http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7596798.stm


A soldier home on leave after being injured in Afghanistan was refused a room by a hotel when he showed his military ID card at reception.

Corporal Tomos Stringer, 23, from Gwynedd, was visiting a wounded colleague in Surrey when he was turned away from the Metro Hotel in Woking. He spent the night in his car after being told it was management policy not to accept military personnel. The hotel has declined to comment on the matter.

Cpl Stringer, of 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps, has since returned to Afghanistan but his mother, Gaynor Stringer, said he remains angry at the incident. She said her son broke his wrist after jumping out of his wagon in Afghanistan. He was treated at a field hospital but was brought back to have it re-set and was on four weeks recovery leave when he decided to visit his friend in June.

Mrs Stringer, who lives at Pentrefelin, near Criccieth, said: "I can't believe this has happened to one of our soldiers in his own country. He just didn't know how to react. "We've been to America and their military get treated like heroes over there.
"I think it's terrible they [UK service personnel] can't even wear their uniform with pride."

Defence Minister Derek Twigg said: "This case is especially egregious given that the individual concerned was on injury leave from Afghanistan and visiting an injured colleague. "The government and, it is fair to say, the vast majority of people in this country, hold the professionalism, courage and contribution made by all those who serve, and have served in the armed forces in very high regard. "I am delighted that the armed forces generally enjoy immense respect and gratitude on the part of the nation and that contrary sentiments are rare, though evidently they exist."

Caernarfon MP Hywel Williams said he intended to take the matter further when he had a reply to his letter to the hotel. He said: "I was astonished when I heard the story from Mrs Stringer. I can't see why any hotel would want to refuse accommodation to a serving member of the armed forces anyway. "Tomos was not in his uniform, he was a traveller like anyone else." The Metro Hotel is owned by a company called American Amusements Ltd, also based in Woking. No-one was available to comment.

Sounds like a boycott of that company is required. They would soon want the presence of military personnel if they were under threat. Bloody ridiculous.

Nothing new though is it.

I went into a public- 'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls behind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play-
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you Mr Atkins," when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian roo, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fighting', Lord! They'll shove me in the stalls!

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins," when the trooper's on the tide-
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins," when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll-
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's " Thin red line of 'eroes," when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind-
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck 'im out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

I don't get it. If this is general policy ( and I sincerely hope it's not) there must have been a lot of empty hotels between 1939 and 1945.

It's bang out of order.

It'd be interesting to hear what the company have to say about it and equally interesting to discover the ethnic origin of the person on the reception who made the decision.

Apparently the hotel in question had to change it's name quickly.....

Or Taleban.

What's on page 69?

Metro Hotels are the UK manifestation of Formule 1 by Accor.

So its obviously a French thing, embarrassed as they are by their own armed forces.

See page 96

Jon Gaunt had the manager of the hotel on his show this morning and give him what for

Fair do's but Jon Gaunt is a bounder, and no mistake

Who is Jon Gaunt like? I've never heard of him.

If Mr Avenger thinks he is a cnt then he must be a good chap.

If you like James Whale and associated gobshites of that ilk, you will like Jon Gaunt

Trust me ginga, he's a bounder of the cnutest order

Jon Gaunt talks a lot of sence, sometimes i dont agree with what he says but most of the time he is spot on

Got to disagree there, he talks out of his big, fat, racist, homophobic, bigoted, narrow-minded, little Englander arsehole

I lived in Osnabruck in the mid 80's. Osnabruck was one of the larger military garrisons in Germany and there must have been several thousand brits living in the town.

A few squaddies got in a scrap one night in town and wrecked a bar and so the local authority banned all squaddies from drinking 'down town'.

Fine said the local milatary chiefs we'll stop all our personnel from shopping in the town. Several thousand brits remember and funnily enough the ban was lifted within days.........................