Ian Rycroft
Charles Ian Rycroft[1] was a British Army officer.
Contents
Army Career
A brief bio for Rycroft on an unofficial Royal Engineers reunion site states:
- Ian Rycroft: Joined 64(95 party/55 Sqn).Survey Eng course at Chatham.12 RSME briefly and PRBS Brecon(again Briefly).Then RMA Sandhurst 2 years(Ypres 41).Then 2 Div Engrs-Greven-16 Sqn-Gib ,Maidstone,Ulster,then HQ 39 Bde Ops Ulster,then Arabic Course Beaconsfield,then;[2]
After attending the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, Rycroft was made a 2nd lieutenant in the Royal Engineers as of 2 August 1968. his army number was 485823.[3]
He was promoted to lieutenant as of 2 February 1970.[4]
He was promoted to captain on 2 August 1974.[5]
Rycroft retired receiving a gratuity on 28 October 1974.[6]
Oman
Rycroft left the following comment on the Britain's Small Wars website, on a thread about British soldiers in the Vietnam War:
- While serving in the Dhofar War,with the Firqat,I served with a guy called Ray Kane,who was a 'contract'British Officer.he had served,also on contract in Vietnam,as an FOO with the US Artillery.Another friend,having done the Aussie 'resistance to interrogation course',staged back to Uk via Singapore.While there,he bumped into an RAR officer-Donald Healey-who had taught us both.Col Healey invited him,for a few days to come to his Regimental HQ in Vietnam,to 'look around'.For about a week,he was a guest of the RAR and accompanied them on some sweeps.They were next to a Korean Regiment.However,this visit was certainly unofficial![7]
Business career
EC Transport
The Times reported in 1987 that Rycroft owned the firm EC Transport (Wimborne) Limited, stating:
- Some of EC Transport's most lucrative bussiness is carrying explosives for the Ministry of Defence. All its staff, including Mr Broomfield, have been vetted by the security services.[8]
Zeebrugge Disaster
The Times reported that Rycroft owned a lorry carrying hazardous materials that was aboard the Herald of Free Enterprise when it capsized of Zeebrugge:
- The suspect chemicals, including cyanide, are aboard a lorry owned by Mr Ian Rycroft, a former Army explosives officer, whose Dorset-based transport firm regularly carries explosives and radio-active and other hazardous materials.
- Mr Rycroft and his firm, EC Transport (Wimborne) Limited, were fined a total of pounds 1,600 at Bournemouth Crown Court last July for carrying hazardous explosives listed as less dangerous than they really were, and for exposing people ot unnecessary risks.
- Mr Rycroft said last night that he had warned Townsend Thoresen, owners of the ferry, that his lorry contained hazardous goods. 'I was very surprised that the shipping company put our lorry on the Herald of Free Enterprise. I expected it to travel on a freight-only ferry later the same evening. '
- He said: 'The shipper supplied the documentation, which was extremely comprehensive. The shipper is a government organization in west Europe. ' However he refused to name the organization or give any details of the chemicals being carried by his lorry.[9]
Death
A memorial service was due to be held for Ian Rycroft in September 2011.[10]
Affiliations
Notes
- ↑ London Gazette issue 44699, page 11326, 18 October 1968.
- ↑ Contacts P-R, R.E. United, accessed 14 August 2011.
- ↑ London Gazette issue 44699, page 11326, 18 October 1968.
- ↑ London Gazette issue 45031, page 1356, 30 January 1970.
- ↑ London Gazette, issue 46398, page 10998, 11 November 1974.
- ↑ London Gazette, issue 46455, page 211, 7 January 1975.
- ↑ Did British Forces serve in Vietnam? - Page 5, Britain's Small Wars, accessed 14 August 2011.
- ↑ Rodney Cowton, Tony Dawe and Ruth Gledhill, Disaster ferry carried banned chemical cargo, The Times, 15 April 1987.
- ↑ Rodney Cowton, Tony Dawe and Ruth Gledhill, Disaster ferry carried banned chemical cargo, The Times, 15 April 1987.
- ↑ Charles Ian Rycroft, Bournemouth Echo, 13 August 2011.
