They served
their country with honour and courage – and 453 paid the ultimate price.
But, after 13 years of bloodshed, there will be no memorial in
Afghanistan to mark the troops’ sacrifice.
The
lives of the young Britons killed fighting the Taliban had been
commemorated on memorial walls in Camp Bastion, but as the UK’s campaign
in the country ended yesterday, it was confirmed they had been
dismantled.
A
source said: ‘There is no memorial left in Afghanistan.’ The Army
insisted the decision was not because of fears the memorials would be
defaced or destroyed. But top-ranking soldiers and relatives of those
who were killed said there was an obvious risk they would be
‘desecrated’ by a resurgent Taliban.
Still in their teens: Of the 453 British servicemen and women who have lost their lives in the conflict, 35 were teenagers
Defence
Secretary Michael Fallon admitted yesterday that Afghanistan was still
plagued by insurgency, and the failure to leave a memorial was seen by
some as a tragic symbol of the West’s failure to secure the country,
despite the hundreds of lives lost and billions of pounds spent in more
than a decade of bitter war.
And as
a solemn flag-lowering ceremony in Camp Bastion marked the end of the
UK’s involvement in the bloody campaign, Mr Fallon admitted there was
‘no guarantee’ Afghanistan would be ‘stable’ or ‘safe’ after Britain’s
departure.
He said Britain was leaving the country with a more secure future, but admitted the country was still not safe.
Honouring
the fallen: One of the memorial walls in Camp Bastion (left), where the
Union flag was lowered for the final time yesterday
Last chapter? The emblem was the last
British flag flying above the skies of Helmand Province. It was lowered
by Captain Matthew Clark, (left) and Warrant Officer 1 John Lilley
(right) and will be returned to Britain after today's handover ceremony
at Camp Bastion
New phase: Remaining troops will be
given a mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces, but will
not be engaged in fighting
He said: ‘The Taliban are still there – there is still insurgency.’
Of
the 453 British servicemen who have lost their lives in the conflict,
35 were teenagers. An estimated 20,000 Afghan civilians have also lost
their lives.
As
each British soldier was killed, their name was engraved on a brass
plaque on a concrete memorial wall in Camp Bastion. The wall became a
place for individual and collective remembrance.
The
plaques bear the names of all those killed, whether they were engaged
in fighting or killed in accidents. They have been taken off the wall
and will be part of a new memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in
Staffordshire. The wall and other memorials have been dismantled.
Defence
sources told the Mail: ‘It is so the family have a suitable place where
they can remember the dead. It is absolutely nothing to do with any
Taliban threat of them wanting to destroy it.’
Tory
MP Colonel Bob Stewart said: ‘It is a sensible decision. The memorial
could be desecrated if it was left there. The best place for a memorial
to be set up is where it has some resonance.’
Major
General Patrick Cordingley, a former Gulf War commander who is also the
appeal chairman of the arboretum, said there was ‘a risk’ that Afghans
would resent the memorial.
He
said: ‘It could be disfigured, blown up, all sorts of things could
happen to it – who knows? It’s much better that it’s brought back where
it’s safe in this country and people can visit it and pay respect to
their loved ones.’
Salute: The final ceremonial parade this morning was attended by around 200 military personnel and civilians
Embrace: British (left) and Afghan
soldiers during the handover ceremony today, which marked the end of
British combat operations
Handover: As the flags were lowered by British troops, the national anthems of Afghanistan and the UK played throughout
Saying goodbye: Much of the
once-sprawling base at Camp Bastion has now returned to lengthy strips
of desert. Today marked the end of combat operations in Afghanistan
after 13 years, billions of pounds and many deaths - tens of thousands
of them of Afghan troops
Abandoned: Brigadier Rob Thomson said
at the empty base: 'I am kind of optimistic I think what we have
achieved is something we can be proud of. There are still some
challenges, but we can be positive'
Trevor
Ford, father of Private Ben Ford, who was 18 when he was killed by a
roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2007, said: ‘The Taliban would take any
way they could get back at us.
‘They’d
just love to deface the memorial then beam footage all over the world
on YouTube. As soon as the international forces left, it would be
damaged.’
Labour
MP Paul Flynn said: ‘I’m afraid this decision does prove the point that
the legacy that is being left behind is a fragile situation – and it
shows that the Ministry of Defence unfortunately shares this view.’
History: Thousands of British servicemen fought for eight years in the heat of Camp Bastion, pictured yesterday
Barren: Remaining equipment will be flown home with around 500 troops left in Kabul carrying out training
Safe haven: Camp Bastion, built in
2006, grew to a huge military city in the desert where troops could get
away from the fighting
In
a sign of the fragile situation in Afghanistan, security was heightened
ahead of yesterday’s ceremony at Bastion, with officials warning there
was still a threat the Taliban could make one final attack. During the
ceremony, Nato’s flag was lowered, followed by the Union Jack and
finally the American flag, leaving just the Afghan flag flying. An
Afghan sermon was followed by a prayer.
Military
chiefs admitted only ‘time will tell’ whether the Afghan forces will be
able to keep Camp Bastion and the Helmand province out of the hands of
the Taliban. Brigadier Rob Thomson, the most senior British officer in
Helmand, said: ‘There are still some challenges in Afghanistan but we
can be positive.’
Group
Captain Andy Knowles, of the RAF Regiment, said: ‘We have definitely
achieved our mission – this has been a military success without a
doubt.’
But
Will Davies, Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards,
said: ‘The inside threat is there. It is always going to be there. This
is Helmand.’
Final post: A makeshift bus stop in Camp Leatherneck, which was until today the last remaining major UK base in the country
Mix of emotions: Corporal Thomas
Warner 23, from Port Talbot of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, in tent
accommodation at Camp Bastion yesterday as British troops prepared to
withdraw from the 13-year conflict
Memories: Staff Sergent Craig Worsley,
34, preparing to leave yesterday. Brigadier Darrell Amison, Commander
of Joint Force Support, Afghanistan said: 'The soldier in 2006 is a very
different one to 2014'
In September 2013, David Cameron boldly declared Britain’s mission would be ‘accomplished’ by this month
Final visit: Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the remaining British troops at the camp earlier this month
ROLL CALL: The full list of British troops killed in Afghanistan
A
total of 453 British forces personnel or Ministry of Defence civilians
have died while serving in Afghanistan since the start of operations in
October 2001.
According
to the MoD, of these, 404 were killed as a result of hostile action
while 49 are known to have died either as a result of illness,
non-combat injuries or accidents, or have not yet officially been
assigned a cause of death pending the outcome of an investigation.
Here
is a roll call of the 453 British service personnel who have died, or
are missing believed to be dead, since the start of operations in
Afghanistan in 2001.
SOURCE: PRESS ASSOCIATION
2002
APRIL
Pte Darren George, 23, Pirbright, Surrey. The Royal Anglian Regiment.
AUGUST
Sgt Robert Busuttil, 30. Swansea. The Royal Logistic Corps.
Cpl John Gregory, 30, Catterick, North Yorkshire. The Royal Logistic Corps.
2004
JANUARY
Pte Jonathan Kitulagoda, 23, Plymouth, Devon. The Rifle Volunteers.
2005
OCTOBER
LCpl
Steven Sherwood, 23, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. 1st Battalion The
Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry.
2006
MARCH
Cpl Mark Cridge, 25. 7 Signal Regiment.
LCpl Peter Craddock. 1st Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment.
JUNE
Cpt Jim Philippson, 29, St Albans, Hertfordshire. 7 Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.
Cpt David Patten, 38. The Parachute Regiment.
Sgt Paul Bartlett, 35. The Royal Marines.
JULY
Cpl Peter Thorpe, 27, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The Royal Signals.
LCpl Jabron Hashmi, 24, Birmingham. The Intelligence Corps.
Pte Damien Jackson, 19, South Shields, Tyne and Wear. 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
AUGUST
Cpt Alex Eida, 29, Hooley, Surrey. 7 Parachute Regiment The Royal Horse Artillery.
2nd Lt Ralph Johnson, 24, Windsor, Berkshire. The Household Cavalry Regiment.
LCpl Ross Nicholls, 27, Edinburgh. The Blues and Royals.
Pte Andrew Cutts, 19, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The Royal Logistic Corps.
Pte Leigh Reeves, 25, Leicester. The Royal Logistic Corps.
LCpl Sean Tansey, 26, Newcastle. The Life Guards.
Cpl Bryan Budd, 29, Ripon, North Yorkshire. 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
LCpl Jonathan Hetherington, 22, Salisbury, Wiltshire. 14 Signal Regiment.
SEPTEMBER
Ranger Anare Draiva, 27, Fiji. 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment.
LCpl Paul Muirhead, 29, Bearley, Warwickshire. 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment.
Flight Lt Steven Johnson, 38, Collingham, Nottinghamshire. 120 Squadron RAF.
Flight Lt Leigh Mitchelmore, 28, Bournemouth, Dorset. 120 Squadron RAF.
Flight Lt Gareth Nicholas, 40, Redruth, Cornwall. 120 Squadron RAF.
Flight Lt Allan Squires, 39, Clatterbridge, Merseyside. 120 Squadron RAF.
Flight Lt Steven Swarbrick, 28, Liverpool. 120 Squadron RAF.
Flight Sgt Gary Andrews, 48, Tankerton, Kent. 120 Squadron RAF.
Flight Sgt Stephen Beattie, 42, Dundee. 120 Squadron RAF.
Flight Sgt Gerard Bell, 48, Ely, Cambridgeshire. 120 Squadron RAF.
Flight Sgt Adrian Davies, 49, Amersham, Buckinghamshire. 120 Squadron RAF.
Sgt Benjamin Knight, 25, Bridgwater, Somerset. 120 Squadron RAF.
Sgt John Langton, 29, Liverpool. 120 Squadron RAF.
Sgt Gary Quilliam, 42, Manchester. 120 Squadron RAF.
LCpl Oliver Dicketts, 27, Wadhurst, East Sussex. 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Joseph Windall, 22, Hazlemere, Bucks. Royal Marines.
Pte
Craig O'Donnell, 24, Clydebank, Dunbartonshire. The Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Cpl Mark Wright, 27, Edinburgh. 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
LCpl Luke McCulloch, 21. 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment.
OCTOBER
Marine Gary Wright, 22, Glasgow. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
DECEMBER
Marine Jonathan Wigley, 21, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine Richard Watson, 23, Caterham, Surrey. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
Lance Bombardier James Dwyer, 22, South Africa. 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.
2007
JANUARY
Marine Thomas Curry, 21, east London. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
LCpl Mathew Ford, 30, Immingham, Lincolnshire. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
FEBRUARY
Marine Jonathan Holland, 23, Chorley, Lancashire. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine Scott Summers, 23, Crawley, West Sussex. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
MARCH
Lance Bombardier Ross Clark, 25, South Africa. 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.
Lance Bombardier Liam McLaughlin, 21, Lancashire. 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.
Marine Benjamin Reddy, 22, Ascot, Berkshire. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
Warrant Officer Class 2 Michael Smith, 39, Liverpool. 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.
APRIL
Pte Chris Gray, 19, Leicester. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
MAY
Gdsm Simon Davison, 22, Newcastle upon Tyne. 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
LCpl George Davey, 23, Beccles, Suffolk. 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment.
Gdsm Daniel Probyn, 22, Tipton, West Midlands. 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Cpl Darren Bonner, 31, Gorleston, Norfolk. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Cpl Mike Gilyeat, 28. Royal Military Police.
JUNE
LCpl Paul Sandford, 23, Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters.
Gdsm Neil Downes, 20, Manchester. 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards.
Drummer Thomas Wright, 26, Ripley, Derbyshire. 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters.
Cpt Sean Dolan, 40, the West Midlands. 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters.
JULY
Sgt Dave Wilkinson, 33, Ashford, Kent. 19 Regiment Royal Artillery.
Gdsm Daryl Hickey, 27, Birmingham. 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
LCpl Alex Hawkins, 22, East Dereham, Norfolk. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Gdsm David Atherton, 25, Manchester. 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Sgt Barry Keen, 34, Gateshead. 14 Signals Regiment.
LCpl Michael Jones, 26 Newbald, East Yorkshire. Royal Marines.
AUGUST
Pte Tony Rawson, 27, Dagenham, Essex. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian.
Cpt David Hicks, 26, Wokingham, Berkshire. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment
Pte Aaron McClure, 19, Ipswich, Suffolk. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Pte Robert Foster, 19, Harlow, Essex. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Pte John Thrumble, 21, Chelmsford, Essex. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Senior Aircraftman Christopher Bridge, 20, Sheffield. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment.
SEPTEMBER
Pte Damian Wright, 23, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Pte Ben Ford, 18, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Sgt Craig Brelsford, 25, Nottingham. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Pte Johan Botha, 25, Pretoria in South Africa. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
LCpl Ivano Violino, 29, Salford. 36 Engineer Regiment.
Colour Sgt Phillip Newman, 36, Coventry. 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment
Pte Brian Tunnicliffe, 33, Ilkeston, Derbyshire. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
OCTOBER
Major Alexis Roberts, 32, Kent. 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
NOVEMBER
LCpl Jake Alderton, 22, Bexley, Kent. 36 Engineer Regiment.
Cpt John McDermid, 43, Glasgow. Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
DECEMBER
Trooper Jack Sadler, 21, Exeter, Devon. The Honourable Artillery Company.
Sgt Lee Johnson, 33, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland. 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
2008
JANUARY
Cpl Darryl Gardiner, 25, Salisbury, Wiltshire. Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
FEBRUARY
Cpl Damian Lawrence, 25, Whitby, North Yorkshire. 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
Cpl Damian Mulvihill, 32, Plymouth. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
MARCH
Lt John Thornton, 22, Ferndown, Dorset. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine David Marsh, 23, Sheffield. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
APRIL
Senior Aircraftman Graham Livingstone, 23, Glasgow. The Royal Air Force Regiment.
Senior Aircraftman Gary Thompson, 51, Nottingham. Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment.
Trooper Robert Pearson, 22, Grimsby, Lincolnshire. The Queen's Royal Lancers.
MAY
Trooper Ratu Babakobau, 29, Fiji. The Household Cavalry Regiment.
James Thompson, 27, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside.
Marine Dale Gostick, 22, Oxford. 3 Troop Armoured Support Company Royal Marines.
JUNE
Pte Nathan Cuthbertson, 19, Sunderland. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Daniel Gamble, 22, Uckfield, East Sussex. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Charles David Murray, 19, Carlisle. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
LCpl James Bateman, 29, Colchester, Essex. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Jeff Doherty, 20, Southam, Warwickshire. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Cpl Sarah Bryant, 26, Cumbria. The Intelligence Corps.
Cpl Sean Robert Reeve, 28. The Royal Signals.
LCpl Richard Larkin, 39.
Paul Stout, 31.
Sgt Major Michael Williams, 40, Cardiff. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Joe Whittaker, 20, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Warrant Officer Dan Shirley, 32, Leicester. 13 Air Assault Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps.
LCpl James Johnson, 31, Chatham, Kent. 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
JULY
Cpl Jason Barnes, 25, Exeter, Devon. Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
LCpl Kenneth Michael Rowe, 24, Newcastle. Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
Sgt Jonathan Mathews, 35, Edinburgh. The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Pte Peter Cowton, 25, Basingstoke, Hants. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
AUGUST
Signaller Wayne Bland, 21, Leeds. 16 Signal Regiment.
Cpl Barry Dempsey, 29, Ayrshire. The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.
SEPTEMBER
Ranger Justin James Cupples, 29, County Cavan, Ireland. 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment.
Warrant Officer Class 2 Gary O'Donnell, 40, Edinburgh. The Royal Logistic Corps.
Pte Jason Lee Rawstron, 23, Clayton-Le-Moors, Lancashire. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
LCpl Nicky Mason, 26, Aveley, Essex. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
OCTOBER
Trooper James Munday, 21, Birmingham. D Squadron, The Household Cavalry.
NOVEMBER
Yubraj Rai, 28, Khotang district, eastern Nepal. 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Marine Robert McKibben, 32, Westport in Co Mayo. The UK Landing Force Command Support Group.
Marine Neil Dunstan, 32, Bournemouth. The UK Landing Force Command Support Group.
Colour Sgt Krishnabahadur Dura, 36, Lamjung district, western Nepal. 2nd Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Marine Alexander Lucas, 24, Edinburgh. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine Tony Evans, 20, Sunderland. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine Georgie Sparks, 19, Epping, Essex. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
DECEMBER
LCpl Steven "Jamie" Fellows, 26, High Wycombe. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
Sgt John Manuel, 38, Gateshead. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
Cpl Marc Birch, 26, Kingsthorpe, Northamptonshire. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine Damian Davies, 27, Telford. Landing Force Support Party, Commando Logistic Regiment.
Lt Aaron Lewis, 26, Rochford, Essex. 29 Commando Royal Artillery.
Rfn Stuart Nash, 21, Sydney, Australia. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Cpl Robert Christopher Deering, 33, Solihull, West Midlands. Commando Logistic Regiment Royal Marines.
LCpl Ben Whatley, 20, Tittleshall, Norfolk. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
Cpl Liam Elms, 26, Wigan. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
2009
JANUARY
Sgt Christopher John Reed, 25, Plymouth. 6th Battalion The Rifles.
Royal
Marine Travis Mackin, 22, Plymouth. UK Landing Force Command Support
Group, operating as part of 45 Commando Royal Marines.
Cpt Tom Sawyer, 26, Hertfordshire. 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.
Cpl Danny Winter, 28, Stockport. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
Acting Cpl Richard Robinson, 21, Saltash, Cornwall. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Cpl Daniel Nield, 31, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
FEBRUARY
Marine Darren Smith, 28, Fleetwood, Lancashire. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
LCpl Stephen Kingscott, 22, Plymouth. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Acting LCpl Paul Upton, 31, Looe, Cornwall. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Cpl Tom Gaden, 24, Taunton, Somerset. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Jamie Gunn, 21, Monmouth. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Marine Michael Laski, 21, Liverpool. 45 Commando Royal Marines.
MARCH
LCpl Christopher Harkett, 22, Pontardawe in Swansea. 2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh Regiment.
Cpl Graeme Stiff, 24, Grimsby. Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards.
Cpl Dean John, 25, Port Talbot. Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards.
APRIL
Lance Sgt Tobie Fasfous, 29, Bridgend, South Wales. 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
MAY
Cpl Sean Binnie, 22, born in Dublin. The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Rfn Adrian Sheldon, 25, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottingham. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Sgt Ben Ross, 34, Bangor, Wales. 173 Provost Company, 3rd Regiment, Royal Military Police.
Cpl Kumar Pun, 31, the Parbat district of Western Nepal. 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Lt Mark Evison, 26, Dulwich, south-east London. 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards.
Marine Jason Mackie, 21, Oxfordshire. Royal Marine Armoured Support Group.
Fusilier Petero "Pat" Suesue, 28, Fiji. 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Sapper Jordan Rossi, 22 West Yorkshire. 25 Field Squadron, 38 Engineer Regiment.
LCpl Martin Richards, 24, Betws-y-Coed, North Wales. Armoured Support Group Royal Marines.
LCpl Kieron Hill, 20, Nottingham. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters).
LCpl Nigel Moffett, 28, Belfast. The Light Dragoons.
Cpl Stephen Bolger. The Parachute Regiment.
JUNE
Rfn Cyrus Thatcher, 19, Reading. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Pte Robert McLaren, 20, the Isle of Mull. The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Lt Paul Mervis, 27, London. 2nd Battalion the Rifles.
Major Sean Birchall, 33, Guildford, Surrey. 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
JULY
Lt Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, 39, Kirtlington, near Oxford. 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
Trooper Joshua Hammond, 18, Plymouth. 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.
LCpl David Dennis, 29, Llanelli, South Wales. The Light Dragoons.
Pte Robert Laws, 18, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
LCpl Dane Elson, 22, Zimbabwe. 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
Cpt Ben Babington-Browne, 27, Maidstone, Kent. 22 Engineer Regiment.
Trooper Christopher Whiteside, 20, Blackpool. The Light Dragoons.
Rfn Daniel Hume, 22, Maidenhead, Berkshire. 4th Battalion The Rifles.
Pte John Brackpool, 27, Crawley, West Sussex. Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment attached to 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
Cpl Lee Scott, 26, King's Lynn, Norfolk. The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.
Cpl Jonathan Horne, 28, Walsall, West Midlands. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn William Aldridge, 18, Bromyard, Herefordshire. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn James Backhouse, 18, Castleford, Yorkshire. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Joseph Murphy, 18, Castle Bromwich, West Midlands. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Daniel Simpson, 20, Croydon, south London. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Aminiasi Toge, 26, Suva, Fiji. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Cpl Joseph Etchells, 22, Mossley, Greater Manchester. 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Cpt Daniel Shepherd, 28, Lincoln. The Royal Logistic Corps.
Gdsm Christopher King, 20, West Buckland, Devon. 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards.
Bombardier Craig Hopson, 24, Castleford, West Yorkshire. 40th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Lowland Gunners).
Warrant Officer Class 2 Sean Upton, 35, Nottinghamshire. 5th Regiment Royal Artillery.
Trooper Phillip Lawrence, 22, Birkenhead. The Light Dragoons.
AUGUST
Craftsman Anthony Lombardi, 21, Scunthorpe. Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Cpl Kevin Mulligan, 26. The Parachute Regiment.
LCpl Dale Hopkins, 23. The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Kyle Adams, 21. The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Jason Williams, 23, Worcester. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Cpt Mark Hale, 42, Bournemouth. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Daniel Wild, 19, Hartlepool. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, 23, Haxby, North Yorkshire. 40th Regiment Royal Artillery.
Pte Richard Hunt, 21, Abergavenny. The 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh Regiment.
Sgt Simon Valentine, 29, Bedworth, Warwickshire. 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Fusilier Simon Annis, 22, Salford. 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Fusilier Louis Carter, 18, Nuneaton, Warwickshire. 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
LCpl James Fullarton, 24, Coventry. 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Serjeant Paul McAleese, 29, Hereford. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Pte Johnathon Young, 18, Hull. 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
Fusilier Shaun Bush, 24, Coventry. 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Sgt Lee Houltram. Royal Marines.
Sgt Stuart Millar, 40, Inverness. The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Pte Kevin Elliott, 24, Dundee. The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
SEPTEMBER
LCpl Richard Brandon, 24, Kidderminster, Worcestershire. Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
Pte Gavin Elliott, 19, Woodsetts, Worksop, Nottinghamshire. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Cpl John Harrison, 29. The Parachute Regiment.
Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman, 20, Liverpool. 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Trooper Brett Hall, 21, Dartmouth, Devon. 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.
Acting Serjeant Stuart McGrath, 28, Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Acting Sgt Michael Lockett, 29, Monifieth, Angus. 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Pte James Prosser, 21, Cwmbran, Wales. 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh.
OCTOBER
Acting Cpl Marcin Wojtak, 24, Leicester. 34 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment.
Gdsm Jamie Janes, 20, Brighton. 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards.
LCpl James Hill, 23, Redhill in Surrey. 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards.
Cpl James Oakland, 26, Manchester. The Royal Military Police.
Cpl Thomas Mason, 27, Fife. The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Staff Sgt Olaf Schmid, 30, Winchester, Hampshire. The Royal Logistic Corps.
NOVEMBER 2009
Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 40, Walthamstow. 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards.
Sgt Matthew Telford, 37, Grimsby. 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards.
Gdsm Jimmy Major, 18, Grimsby. 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards.
Cpl Steven Boote, 22, Birkenhead. The Royal Military Police.
Cpl Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24, Brackley, Northamptonshire. The Royal Military Police.
Serjeant Phillip Scott, 30, Edinburgh. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Philip Allen, 20, Dorset. 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Samuel Bassett, 20, Plymouth, Devon. 4th Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Andrew Fentiman, 23, Cambridgeshire. 7th Battalion the Rifles, attached to the 3rd Battalion The Rifles Battle Group.
Cpl Loren Marlton-Thomas, 28, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire. 33 Engineer Regiment.
Sgt Robert Loughran-Dickson, 33, Deal, Kent. 4th Regiment, Royal Military Police.
Acting Sgt John Amer, 30, Sunderland. 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards.
DECEMBER
LCpl Adam Drane, 23, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
LCpl David Kirkness, 24, Morley, near Leeds. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn James Brown, 18, Orpington, Kent. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Cpl Simon Hornby, 29, Liverpool. 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
LCpl Michael Pritchard, 22, Maidstone, Kent. 4th Regiment, Royal Military Police.
LCpl Christopher Roney, 23, Sunderland. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
LCpl Tommy Brown. The Parachute Regiment.
Rfn Aidan Howell, 19, Sidcup, Kent. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Sapper David Michael Watson, 23, Whickham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 33 Engineer Regiment.
2010
JANUARY
Pte Robert Hayes, 19, Burwell, Cambridgeshire. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Cpt Daniel Read, 31, Rainham, Kent. 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps.
Cpl Lee Brownson, 30, Bishop Auckland, County Durham. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Luke Farmer, 19, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Peter Aldridge, 19, Folkestone, Kent. 4th Battalion The Rifles.
LCpl Daniel Cooper, 22, Hereford. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
FEBRUARY
Cpl Liam Riley, 21, Sheffield. 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
LCpl Graham Shaw, 27, Huddersfield. 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
Cpl John Moore, 22, Bellshill, Lanarkshire. Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Pte Sean McDonald, 26, Edinburgh. Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Warrant Officer Class 2 David Markland, 36, Euxton, Lancashire. 36 Engineer Regiment.
LCpl Darren Hicks, 29, Mousehole, Cornwall. 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards.
Lance Sgt Dave Greenhalgh, 25, Ilkeston, Derbyshire. 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Rfn Mark Marshall, 29, Exeter. 6th Battalion The Rifles.
Kingsman Sean Dawson, 19, Stalybridge, Manchester. 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Sapper Guy Mellors, 20, Coventry. 36 Engineer Regiment.
Lt Douglas Dalzell, 27, Hamstead Marshall, Berkshire. 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards.
Lance Sgt David Walker, 36, Glasgow. 1st Battalion Scots Guards.
Senior Aircraftsman Luke Southgate, 20, Bury St Edmunds. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment.
Rfn Martin Kinggett, 19, Dagenham, Essex. 4th Battalion The Rifles.
Sgt Paul Fox, 34, St Ives, Cornwall. 28 Engineer Regiment.
MARCH
Rfn Carlo Apolis, 28, South Africa. 4th Battalion The Rifles.
Cpl Richard Green, 23, Reading. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Jonathon Allott, 19, Bournemouth. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Rfn Liam Maughan, 18, Doncaster. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Cpl Stephen Thompson, 31, Bovey Tracey, Devon. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
LCpl Tom Keogh, 24, Paddington, London. 4th Battalion The Rifles.
Cpt Martin Driver, 31, Barnsley, South Yorkshire. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
LCpl Scott Hardy, 26, Chelmsford, Essex. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Pte James Grigg, 21, Hartismere, Suffolk. 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Serjeant Steven Campbell, 30, Pelton, County Durham. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
LCpl of Horse Jonathan Woodgate, 27, Lavenham, Suffolk. Household Cavalry Regiment.
Rfn Daniel Holkham, 19, Chatham, Kent. 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
APRIL
Gdsm Michael Sweeney, 19, Blyth, Northumberland. Coldstream Guards.
Rfn Mark Turner, 21, Gateshead. 3rd Battalion The Rifles
Fusilier Jonathan Burgess, 20, Swansea, South Wales. 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh.
MAY
Cpl Harvey Holmes, 22, Hyde, Greater Manchester. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Sapper Daryn Roy, 28, originally Consett, County Durham. 21 Engineer Regiment.
LCpl Barry Buxton, 27, Meir, Stoke-on-Trent. 21 Engineer Regiment.
Cpl Chris Harrison, 26, Watford. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Cpl Stephen Walker, 42, Northern Ireland. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Gunner Zak Cusack, 20, Stoke on Trent. 4th Regiment Royal Artillery.
Cpl Stephen Curley, 26, Dewsbury but living in Exeter. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine Scott Taylor, 21, Buxton, Derbyshire. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
JUNE
Marine Anthony Hotine, 21, Warminster, Wiltshire. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Cpl Terry Webster, 24, Chester. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
LCpl Alan Cochran, 23, Saint Asaph, North Wales. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Lance Bombardier Mark Chandler, 26, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.
Pte Jonathan Monk, 25, London. 2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.
LCpl Andrew Breeze, 31, Manchester. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Marine Steven Birdsall, 20, Warrington. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Cpl Taniela Tolevu Rogoiruwai, 32, Fiji. 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Kingsman Ponipate Tagitaginimoce, 29, Fiji. 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Trooper Ashley Smith, 21, York. Royal Dragoon Guards.
Marine Richard Hollington, 23, Petersfield, Hampshire. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine Paul Warren, 23, Leyland, Lancashire. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
LCpl Michael Taylor, 30, Rhyl, North Wales. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Sgt Steven Darbyshire, 35, Wigan. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Pte Alex Isaac, 20, the Wirral. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Pte Douglas Niall Halliday, 20, Wallasey, Merseyside. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Colour Sgt Martyn Simon Horton, 34, Runcorn, Cheshire. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
LCpl David Andrew Ramsden, 26, Leeds. 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
Bombardier Stephen Gilbert, 36, Topcliffe, North Yorkshire. 4th Regiment Royal Artillery.
Cpl Jamie Kirkpatrick, 32, Llanelli, South Wales. 101 Engineer Regiment.
JULY
Cpl Seth Stephens. Royal Marines
Trooper
James Anthony Leverett, 20, who was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk,
and grew up in Sheffield and Rotherham. The Royal Dragoon Guards.
Pte Thomas Sephton, 20, Warrington. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Bombardier Sam Robinson, 31, Carmarthen. 5th Regiment Royal Artillery.
Marine David Hart, 23, Upper Poppleton, North Yorkshire. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Major James Joshua Bowman, 34, Salisbury, Wiltshire. 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Lt Neal Turkington, 26, Craigavon, Northern Ireland. 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Cpl Arjun Purja, 33, Khibang in Nepal. 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Marine Matthew Harrison, 23, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine Jonathan Crookes, 26, Halesowen, West Midlands. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Senior Aircraftman Kinikki Griffiths, 20, Calmore, Hampshire. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment.
Sgt David Monkhouse, 35, Aspatria, Cumbria. The Royal Dragoon Guards.
Staff Sgt Brett George Linley, 29, Birmingham. The Royal Logistic Corps.
Cpl Matthew James Stenton, 23, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The Royal Dragoon Guards
LCpl Stephen Daniel Monkhouse, 28, Greenock, Inverclyde. 1st Battalion Scots Guards.
Sapper Mark Smith, 26, Swanley, Kent. 36 Engineer Regiment.
AUGUST
Lance Sgt Dale McCallum, 31, Hanover, Jamaica. 1st Battalion Scots Guards.
Marine Adam Brown, 26, Burtle, near Glastonbury. 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Lt John Sanderson, 29, Oklahoma, USA. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Sapper Darren Foster, 20, Carlisle, Cumbria. 21 Engineer Regiment.
Rfn Remand Kulung, 27, Nepal. 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Sapper Ishwor Gurung, 21, Pokhara, Nepal. Queen's Gurkha Engineers.
LCpl Jordan Dean Bancroft, 25, Burnley. 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
SEPTEMBER
LCpl Joseph Pool, 26, Greenock. The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Cpt Andrew Griffiths, 25, Richmond, north Yorkshire. 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Kingsman Darren Deady, 22, Bolton, Lancashire. 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Trooper Andrew Howarth, 20, Bournemouth. Fondouk Squadron, The Queen's Royal Lancers.
Sgt Andrew Jones, 35, Newport, South Wales. Royal Engineers.
Cpl Matthew Thomas. Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
OCTOBER
Rfn Suraj Gurung, 22, Gorkha in Nepal. 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Sgt Peter Rayner, 34, Bradford. 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Cpl David Barnsdale, 24, Tring. 33 Engineer Regiment.
Sapper William Blanchard, 39, Gosport, Hampshire. 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal).
NOVEMBER
Senior Aircraftman Scott Hughes, 20, North Wales. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment.
Ranger Aaron McCormick, 22, Macosquin, Co Londonderry. 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment.
Christopher Davies, 22, St Helens, Merseyside. 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
DECEMBER
Pte John Howard, 23, Wellington, New Zealand. 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Cpl Steven Dunn, 27, Gateshead. 216 Parachute Signal Squadron, Royal Corps of Signals.
Warrant Officer Class 2 Charles Wood, 34, Middlesbrough. 23 Pioneer Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps.
2011
JANUARY
Pte Joseva Saqanagonedau Vatubua, 24, Fiji. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Pte Martin Bell, 24, Bradford. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
FEBRUARY
Ranger David Dalzell, 20, Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland. 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment.
Warrant Officer Class 2 Colin Beckett, 36, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Lewis Hendry, 20, Norwich. 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Conrad Lewis, 22, Bournemouth. 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Robert Wood, 28, Marchwood, Hampshire. The Royal Logistic Corps.
Pte Dean Hutchinson, 23, Spennymoor, County Durham. The Royal Logistic Corps.
LCpl Kyle Marshall, 23, Newcastle upon Tyne. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
MARCH
LCpl Liam Tasker, 26, Kirkcaldy, Fife. The Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
LCpl Stephen McKee, 27, Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment.
Pte Daniel Prior, 27, Peacehaven, East Sussex. 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
Major Matthew Collins, 38, Backwell, Somerset. 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
Lance Sgt Mark Burgan, 28, Liverpool. Ist Battalion Irish Guards.
Colour Sgt Alan Cameron, 42, Livingston, Scotland. 1st Battalion Scots Guards.
APRIL
Cpt Lisa Head, 29, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps.
MAY
Marine Nigel Dean Mead, 19, Carmarthen, Wales. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
Colour Serjeant Kevin Fortuna, 36, Cheltenham. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Lt Oliver Augustin, 23, Kent. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
Marine Sam Alexander, 28 London. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
JUNE
Cpl Michael Pike, 26, Huntly, Scotland. 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
LCpl Martin Gill, 22, Nottingham. 42 Commando Royal Marines.
Rfn Martin Lamb, 27, Dursley, Gloucestershire. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Craftsman Andrew Found, 27, Whitby. Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
Cpl Lloyd Newell. The Parachute Regiment.
Pte Gareth Bellingham, 22, Stoke-on-Trent. 3rd Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
JULY
Highlander Scott McLaren, 20, Edinburgh, Scotland. 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
LCpl Paul Watkins, 24, Port Elizabeth, Republic of South Africa. 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's).
Cpl Mark Anthony Palin, 32, Plymouth, Devon. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
AUGUST
Marine James Wright, 22, Weymouth, Dorset. Royal Marines.
Lt Daniel Clack, 24, North London. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Sgt Barry Weston, 40, Reading. 42 Commando.
SEPTEMBER
LCpl Jonathan James McKinlay, 33, Darlington. 1st Battalion The Rifles.
Marine David Fairbrother, 24, Blackburn. 42 Commando.
OCTOBER
Rfn Vijay Rai, 21, Nepal. 2nd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
NOVEMBER
Pte Matthew Haseldin, 21, Settle, North Yorkshire. 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment.
Pte Matthew Thornton, 28, Barnsley, South Yorkshire. 4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment.
LCpl Peter Eustace, 25, Liverpool. 2nd Battalion, the Rifles.
Lt David Boyce, 25, Welwyn Garden City. 1st The Queen's Dragoons Guards.
LCpl Richard Scanlon, 31, Rhymney, Gwent. 1st The Queen's Dragoons Guards.
Pte Thomas Lake, 29, Watford. 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.
Rfn Sheldon Steel, 20, Leeds. 5th Battalion The Rifles.
DECEMBER
Sapper Elijah Bond, 24, St Austell, Cornwall. 35 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers.
Cpt Tom Jennings, 29, Royal Marines, understood to have been serving with the special forces.
Squadron Leader Anthony Downing, 34. Royal Air Force.
Pte John King, 19, Darlington. 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
2012
JANUARY
Rfn Sachin Limbu, 23, Rajghat, Morang in Nepal. 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Signaller Ian Sartorius-Jones, 21, Runcorn, Cheshire. 200 Signal Squadron.
LCpl Gajbahadur Gurung, 26, Pokhara, Nepal. 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
FEBRUARY
Senior Aircraftman Ryan Tomlin, 21, Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire. 2 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment.
MARCH
Sgt Nigel Coupe, 33, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Cpl Jake Hartley, 20, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, of 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment.
Pte Anthony Frampton, 20, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, of 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment.
Pte Christopher Kershaw, 19, Bradford, of 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment.
Pte Daniel Wade, 20, Warrington, Cheshire, of 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment.
Pte Daniel Wilford, 21, Huddersfield, of 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment.
Cpt Rupert Bowers, 24, Wolverhampton, of 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters).
Sgt Luke Taylor, 33, Bournemouth, Dorset, of the Royal Marines.
LCpl Michael Foley, 25, Burnley, Lancashire, of the Adjutant General's Corps.
APRIL
Cpl Jack Stanley, 26, Bolton, of The Queen's Royal Hussars.
Sapper Connor Ray, 20, Newport, south Wales, of 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Royal Engineers.
Gdsm Michael Roland, 22, Worthing, Sussex, of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
MAY
Cpl Andrew Roberts, 32, Middlesbrough, of the Royal Logistic Corps.
Pte Ratu Manasa Silibaravi, 32, Fiji, of the Royal Logistic Corps.
LCpl Lee Thomas Davies, 27, Carmarthen, Wales, of 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards.
Cpl Brent John McCarthy, 25, Telford, Shropshire, of the Royal Air Force.
Cpt Stephen Healey, 29, Cardiff, of 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh.
JUNE
Cpl Michael Thacker, 27, Swindon, Wiltshire, of 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh.
Pte Gregg Thomas Stone, 20, Hull, of 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment.
LCpl James Ashworth, 23, Kettering, Northamptonshire, of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Cpl Alex Guy, 37, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
JULY
Gdsm Craig Andrew Roderick, 22, Cardiff, of 1st Battalion the Welsh Guards
Gdsm Apete Saunikalou Ratumaiyale Tuisovurua, 28, Fiji, of 1st Battalion the Welsh Guards
Warrant Officer Leonard Perran Thomas, 44, Hertfordshire, of the Royal Corps of Signals.
AUGUST
LCpl Matthew David Smith, 26, Aldershot, Hampshire, of the Corps of Royal Engineers
Lt Andrew Robert Chesterman, 26, Bristol, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Gdsm Jamie Shadrake, 20, Wrexham, of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
SEPTEMBER
Gdsm Karl Whittle, 22, Bristol, of The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Sgt Lee Paul Davidson, 32, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, of The Light Dragoons.
LCpl Duane Groom, 32, Suva City, Fiji, of The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Sgt Gareth Thursby, 29, Skipton, North Yorkshire, of 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment.
Pte Thomas Wroe, 18, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, of 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment.
Sgt Jonathan Eric Kups, 38, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
Cpt James Anthony Townley, 29, near Glastonbury, Somerset, of the Corps of Royal Engineers.
Cpt Carl Manley, 41, of the Royal Marines.
OCTOBER
Cpl David O'Connor, 27, Havant in Hampshire, of 40 Commando.
Cpl Channing Day, 25, Comber, County Down, Northern Ireland, of 3 Medical Regiment.
Lt Edward Drummond-Baxter, 29, County Durham, of 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
LCpl Siddhanta Kunwar, 28, Pokhara, Nepal, of 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
NOVEMBER
Cpt Walter Barrie, 41, Glasgow, of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
2013
JANUARY
Sapper Richard Reginald Walker, 23, Leeds, West Yorkshire, of 28 Engineer Regiment.
Kingsman David Robert Shaw, 23, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
MARCH
LCpl Jamie Webb, 24, born in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, of 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
APRIL
Cpl
William Savage, 30, Irvine, Ayrshire, of the Royal Highland Fusiliers,
2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment Of Scotland (2 Scots).
Fusilier Samuel Flint, 21, Blackpool, of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment Of Scotland (2 Scots).
Pte
Robert Hetherington, 25, born in the United States, of 51st Highland,
7th Battalion The Royal Regiment Of Scotland (7 Scots).
OCTOBER
LCpl James Brynin, 22, born in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, of the Intelligence Corps, attached to 14 Signal Regiment.
NOVEMBER
Warrant Officer Class 2 Ian Michael Fisher, 42, born in Barking, Essex, of 3rd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Staffords).
DECEMBER
Cpt Richard Holloway, 29, County Durham, of the Royal Engineers.
2014
MARCH
Sapper Adam Moralee, 23, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, of 32 Engineer Regiment.
APRIL
Cpt Thomas Clarke, 30, Cowbridge, of the Army Air Corps.
Warrant Officer Spencer Faulkner, 38, of the Army Air Corps.
Cpl James Walters, 36, Cornwall, of the Army Air Corps.
Flight Lt Rakesh Chauhan, 29, Birmingham, of the Royal Air Force.
LCpl Oliver Thomas, 26, Brecon, of the Intelligence Corps.
AFGHANISTAN TIMELINE: THE BUILD-UP TO THE LONG, BLOODY WAR - AND HOW IT UNFOLDED
Christmas Eve, 1979
Soviet
Army invades Afghanistan, prompting a long struggle by Islamist
mujahideen fighters who are supported and armed by nations varying from
the U.S. to China, Pakistan and Iran. Peace accords are signed in 1988
and the final Red Army troops leave Afghanistan the following year, but
civil war continues as the various mujahideen groups turn on each other.
1996
Taliban
seize control of Kabul and introduce a hard-line version of Islam,
which bans women from work and stones 'criminals' to death. Al-Qaeda
leader Osama Bin Laden welcomed to the country.
1999
United
Nations imposes an air embargo and sanctions in a bid to force
Afghanistan to hand over Bin Laden, who is suspected of orchestrating
the bombing of African embassies the previous year.
September 9, 2001
Ahmad
Shah Masood, the leader of the main opposition group to the Taliban, is
assassinated. Two days later the infamous Al-Qaeda attacks of September
11 will happen on U.S. soil. By this point the Taliban controls 90 per
cent of Afghan territory.
Retaliation: Action against Afghanistan, where Bin Laden (left) and Al-Qaeda figures were based, began after the 9/11 attacks
September 18, 2001
Against
a backdrop of fear an outrage, U.S. President George Bush signs a joint
resolution allowing the use of force against those responsible for the
September 11 attacks.
October 7, 2001
Then-prime
minister Tony Blair confirms that British forces are involved in US-led
military action, dubbed Operation Enduring Freedom, against al Qaida
training camps and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, where Bin Laden is
hiding. Allied airstrikes begin.
November 2001
The first UK troops are deployed to Afghanistan when Royal Marines from 40 Commando help to secure Bagram airfield.
A
loose coalition of forces known as the Northern Alliance takes control
of Kabul from the Taliban. Other cities swiftly fall and Hamid Karzai is
sworn in as head of an interim government before Christmas. Bin Laden
escapes to a cave complex and later crosses the border to Pakistan.
January 2002
The
pace of the war begins to slow as the first foreign peacekeepers are
deployed in Afghanistan, marking the beginning of a long and bloody
battle against Taliban insurgents.
March 2002
President
Bush announces a substantial plan to 'rebuild' Afghanistan, but it has
critics from the start as unrest continues to grow.
April 9, 2002
Private
Darren George, 23, from the Royal Anglian Regiment, becomes the first
British serviceman to die in Afghanistan after being shot on patrol in
Kabul by a colleague suffering a dizzy spell.
May 1, 2003
The
U.S. President makes his infamous 'Mission Accomplished' declaration on
the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. In the years that
follow, thousands more troops from all nationalities will die in the
guerilla-style warfare that followed.
Infamous:
George Bush faced ridicule and anger after appearing on an aircraft
carrier and declaring 'Mission Accomplished' in 2003
January 28, 2004
With
democratic elections scheduled for just nine months' time, Territorial
Army Private Jonathan Kitulagoda, 23, becomes the first British soldier
to die in hostile action in Afghanistan after he is the victim of an
apparent suicide bomb attack.
October 9, 2004
Hamid
Karzai wins the Presidency in the country's first direct democratic
election. Weeks later Bin Laden releases a taped series of taunts to the
West.
2005 onwards
Even
as Afghanistan holds Parliamentary elections the Taliban begins a
fierce resurgence, using increased numbers of suicide bombers and
'improvised explosive devices' (IEDs) to strike fear into the hearts of
millions. In the years that follow more than 100 will be killed in
'green-on-blue' attacks by Taliban insiders who infiltrate Afghan forces
before turning on their Western allies.
April 2006
Camp
Bastion airfield is built in the desert near Lashkar Gah, the capital
of Helmand Province, by 39 Regiment Royal Engineers and several private
contractors. A westernised tent city in the desert, at its peak it will
accommodate 28,000 people and have its own McDonald's and bar.
March 1, 2008
Prince
Harry flies back to the UK after serving with the Army in Helmand when
foreign websites break a media blackout on details of his deployment.
June 17, 2008
Lance Corporal Sarah Bryant, 26, of the Intelligence Corps, becomes the first British servicewoman to die in Afghanistan.
February 17, 2009
Faced
with increasingly stark evidence that the situation in Helmand is
getting worse, President Barack Obama announces he will be sending
another 17,000 U.S. troops to fight and train Afghan forces in the
war-torn province.
Camp
Bastion - pictured left in its 2006 infancy and right in 2010 - became a
thousands-strong, westernised tent city in the desert
August 20, 2009
The
country's second Presidential election sparks two months of instability
amid widespread allegations of fraud. Eventually, in October, Hamid
Karzai is declared the victor and is handed a second term.
October 14, 2009
Gordon Brown announces he will send 500 extra British troops to Afghanistan, taking the total to 9,500.
December 1, 2009
Barack
Obama once again commits more U.S. troops to the conflict - increasing
the number from 68,000 to 98,000 by the summer of 2010.
December 7, 2009
A
massive increase in the number of killings leads to Lance Corporal Adam
Drane being named the 100th British death in Afghanistan in 2009 alone.
June 10, 2010
On
his first visit to Afghanistan as Prime Minister, David Cameron warns
that the Nato coalition is facing a 'vital year' and says he does not
want UK forces to remain there 'a moment longer than is necessary'.
September 2010
Parliamentary
elections are also disrupted by allegations of fraud and Taliban
violence. Over the summer, a newly-elected David Cameron had visited
British troops in Helmand province and told them theirs was 'not a war
of choice, it is a war of necessity. This is not a war of occupation, it
is a war of obligation.'
May 2, 2011
Osama
Bin Laden is shot dead by U.S. Navy SEALS at a fortified complex in
Pakistan, where it is believed he had spent several years with only
basic communications and technology.
May 2012
Nato
summit endorses plans to withdraw U.S. and British troops from
Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The slow process begins of handing over
facilities to newly-trained Afghan forces, but it takes until early 2013
for a 'substantial' number of British troops to be withdrawn.
September 7, 2012
Prince Harry arrives at Camp Bastion to serve a 20-week deployment as as an Apache co-pilot/gunner with the Army Air Corps.
December 17, 2013
Mr
Cameron makes a surprise Christmas visit to remaining troops at Camp
Bastion and tells them they can be proud of a 'mission accomplished'. By
this point the British death toll has topped 400.
April 1, 2014
The UK's military headquarters in Helmand is disbanded after eight years of front line operations.
October 26, 2014
The U.S. and UK flags are lowered over Camp Bastion, marking the end of British combat operations.
Sources: Press cuttings / Council on Foreign Relations / Encyclopaedia Britannica / BBC/ Press Association
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