Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The First Gulf War 1990-91 Medal with ‘2 August 1990’ clasp awarded to Warrant Officer B. J. Wickett, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, a member of the British Liaison Team in Kuwait, who was taken hostage following the invasion and held in captivity at a hydro-electricity and irrigation complex as part of Saddam Hussein’s “human shield”

Gulf 1990-91, 1 clasp, 2 Aug 1990 (24170241 WO1 B J Wickett REME), in named card box of issue, extremely fine £5,000-£7,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

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Provenance: R. Penhall Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, September 2006; Dix Noonan Webb December 2016.

Barry John Wickett was born in April 1953 and enlisted in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers at Surbiton in December 1969 - his certificate of service further reveals that he was awarded the General Service Medal for Northern Ireland, where he served from February to June 1977.

In November 1989, Wickett joined the British Liaison Team in Kuwait, and following the Iraqi invasion of 2 August 1990 he and his family went to ground. At the end of the same month, however, they were arrested - ‘they came to get us very quickly, surrounded the block and started to break the door in’. Separated from his wife and children at the beginning of September, when they were put on board a flight to England from Baghdad, he was taken to a hydro-electricity and irrigation complex, about 40 km from the Iranian border, as part of Saddam Hussein’s “human shield”. There, with three other British hostages, he was moved around the site on three occasions, firstly to the neighbouring village, then to the power house and finally to a caravan near the top of the dam, this latter being only 25 metres from anti-aircraft guns.

Whilst in captivity he wrote an ‘Ode to Saddam’ entitled ‘Why are we Here?’

Christmas is a time of good cheer
I ask myself, why are we here?
This time of the year we should be at home
Not miles away celebrating alone!

Families together, those we hold dear
I ask myself, why are we here?
I give thanks to God for my life
But shouldn’t this time be spent with my wife?

As a father I wish my children were near
I ask myself, why are we here?
I pray for the day when we’ll be released
I pray for peace in the Middle East

Christmas is a time of good cheer,
I ask myself, why are we here?
It’s not too late to resolve this, then
Peace on Earth and goodwill to all men!

Wickett was finally released in mid-December and flown home to be reunited with his wife and two children in time for Christmas. He was discharged at Southampton in July 1993.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including a group photograph of members of the “British Liaison Team Kuwait”, taken on 6 February 1990, including the recipient; three emotive letters written by him to his family while held in captivity, dated 13 and 21 September, and 6 October 1990; a signed copy of his poem “Why Are We Here?”; Adjutant-General’s “retirement certificate” to ‘Warrant Officer 1 Barry John Wickett’; certificate of service, date stamped at Marchwood, Southampton in July 1993; several photocopied newspaper articles; copy letters from the British Embassy in Baghdad; and a Christmas card from the Children of Kuwait.