A BOMB IN THE WASHING MACHINE
Born in Peel on the Isle of Man, Chris had a very troubled start to life, until he was adopted into a loving family when he was two years old.
Aged twelve, Chris was on his way to join a badminton club when he stumbled upon the Army Cadets – and signed up to them instead.
He left school at sixteen and went to the Army Foundation College based in Harrogate. Chris failed the course due to a knee injury sustained during rock climbing.
Returning to the Isle of Man, Chris initially worked on fishing boats, but he fell in with a ‘bad crowd’. He robbed a petrol station but was caught. This led to an eighteen-month sentence, served in Victoria Road prison on the Isle of Man – the last jail in the UK to use the old ‘slopping out’ technique.
Chris claimed later on that he had committed the crime whilst traumatised by learning that his father had terminal cancer.
His father died whilst Chris was in prison.
After serving his sentence, Chris worked as a tree surgeon. It was during this time that he gained the nickname ‘Swampy’.
Chris finally managed to join the British army, serving for nine years. It was here that he learned self-discipline.
After leaving the forces, Chris read a magazine article about the civil war in Myanmar (formerly Burma). He remembered that his grandfather had served there during the Second World War – and decided to follow in his footsteps.
At the border between Myanmar and Thailand, Chris was met by Dave Everett, an Australian former SAS member, himself a convicted bank robber.
Everett was a supporter of a guerilla movement who were fighting the Myanmar military junta. He smuggled Chris over the border, through the jungle and introduced him to the KNLA (the Karen National Liberation Army).
Chris served with the KNLA for a number of years, training as a bomb and mine disposal expert, before returning to the UK.
In 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean region of Ukraine. Chris immediately went out to Eastern Europe, even though he could not speak a word of Ukrainian (or Russian).
In the Crimea, he joined the Azov Regiment, a nationalist volunteer unit who were fighting in what they called the ‘Russian Separatist War’.
There, Chris operated as a bomb disposal expert.
He was involved in the Battle of Shyrokyne, near the Azov Sea, in 2015.
During the battle, Chris got isolated from his comrades. As he came round a corner, he found himself facing a Russian separatist fighter who was pointing a gun at his face. Chris shot him.
He managed to escape back to his unit by going through Russian checkpoints, portraying himself as an exhausted Russian volunteer.
However, this was a turning point for him. Chris said he never wanted to fight again. “It’s not my job to kill Russians”. Instead, he fully concentrated on detonating mines and bombs. Chris cleared an estimated 5-6,000 tons. He also trained Ukrainian troops in the skills required.
Chris was very concerned by the amount of British volunteers who came out to the Ukraine. He said they thought real war was just like ‘Call of Duty’. They had only basic skills and were in no way front-line quality.
In 2017, Chris returned to the UK to live with his mother, Hazel. He worked in recycling.
He loved the outdoor life and would take off to go camping, walking and fishing, sometimes sleeping in his car.
On 24th February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine – and Chris returned there immediately, signing up for the International Volunteer Bomb Disposal Unit, instead of active service.
He said, “A lot of vets (veterans) struggle to fit back into civilian life at home. Here, they get the camaraderie thing again, the brotherhood thing or whatever. Call it a twisted form of therapy.”
The Russians had startling success initially, seizing many towns and cities. Eventually the Ukrainians pushed them back until the war settled into stalemate.
However, as the Russians retreated, they laid a trail of destruction, and planted many bombs and mines. It is estimated one third of Ukraine is contaminated by bombs. Chris said it would take one hundred years to clear them all.
It was Chris’ job to do this and it was classed as ‘one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.’
Many of these devices were hidden in domestic appliances like washing machines and fridges. Chris said, “It serves no purpose. It is just to instill fear into the population.”
To make matters worse, the Russians constantly dropped IEDs (Incendiary Explosive Devices) by drone.
Chris was asked what he was thinking whilst he detonated such weapons. “I forget everything around me as my whole life is now that green box (a landmine) in front of me.”
He had some close escapes. On one occasion, he detonated a double booby-trapped grenade, thinking it was single. He cut the wire on one side, not noticing the loose one on the other side. Luckily, it failed to go off.
Chris was present in the newly liberated Kyiv suburbs after a failed Russian assault. He was the first person into the newly liberated towns of Bucha and Irpin.
He had a skull and crossbones tattooed on his back with the words ‘Danger! Mines’.
The other part of his role was education. Chris spent a lot of time teaching Ukrainian children mine awareness.
He also educated the wider population, saying health and safety was not part of Ukrainian culture.
In his absence, a Russian court sentenced him to fourteen and a half years in jail. Chris said, “The charges are ridiculous. I mean, charging for terrorism for volunteering? I’ve not once stepped foot out of Ukraine towards Belarus. I’ve never been to Russia. I’ve never been involved in any actions directly on the border.”
Despite all the hardships, one positive came out of it. Chris met Courtney Pollock, a volunteer paramedic, firefighter and pilot from Colorado, USA.
Courtney had been working with former US Marine Pete Reed, helping ordinary Ukrainian people.
Unfortunately, Reed was killed whilst evacuating citizens from the town of Bakhmut.
So, Courtney joined Chris and they became partners. Eventually they got married.
Alongside another bomb disposal expert, Sean Pinner, they founded a charity – ‘Prevail Together’, to help Ukrainians. It intended to share the expertise of Great Britain, the USA, Australia and other European countries in clearing the Ukraine of incendiaries.
Pinner had been captured by the Russians at the siege of Mariupol. He spent five months in a Russian prison where he was beaten, starved and electrocuted, before being released.
At the beginning of 2023, Courtney became pregnant. The couple immediately left Ukraine to come back to the Isle of Man. A daughter, called Reed, was born there.
Chris could not resist returning to the action. “I might have left Ukraine but Ukraine will never leave me – It’s not something you can switch off from, not when you’ve had that level of involvement for so long.”
When he went back to the frontline, Courtney and Reed stayed in the UK, living with Hazel.
Chris died from severe injuries whilst dismantling a Russian device, just outside the town of Izyum. Another volunteer, Australian Nick Parsons, was also killed.
Sean Pinner, the spokesman for Prevail Together, said, “Chris was a talisman. He was driven by the injustices that Russia are doing here. He was a very disciplined and motivated man who loved talking to people and making new friends. He was a loveable guy, completely dedicated to his work…A hero who saved countless lives.”
Sean also said that Chris and Courtney had planned to live in Ukraine when the war was over. “Chris loved the people, the culture and the country.”
Chris’ mother, Hazel, said, “I feel so proud of him. He was always very loving and always an adventurer.”
The Isle of Man Chief Minister, Alfred Cannan, said, “We were shocked and deeply saddened by the news. Mr. Garrett’s heroic, selfless and tireless work had undoubtedly saved many lives and eased suffering.”
The Isle of Man held a charity day to raise funds for Prevail Together. Eight thousand pounds were collected in just one day, and it was doubled within a week.
RIP – Russian Incendiaries Prevail
