L/CplH Matty Hull (31 March, 1976 - 28 March, 2003) was a British soldier from D Squadron, The Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry.
L/Cpl Hull was killed in a friendly fire incident on 28 March, 2003 25 miles north of Basra, while taking part in Operation Telic, the British part of the invasion of Iraq. The incident came to public attention due to the continuing debate surrounding friendly fire deaths, as well as the US Governments refusal to allow release of a key video tape recording from one of the two US Marines A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft involved in the incident.
L/Cpl Hull leaves a wife, Susan.
As part of the invasion of Iraq, and under the British part of that operation called Operation Telic, on 28 March, 2003 two US Marines A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft were nearing the end of a two-hour mission to destroy artillery and rocket launchers from Iraq's 6 Armor Division, dug in 25 miles north of Basra. The aircraft were guided to their targets by Forward Air Controllers from the US Marine Corps, embedded with British ground units and relying on maps, intelligence and the pilots’ own vision.
At the same time, soldiers from D Squadron, The Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry, who were serving on operational duty in Iraq with 16th Air Assault Brigade, were in a convoy of British armoured vehicles - two FV107 Scimitars and two FV103 Spartans - were moving north to probe enemy lines. They were inside an area US pilots had been told not to shoot into, and carried orange overhead canvas panels used to identify coalition forces to aircraft. They also displayed thermal reflectors and Union Flags.
Circling at an altitude of 12,000ft, the A-10s spotted Iraqi vehicles 800 yards north, and the British patrol less than three miles west. After asking for clarity form the ground controllers as to which group of vehicles to attack, and asking but not waiting for a clarification round from an artillery unit, they attacked the British patrol believing the orange canvas panels to be surface to air rockets. After the attack had left the vehicles disabled, troops had exited some of the vehicles they were travelling in to take cover underneath the hulls. The A-10 rolled in for a second attack, at which time which L/Cpl Hull was killed while still within his Scimitar[1].
Trooper Chris Finney, 18, driving the lead Scimitar[2] stopped further attacks by jumping on his burning vehicle to radio in a Mayday report and call off the strike. Injured himself including a shot in the arm, Trooper Finney dragged the badly wounded L/Cpl Tudball from the inferno, then went back in for L/Cpl Hull in the second Scimitar but was beaten back by exploding rounds internally to the vehicle and heat. Trooper Finney was later awarded the George Cross for his actions.
L/Cpl Hull died trapped inside his burning Scimitar tank, from severe multiple injuries. Five of his colleagues were injured[3].
L/Cpl Hull was buried in a full military funeral in Windsor on 16 April, 2003. From his former base at Combermere Barracks, the band of the Blues and Royals accompanied by some 200 soldiers marching to Holy Trinity Garrison Church, Windsor[4].
A British Army Board of Inquiry was held in 2004, the findings of which were released to the family of L/Cpl Hull. However, certain "classified" material was withheld from the family, although it is believed that the video was shown to the BoI[5].
During the BoI, taped interviews with the Major commanding the A-10 flight were played. The US major told investigators: "The shadowing that I saw... I couldn't quite... I wasn't low enough, you know I was kind of concerned about having a manpad [man portable defence system] shot at me. We were briefed ... threats to the south-east of there, and I didn't want to be the first guy shot down during the war. The bottom line is... I didn't want to, while I was trying to ID them as best I could, I didn't want to put the aircraft in a position where it was going to be an easy target." According to the BoI, the "rockets" identified by the A-10 pilots may have been extra measures - in addition to standard day-glo panels - taken by the troops to protect themselves against friendly fire incidents.
The pilots claimed they were told twice by their Forward Air Controller (FAC) that they were "well clear of friendlies" before they attacked the convoy. However, they were earlier warned as they approach another target, suspected Iraqi missile launchers, that there are "friendlies" 3km to the west.
The US Lt/Col said: "I think it was after the second pass [to attack] we come off, that's when he's telling us about them again. I'm like, 'Ok, that's kind of unusual. Why are you saying there's friendlies here now?'" He said that as he rose away from his target, he saw red smoke, released by coalition forces after there has been a friendly fire incident. The same description of "friendlies", now described as small yellow British tanks by an FAC, was given after the attack.
The inquest also heard that while both the US pilots ere experienced, neither had worked in conflict situations before. The British board of inquiry found that the Major authorised the Lt Colonel to attack, but no authorisation was given by controllers on the ground[6]
The death of L/Cpl Hull fell under the jurisdiction of the Oxfordshire coroner, and would be presided over by Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker, who has undertaken all of the inquests of those killed in Iraq and returned to the UK through RAF Brize Norton.
The UK Government had placed pressure on the US Embassy in London and Government in Washington DC to release all materials on the incident. On 20 November, 2006, Constitutional Affairs Minister Harriet Harman met with Deputy US Mission leader David Johnson, and was assured that UK Government concerns about the failure of US soldiers to attend the inquests of British service personnel killed by so-called friendly fire in Iraq were to be relayed to Washington. The US military had provided written statements to the inquests, but no personnel are so far believed to have attended hearings to face questioning in person about their actions[7]. The United States has a long held position that servicemen do not attend foreign courts.
Harman said afterwards that Britain's support for the US meant the bereaved relatives deserved better treatment: "The families want to know how their loved ones were killed. They have got that right. I am hoping the Americans will give us full co-operation in the inquests because our special relationship demands honesty and openness. They are our allies in Iraq, and should respect the grief of the families and not hide from the court. If any of our soldiers had been involved in friendly fire deaths we would expect them to attend hearings."
The MoD, having denied for the previous four years that the video existed, advised the coroner that the video had been classified secret by the US Army and would not be available for use within his inquiry. Walker advised the MoD that he required release of the video by lunchtime of 2 February. It is believed that the British military Board of Inquiry has had a copy of the recording since 2004[8].
On 31 January, 2007 in testimony to the inquest, Cpl Ashley Bell who was in the convoy, told the inquest of his shock when the planes continued to bomb the tanks in front of him: " We started to realise this was a friendly-on-friendly and I got onto the radio. I asked for a 'Stop Stop Stop, check fire', at which everyone in our forces is supposed to stop firing." Cpl Bell said he got no response from air controllers and the planes attacked again: "When they came through and engaged again, I got onto the net [radio network] and then screamed a 'Stop stop stop' again. However, the British Forward Air Controller basically said they were rogue pilots that were working on their own."[9]
Other members of the troop gave their accounts of the incident, including L/Cpl Finney GC, on whom Walker commented: “You are a brave man. You are to be commended for what you did.”[10]
On 1 February, Constitutional Affairs Minister Harriet Harman said: "I think it's right for the Americans to comply with any request from the coroner." She said she had asked the US to give all evidence asked for, but admitted its pilots could not be compelled to attend the Oxford inquest[11].
On Friday 2 February, Ministry of Defence officials refused permission to show the video in open court, claiming they were tied by a legal pledge with the Pentagon not to reveal secrets. After launching an attack on the MoD, Walker was forced to adjourn L/CoH Hull's hearing because the MoD had failed to provide the inquest with a recording. After much media criticism of the MOD for not releasing video footage[12], on the afternoon of 2 February, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said in a statement:
On 6 February 2007 The Sun tabloid newspaper obtained a copy of the cockpit video from the A-10 aircraft, which they released to the public on their website[14]. The newspaper revealed that the pilots were both from reservist units on their first action, a lieutenant colonel and his flight commander, a major, of the 190th Air Fighter squadron[15].
The video released was 19 minutes long, and included additional verbiage from the pilots. After being advised to abort their mission by the FAC, and that it looks like a "blue-on-blue" situation (military term for friendly fire incident), the controller advises them that one man is killed and others are injured, and that they are to return to base. Audibly shaken and crying, the first pilot says to the second: "We're in jail, dude."[16]
Harman repeated that she wanted all evidence made available, and was in discussions with the US Embassy in London. Deputy chief of the US mission David Johnson speaking on BBC Radio 4, said Washington was considering de-classifying the video if the military considered it would not put forces at risk in future[17] Geoff Webb of the Oxfordshire coroners office later confirmed in a statement that now the video was in the public domain, Coroner Walker no longer needed the approval of either the US Army or the MoD to use the video, and that the inquest would resume on 12 March, 2007[18]. The US Government later commented that the release of the video was likely a criminal act, while UK Foreign Secretary said: "The matter is important and needs to be resolved, but we are confident that it will be kept in proportion."
HCR Captain Alexander MacEwen, who was leading L/Cpl Hull’s troop when it was hit, said the Americans had to be brought to account: “I believe that if they are brought to the inquest or made to give evidence, it will make them think twice about their actions in the future.”[19]
The incident was reported on both sides of the Atlantic
On April 1, 2003 the LA Times reported the incident. But unusually for newspaper, the more extensive article was in the printed version of the newspaper, as opposed to the website[20].
On 6 February 2007 The Sun tabloid newspaper obtained a copy of the cockpit video from the aircraft[21]. In the article, The Sun article alleged six errors: