The British Army’s chief of the general staff was declared “missing in action” yesterday after a helicopter delivered him to the wrong field on Salisbury Plain.
General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith had hitched a lift on a Wildcat Helicopter to observe an MoD field exercise. But rather than the pre-agreed spot in the 150-square-mile training area, he was dropped off in a field about 600 metres away - triggering a “manhunt” for the “lost” ex-special forces commander, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, The Telegraph reports.
The Sun reports that “desperate” soldiers tried to reach Carleton-Smith and his aides by mobile phone, “but they were stuck in a mobile blackspot”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“There was an ‘Oh shit moment’ when they realised they had lost the head of the army,” a defence source told the Forces Compare website. “His visit was a really big deal, and they had everything planned out.”
According to The Times, “frantic Whatsapp messages” were exchanged between the 56-year-old general’s staff and aides in the welcoming party “as the visit threatened to unravel”.
The mishap quickly became the talk of the barracks, with some soldiers creating memes inspired by their lost boss. The newspaper’s defence editor, Lucy Fisher, tweeted some of their efforts, including a poster for the TV show Lost with Carleton-Smith’s face superimposed onto that of one of the lead characters.
Others compared his disappearance to the events in Blackadder Goes Forth, the final series of Rowan Atkinson’s hit BBC comedy.
After Carleton-Smith was finally tracked down by the welcoming party, a fellow general, who “asked not to be named”, told The Sun that “these things happen more than you might realise”.
“Mark is a highly accomplished Special Forces operator,” the general added. “He can just look at the stars and navigate to where he needs to be. He is steeped in escape and evasion skills. I am sure he will see the funny side.”
-
Operation Rubific: the government's secret Afghan relocation schemeThe Explainer Massive data leak a 'national embarrassment' that has ended up costing taxpayer billions
-
Is UK's new defence plan transformational or too little, too late?Today's Big Question Labour's 10-year strategy 'an exercise in tightly bounded ambition' already 'overshadowed by a row over money'
-
The state of Britain's Armed ForcesThe Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
-
Is Europe's defence too reliant on the US?Today's Big Question As the UK and EU plan to 're-arm', how easy will it be to disentangle from US equipment and support?
-
Is the British Army ready to deploy to Ukraine?Today's Big Question The UK 'would be expected to play a major role' if a peacekeeping force is sent to enforce ceasefire with Russia
-
British defence: the crisis in the Armed ForcesTalking Point Depleted military power may not be able to meet its own commitment to up defence spending to 2.5%
-
British Armed Forces personnel details 'hacked by China'Speed Read The Ministry of Defence became aware of the breach 'several days ago'
-
The issue of women and conscriptionUnder the radar Ukraine military adviser hints at widening draft to women, as other countries weigh defence options amid global insecurity
