adds “fighting the enemy from his Warrior and on foot…He led his men with courage and valour and his selfless, modest approach has been an inspiration to his men, his peers and his superiors.” Indeed, Chris Broome’s award of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross was for multiple acts of bravery between April 1 and September 30, 2004.
For example, during Operation Waterloo, an operation involving 30 Warriors, four Challenger 3 main battle tanks and more than 400 soldiers, supported by RAF Tornado jets and a US AC130 Spectre, Broome and his colleagues had to maintain law and order through a framework of streets patrolling which often resulted in pitched gun battles with pockets of heavy armed militia. On a separate occasion, Broome “did not hesitate to put his own life at risk to save the life of a colleague. Showing total disregard for his own safety he dismounted and chased Llewellyn (Sergeant Adam Llewellyn) until he caught up with him and put the fire out with an extinguisher from the Warrior.”
On June 1, 2004, Broome would again place himself in mortal danger when he witnessed the Warrior of Private Johnson Beharry (later VC) struck several times by RFGs. Broome placed his own Warrior between the critically wounded Beharry and a wall to stave off approaching insurgents. He then dismounted from his Warrior, to administer what aid he could to Beharry, who had a significant head wound, and also was unable to see due to the amount of blood.
On returning from Iraq. Chris Broome was heavily affected by his experiences there. He became a trainer based at Winchester, but was battling his demons. He described his own actions at this time in the Dan Collins book “In Foreign Fields” as “I was too aggressive, but I wanted to make sure they understood the importance of the drills. I didn’t want them coming home in body bags. I wanted them to understand that a rifle is only used for one thing, and it makes a mess.” Sadly, one day Chris (as he admits himself in the aforementioned interview for the book) went too far. He was court-martialled and fined £1,000 for hitting a recruit over the head with a stick. Chris saw that as a big wake up call and sought help for his symptoms of PTSD which were blighting him.
Chris Broome CGC is married with two children.
CGC CITATION:
The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards for gallant and distinguished services in Iraq during the period 1st April to 30th September 2004:
24783240 Sergeant Christopher Mark Broome, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment
24884304 Sergeant Terry Bryan, Royal Regiment of Artillery
25046691Corporal Terence Alan Thomson, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment
LOCATION OF MEDAL: WITH RECIPIENT.
