Losing The Ability

Two Royal Marines just returning from the funeral of a comrade were denied entry to a bar in Liverpool. The servicemen were in uniform.

Two Royal Marines were refused entry to a bar just hours after a colleague's funeral because they were in uniform.

The two servicemen went for a drink at the Walkabout bar in Liverpool city centre following the funeral of Corporal Ben Nowak at the city's Anglican cathedral.

Cpl Nowak, 27, who served with 45 Commando, was one of four people killed in a bomb attack on a patrol boat in southern Iraq on Remembrance Sunday.

His two colleagues, who were among 1,000 mourners at yesterday's funeral, were turned away by staff at the door of the bar. Stunned bystanders shouted at the bouncers and told them to show respect to the servicemen.

Student Ben Booth, who witnessed the event, said he was shocked by what he saw. He told BBC Radio Merseyside's phone-in show: "I spoke to the bouncers and said their colleague had just died in the service of our Government. I am absolutely shocked that people would act this way to our soldiers."

A spokesman for Walkabout said: "As a responsible bar operator, we have a strict policy of refusing entry to anyone believed to be aggressive.

"Furthermore, Walkabout in Liverpool has a strict policy of refusing entry to anyone in uniform due to previous issues with uniformed customers. These policies are designed solely to increase the safety and comfort of all our customers.

Britain is in greater trouble than I even thought. They are rapidly losing the ability to defend themselves and are increasingly disrespecting the people that are defending them. Winston Churchill must be turning in his grave right about now.