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Auction: 20001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - conducted behind closed doors
Lot: 624

A historic campaign group of three awarded to Rifleman D. A. 'Dan' Meally, The Rifles

He witnessed his fair share of action in Iraq and Afghanistan - including being on patrol when his close friend and mentor Colour-Serjeant K. Fortuna was killed in action, and serving alongside Serjeant D. Cutterham the very next day when he won a C.G.C.

Meally's image went global when it was captured by Alison Baskerville during Operation 'Zangal Haf', the daring commando mission deep behind enemy lines which resulted in the destruction of a number of bomb factories; the shot of him firing his LMG at the enemy made the front page of The Sun

Returned from the front Meally wanted a further taste of action and having seen the scourge of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) he made his way to link up with the Kurdish People's Protection Unit in Syria, fighting on the front line as a 'Lion of Rojava' together with Canadian poster-boy Brandon Glossop

Iraq 2003-11, no clasp (25184357 Pte D A Meally LI); Operational Service Medal 2000, for Afghanistan, 1 clasp, Afghanistan (25184357 Rfn D A Meally Rifles); Jubilee 2012, the first two mounted court-style as worn, good very fine (3)

Understood to be the first group seen at auction for a confirmed combatant against ISIS.

Daniel Alan Meally enlisted in the Light Infantry on 11 May 2004 and volunteered for a tour of Iraq with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment during Operation Telic 8 in 2006. Returned home, Meally passed the All Arms Commando Course and joined 1st Battalion, The Rifles attached to 3 Commando Brigade.

Two days in hell

Having served his first tour of Afghanistan with 'S' Company, he returned in 2011 with 'A' Company during Operation Herrick 14. On this tour Colour-Serjeant K. Fortuna was killed in action by an IED whilst leading a patrol on 23 May, whilst in support of the 'Black Knights' of Kilo Company, 42 Commando, Royal Marines, with Meally close to his mentor. He later commented:

'What he didn't know about machine guns and other heavy infantry weapons wasn't worth knowing. The things he taught me basically improved the odds on my surviving.'

The very next day Serjeant Deacon Cutterham earned himself the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross during an 8-man patrol that included Meally. Cutterham plunged his arm into a water-filled ditch in Afghanistan to retrieve a live grenade that had been tossed in their direction and calmly dropped it into a parallel ditch. Had he not done so, the patrol would have been exposed to its blast.

Zangal Haf

August 2011 brought further action and threw Meally into the spotlight when his part in Operation 'Zangal Haf' was captured. The official MOD press release perhaps offers the best insight:

'The operation, codenamed ZANGAL HAF (Zangal Hope) after the village close to where the operation would take place, was aimed at disrupting insurgents in the Nahr-e Saraj district, where the 1 RIFLES Battle Group is based.

Early on the morning of the operation, soldiers from A Company, 1 RIFLES, and the AUP patrolmen boarded Chinook helicopters in Camp Bastion and flew deep into the Green Zone, behind enemy lines.

With the AUP in the lead, the combined force of soldiers and policemen moved towards their intended target.

With temperatures rising fast under the Helmand sun, mud-clogged fields underfoot, and endless rows of seven-foot-high (2.1m), densely packed maize and corn ‘jungles’, progress was slow and draining.

The operation took place during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset. Their religion means that the AUP are unable to eat or drink during the day and that can prevent them from taking part in operations.

However, with permission from Lieutenant Colonel Masloom, who works in Nahidullah, the patrolmen opted to break their fast so they could play a key role in securing the area. Major Mirza Khan, the AUP Commander, said:

'We are responsible for the safety of the people. If we do not work during Ramadan, the people will not be safe. The insurgent does not respect Ramadan and so we must work to stop him.'

While moving through the tough terrain, the focus for the AUP was to check and clear compounds, searching for evidence of insurgent activity. As the patrol pushed forward, the lack of people was noticeable and it was also eerily quiet - often a sure sign of insurgent presence.

The AUP led the searches of a number of compounds that were suspected of being Taliban safe houses which they use as bomb factories and for hiding themselves and their weapons. During this dangerous part of the operation soldiers from 1 RIFLES were in close support and provided a secure cordon to allow the searches to be carried out as safely as possible.

As they searched one of the compounds, there was a massive explosion.

One of the patrolmen had triggered an improvised explosive device which had been hidden in a building. Immediately, his AUP colleagues and soldiers from A Coy went to his aid, being careful not to set off any secondary devices that might be lying in wait.

After being treated at the scene by the medics, the patrolman was airlifted to hospital in Camp Bastion by the Medical Emergency Response Team. Sadly though, despite treatment, he died of his injuries.

Despite the loss of one of their comrades, the AUP’s resolve remained strong and the patrolmen continued their mission to clear compounds for the remainder of the day.

Major Karl Boswell, the Officer Commanding A Coy, said:

'I take my hat off to them, they are phenomenal and they are still going at it despite having taken a casualty.'

As the operation continued the AUP found a small amount of homemade explosive (HME). Significantly the HME discovered was an ammonium nitrate mix rather than an aluminium nitrate mix. This is a sub-standard explosive and indicates further that the good work of the Afghan security forces and ISAF is disrupting the supply of high grade explosive material to the Taliban.

As the operation moved into the closing phase and the patrol was less than a kilometre from Patrol Base 4, where the AUP and A Company are based, the enemy launched an ambush and the patrol came under sustained fire.

Rifleman James Clark, one of those caught up in the fire fight, said:

'The rounds were coming in close, they were landing at our feet and flying just over our heads. We managed to get into some cover but then we were shot at from the rear too.'

'There are all sorts of emotions going through your mind. I wouldn’t say I was scared, but you are anxious as to whether or not the rounds are coming near you.'

For 45 minutes, the patrol was pinned down by the enemy fire. Throughout, the AUP took the lead, giving directions on how to manoeuvre to counter the attack. A Coy called in support from their colleagues back at base, who put a sniper team in place to target the insurgents. Eventually, the AUP and Riflemen were able to extract back to the safety of Patrol Base 4.

Ten hours after they had lifted off from Camp Bastion, the patrol reflected on the events of the day and the loss of one of their colleagues.'

Face to face with ISIS

Having left the Army on 11 December 2012, Meally took some private security work but by 2015 was appalled by the rise of the Islamic State across the Middle East. He took it upon himself and contacted the Kurdish People's Protection Unit via the internet. He made his way to Syria and a few days later found himself on the front lines, as a 'Lion of Rojava'. A good introduction to their role can be viewed via:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCOsyMICQwI

Once there he met a fellow ex-serviceman, the Canadian Brandon Glossop who himself wrote a blog of his experiences. The pair stood shoulder to shoulder with their Kurdish brothers and took the fight to the enemy and asked to go into the action. They didn't have to wait long, coming under heavy machine-gun fire from 1000m. Offered the choice of a sniper rifle and a light machine gun. Glossop continues:

'Rounds peppered the berm below us and sliced the air above us, but all the Kurds seemed concerned about was that my first firefight with them was as satisfying as possible. Flattered, I took the 7.62 Dragnov with a half decent scope, and Dan, being an ex-machine gunner took the PKC.'

Meally later posted:

'And yes we are winning hard.'

The pair served for some 7 months with the YPG. Meally on his comrades:

'The YPG have a real respect for the people who leave their homes and jump in a trench with them. They are sick of debates about 'we should do something in parliaments all around the world. They really, really, really do truly appreciate it.'

When the time came to return home the YPG even gave a bounty of $200 and paid for the pairs air fare home, but getting to a safe airport proved tricky, as reported by National Post:

'Leaving Syria was an ordeal. Glossop and Meally said they were driving to Sulaymaniyah when they were stopped at an Iraqi police checkpoint. During the search, police found an ISIL booklet that Meally had taken as a souvenir. Suspecting they might be ISIL foreign fighters, the police held them overnight but soon realized their mistake.'

Meally found himself visited by Special Branch and was detained under UK Terror Laws upon his return but was released; sold together with the ISIS fighter's booklet, medal, a Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan banknote, copied Certificate of Service besides cap Badge and Rifles cloth insignia.

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Sold for
£1,000

Starting price
£420