The Line of Duty
A Brighton mother will soon see her youngest soon leave for Afghanistan three yeas after his brother was blown up there. Frank le Duc reports
A bomb went off under Tony Harris two weeks after his daughter Emily was born and a week before he was due to celebrate his 28th birthday. The blast cost the Army captain his lower left leg. Not at once. One shattered heel mended, as did a broken elbow. Infection ravaged his other leg until he had to make a tough choice.
Captain Harris, 30, is remarkably upbeat. After the life-changing explosion in Afghanistan he said: “It’s a rather extreme way of getting home to see your newborn baby.” And explaining his humour, resilience and positive outlook, he said: “It’s not the manner in which you fall but the manner in which you rise.” His own personal journey is very much onward and upward.
Since he was flown home in May 2009 Captain Harris has set up two charities for injured servicemen and women. An event at Coral’s dog stadium in Hove earlier this month was held in support of one of the charities, Race2Recovery. The other, Row2Recovery, supported a crew which included amputee veterans as they rowed across the Atlantic raising £800,000 for service charities. Captain Harris helped organise their effort from dry land. His focus now is on a fundraising drive in the Dakar rally next year.
Tony believes he probably would not have had the chance to take part in the Dakar rally with Race2Recovery had he not been injured. He said: “We want to raise money for the guys who can’t do what we’re doing. There are others whose injuries are far worse. We want to inspire other people with disabilities to try stuff – not necessarily as extreme as this. We need to get over that very British thing of not asking for help. There are a lot of people out there who are willing to help. And there is a selfish element to this. I really want to do this.”
Tony Harris’s mother, Julia Molony, a counsellor and psychotherapist from Queen’s Park, Brighton, said: “He’s coped with it incredibly. He looks at it from a very positive point of view. I know there are times when he’s struggled and there have been black and dark days for him. But I’ve always been very proud of him.
“What it’s helped me realise is that it isn’t just the person who’s injured who is affected by the trauma. Anthony’s injury is the stone in the pond and the closest family members are the first ripples – his wife Liz, his parents, his children.”
Mrs Molony has set up a support group, called the Ripple Pond, to help the families of injured servicemen and women. She is also supporting Race2Recovery with a wine-tasting evening at Brighton College on Monday 2 April. The event includes a light supper, quiz and raffle, and tickets cost £25. To find out more or to buy a ticket, call her on 07968 310329 or email jch1353@aol.com.
Mrs Molony has four sons. Three are in the Army and the other is a mature student. She said: “I moved down here 10 years ago because my youngest son William got a scholarship to Brighton College. My grandfather had been there. He was a general in the Second World War.” Lieutenant General Sir Francis Tuker joined the Royal Sussex Regiment at the start of the First World War, serving from 1914 until 1948. His sword hangs in his old school chapel.
Last year William, 24, graduated from Sandhurst. As a young lieutenant soon, he will also be serving in Afghanistan. Mrs Molony said: “I’m incredibly proud of him. It must have been particularly difficult for him to commit after having seen his older brother come back injured.” Not surprisingly, she admitted: “I am anxious… very anxious.” But it’s hard not to believe that she and her sons have steady nerves as well as a sense of duty and service with an enormous desire to help others.
