AN Army officer fought back tears as he described how a Scots-born Territorial Army soldier died of heatstroke under his command in Iraq.
Private Jason Smith, 32, had repeatedly told medical staff he was feeling unwell due to high temperatures, sometimes over 50°C (122°F), after being deployed in June 2003.
The TA soldier, from Hawick, Borders, reported sick in August the same year. On August 13 he was found lying face down at the old athletics stadium where he was stationed and was taken to hospital, but had suffered a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead.
As a second inquest into his death opened yesterday at Oxford Coroner's Court after a first inquiry in 2006, Pte Smith's commanding officer said the environment his men were fighting in was "the hardest I have experienced in my military career".
Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Cattermull, who was a Major at the time, broke down as he said: "In context it was extremely hot, we were extremely busy and we didn't have enough resources - be that manpower, be that equipment - to do what we were asked to do.
"We had asked for more manpower but we had a mission to do and we were going to do it the best we knew with the resources available. My best resource available, as ever, were my soldiers, who never let me down."
The officer said that Pte Smith's death came in the context of the "relentless tempo of operations, stretched manpower and extreme heat".
The inquest heard one officer had referred to the stadium some seven miles away from Camp Abu Naji in Al Amarah as an unbearable, hot, dusty, hellhole.
Lt Col Cattermull said the men were forced to drink water mixed with sugar and salt in front of officers to halt dehydration after numerous heat injuries.
They were also able to access air-conditioned units at Camp Abu Naji, but their accommodation in the stadium was not acclimatised. Equipment to air-condition the stadium arrived two days after Pte Smith had died, the inquest heard.
The officer said that in retrospect the fact one medic was taking care of 100 men was insufficient, but claimed this had only become apparent after other operations in Afghanistan and Sierra Leone.
He added: "It was hard, very hard indeed. Things were not right. No operation is going to be fully resourced or fully equipped but we were as good as we were going to be with what we had."
At the original 2006 inquest, assistant deputy coroner for Oxfordshire Andrew Walker recorded that Pte Smith's death was caused "by a serious failure to recognise and take appropriate steps to address the difficulty that he had in adjusting to the climate".
The second inquest was ordered by the Supreme Court in 2010 after Pte Smith's mother Catherine applied for a new public hearing that complies with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Assistant Coroner for Oxfordshire Alison Thompson told Mrs Smith: "It will be tough for you to be here once again at a court of law having to hear this again."
Mrs Smith said before the new inquest began that her son knew he could die on active service and that she accepted this.
She said: "But I found out at the original inquest that simple steps could have been taken, like providing air conditioning units which were available 12km away, weren't taken and this put his life at risk unnecessarily. Every day the soldiers were asking for air conditioning but they were ignored."
She said reaching the second inquest had been long and painful but added: "My dearest wish is the inquest will finally give me the truth and bring a glimmer of hope for other families in a similar position."
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