Guardsman Daniel Probyn from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards was killed fighting in Afghanistan on Saturday 26th May 2007. Guardsman Probyn died in an explosion following a successful attack on a Taliban stronghold near Garmsir, Helmand.

His CO said: "Guardsman Daniel Probyn was a soldier of the highest calibre, and wholly committed to his chosen profession. He clearly loved being a soldier, and a Grenadier in

particular. As one would expect of him, he died showing courage and professionalism of the highest order, seeking to protect the lives of his comrades and taking the fight to the enemy. "

Guardsman Keith Rowlatt said: "Probyn was a great mate. He always has been and he always will be. He will be greatly missed. We all loved him like a brother. He would always go out of his way to give you a helping hand. Probyn sadly lost his life doing what he loved to do and he was not just good at his job, he was the best Guardsman I have worked with. It has been a privilege to work alongside him."

MoD: Guardsman Daniel Probyn killed in Afghanistan
Lasting Tribute: Daniel Probyn

Marine Dale Gostick, of 3 Troop Armoured Support Company, Royal Marines, was killed in Afghanistan on Sunday 25th May 2008. Marine Gostick died when the Viking he was driving struck a mine while he was on patrol near Sangin.

His CO said: "We have lost a great Marine today. Marine Gostick was a huge part of his Troop and the Company alike – he was a highly professional Marine and a good friend to all who knew him. A confident and outgoing Marine, he seemed to thrive on the challenges which life presented him and took great pride in his ability both as a rifleman and as a Viking Operator.

His friend Marine Tommy Aylett said: "Dale was a good friend of mine, he had such a great character always joking and smiling. He was a great listener and if you wanted to be cheered up he was perfect to make you smile. Miss you dearly mate, love Tom."

MoD: Marine Dale Gostick killed in Afghanistan
Lasting Tribute: Dale Gostick
Oxford Mail: Marine killed in Afghanistan

133 Field Company, REME, has been given Ashford's highest civic honour: the Freedom of the Borough. The TA unit has had a long association with Ashford having been based in the town for a number of years and recruiting mainly from the local area.
Leader of the Council Cllr Paul Clokie said: "It was a great and rare honour to have witnessed the Freedom of the Borough passed to the 133 Field Company. The unit has been active in Afghanistan and Iraq and has shown considerable bravery, and it is this and its long association with Ashford that makes this Freedom so deserved.”

Well done, Ashford!     Well done 133 Field Company!

BBC: Highest civic honour for TA unit
Ashford Borough: REME given freedom of borough
Army.MoD: 133 Field Company

West Norfolk, home to one of England's earliest heroes, Boudicca, has joined Scarborough, Sefton and Stirling in offering a Heroes Welcome to members of the Armed Forces.

The Heroes Welcome campaign

seeks to recruit local businesses and residents to ensure that visiting military personnel and their families will receive a warm welcome when they visit their community. Discounts in shops, restaurants and hotels are only part of it; it's the open-handed show of appreciation that is the hallmark of the scheme.

Lynn News: Show our Armed Forces they are really welcome

5,000 people lined the streets of Chepstow, South Wales to welcome home 400 soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Rifles, back from their recent six month tour in Afghanistan - a tour in which eight of their comrades lost their lives.

Commanding officer Lt Col Joe Cavanagh said:: "It was quite an emotional march with the sound of the crowd cheering. It was a wonderful occasion but it was obviously tinged with sadness because of the eight soldiers we have lost."

The mayor of Chepstow Henry Ashby said the cheers during the march could be heard for miles. "It was absolutely amazing," he said. "I think the whole of the town turned out."

Well done, 1 Rifles!     Well done, Chepstow!

BBC: Regiment 'overwhelmed' by welcome
The Sun: Back home to flag day
South Wales Argus: Chepstow crowds give Rifles a rapturous welcome
This is Gloucestershire: Thousands line streets to honour 1Rifles
Army.MoD: 1 Rifles

Thousands of football fans showed their appreciation of the Armed Forces last weekend by cheering soldiers from 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD) at the final home match for Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League.

Four soldiers who have recently returned from

Afghanistan were invited to watch the match on Saturday 16 May 2009 at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground. At the end of the match the soldiers walked the League Trophy and medals onto the pitch where they were applauded by the crowd.

Nice one, Man U!

MoD: Sappers cheered by thousands at football match

Lance Corporal George Davey from the 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment died in Helmand, Afghanistan on Sunday 20th May 2007.

His CO said: "Lance Corporal Davey was a popular NCO who, in true Viking style, always put his men’s interests before his own. His death is a tragic loss felt throughout the Battalion."

His mates said: "Dee was a great mate who would do anything to help."
"Dee had a heart of gold and whatever actions he took were in the best interest of his mates – an outstanding bloke."

George Brooks, 61, who had served in the Royal Air Force and had traveled down from Bristol, as he always does for repatriations, said that when battalions came home from war they were welcomed and given parades.
“But these lads have nothing,” he said. “This is their parade.”

New York Times: An Impromptu Farewell Becomes Britain’s Salute

James Thompson was killed while on patrol in the Musa Qaleh area in Afghanistan on 19th May 2008.

Paying tribute his CO said: "James Thompson was a special individual. A professional and reliable soldier in every respect - we were all privileged to serve alongside James who excelled in all that he did."

MoD: James Thompson killed in Afghanistan
The Sun: Family’s tribute to SAS hero
Lasting Tribute: James Thompson

The Daily Express today launched a campaign in support of the plan to set up a monument in honour of the 45,000 Gurkha troops who have given their lives fighting for the UK on battlefields around the world.

Supporters want the statue to be built on the cliffs above Folkestone, Kent, where the 2nd Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles are based.

The cost of the monument, probably a statue of a Gurkha in full battle dress, is estimated at £50,000 and individuals and oraginsations across the UK are being asked to contributed towards the fund. Donations can be made on the Folkestone Gurkha Memorial Fund website.

The Express: Join our campaign for Gurkha memorial

• The chance to experience a typical desert patrol base
• A chance to check out the heavy artillery
• Why not make your own Top Secret ID badge?
• Test your skills on the paintballing range
• An inflatable assault course
• Climbing walls
• Investigate military vehicles
• A tug of war competition on the beach
• Three of the top military bands in the country
• A marching band
  

To mark the 150th anniversary of Kidderminster's association with the Army, the 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment will be marching through the Worcestershire town on Saturday.

4 Mercian is a Territorial Army Battalion and can trace its roots back to the volunteer militias of 1859. Volunteers from Kidderminster have

The Basra Memorial Wall, the monument built by soldiers for their fallen comrades, has started to be dismantled prior to its being brought home to the UK. The 179 brass plaques, each one commemorating a member of British Armed Forces who laid down his life in the service of his country, will be remounted on a replica wall in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. There it will stand as a perpetual reminder of the sacrifice made by the 179 in our name.

The Sun: Homecoming for the fallen heroes
MoD: Memorial Wall for UK Service personnel in Iraq dismantled

Private Kevin Thompson from 19 Combat Service Support Battalion died at Selly Oak on 6th May 2007 from injuries received when his vehicle was hit by an IED explosion in Basra.

His CO said: "We will do as he would have wanted and get back in the truck and back down the road, all the while remembering our brave friend who never once flinched in the face of danger.

We are deeply proud of Kevin Thompson. He was an outstanding soldier, colleague and friend."

His close friend, Private Luke Ward, said: "Tomo was a truly professional and well respected soldier. He was a kind and very close mate of mine and on operations I thought of him as a brother."

MoD: Private Kevin Thompson dies in UK from injuries sustained in Iraq

Guardsman Simon Davison from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards was killed in Afghanistan on Thursday 3rd May 2007. He was killed when the checkpoint he was manning in Garmsir came under attack from Taliban fighters.

His CO said: "Reliable and trustworthy are the two words most used when his colleagues describe him. He died fighting to protect other Grenadiers and gave his life in doing so. There is a no more selfless act a soldier can perform. Guardsman Davison was a popular soldier who will be sorely missed and never forgotten."

His friend Guardsman Thomas Eyre said: "He always stuck up for his mates and looked after them. While out here he referred to his beard as a golden main, like a lion and comments like this would keep morale up. He went down defending his section, which was how he lived, sticking up for his mates. I and all his friends will miss and think of him always. It brings back an old saying that there is ‘no greater love as a man, than to lay down his life for his friends’."

MoD: Guardsman Simon Davison killed in Afghanistan