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03/07/2009
Tributes For Two Soldiers Killed In Afghan Blast
The British regiment commander who died in an Afghanistan bomb blast was the most senior ranking officer to have been killed since the Falklands War.
Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, 39, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed when the Viking armoured tracked vehicle he was travelling in was caught up in an explosion in Helmand province.
Trooper Joshua Hammond, 18, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment was also killed, and six soldiers were wounded, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed.
The pair were killed by an explosion whilst on convoy along the Shamalan Canal, near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
General Sir Richard Dannatt described Lt Col Thorneloe as an "outstanding commanding officer" who was at the "leading edge of his generation".
He added: "His courageous, thoughtful stewardship of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards since October last year has seen them superbly prepared for the demands of Afghanistan, both in terms of their professional capability and their remarkable spirit as a team."
A Clarence House spokesman said the Prince of Wales, who is colonel of the Welsh Guards and is understood to have known Thorneloe well, was "deeply saddened" by his death and would be writing privately both to his family and to his regiment.
Secretary for State for Defence, Bob Ainsworth, also praised Lt Col Thorneloe for "his enormous professionalism and the greatest decency".
He added that Trooper Joshua Hammond was "by all accounts an exemplary soldier, popular with his comrades and a true family man".
"Tributes to his bravery, skill and commitment to his friends and family paint a picture of good and much-loved man whose contribution and presence will be hugely missed by all those who knew him".
News of the British fatalities came as American forces launched a massive pre-dawn operation in Taliban-controlled areas of Helmand.
Nearly 4,000 US Marines and 650 Afghan troops are involved in the offensive.
The deaths take the total number of UK troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 171.
(JM/BMcC)
Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, 39, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed when the Viking armoured tracked vehicle he was travelling in was caught up in an explosion in Helmand province.
Trooper Joshua Hammond, 18, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment was also killed, and six soldiers were wounded, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed.
The pair were killed by an explosion whilst on convoy along the Shamalan Canal, near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
General Sir Richard Dannatt described Lt Col Thorneloe as an "outstanding commanding officer" who was at the "leading edge of his generation".
He added: "His courageous, thoughtful stewardship of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards since October last year has seen them superbly prepared for the demands of Afghanistan, both in terms of their professional capability and their remarkable spirit as a team."
A Clarence House spokesman said the Prince of Wales, who is colonel of the Welsh Guards and is understood to have known Thorneloe well, was "deeply saddened" by his death and would be writing privately both to his family and to his regiment.
Secretary for State for Defence, Bob Ainsworth, also praised Lt Col Thorneloe for "his enormous professionalism and the greatest decency".
He added that Trooper Joshua Hammond was "by all accounts an exemplary soldier, popular with his comrades and a true family man".
"Tributes to his bravery, skill and commitment to his friends and family paint a picture of good and much-loved man whose contribution and presence will be hugely missed by all those who knew him".
News of the British fatalities came as American forces launched a massive pre-dawn operation in Taliban-controlled areas of Helmand.
Nearly 4,000 US Marines and 650 Afghan troops are involved in the offensive.
The deaths take the total number of UK troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 171.
(JM/BMcC)
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