- Reaction score
- 64
- Points
- 530
My condolences. One of those killed had graduated Sandhurst with Prince William.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=X2CGWEKDJVVSDQFIQMGCFF4AVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2007/04/07/wiraq07.xml
Prince mourns friend killed in Iraq
By Thomas Harding and Caroline Davies
Last Updated: 1:09am BST 07/04/2007
Prince William was last night mourning a "close friend" who was among four soldiers killed by a bomb in Basra.
Joanna Dyer, 24, a 2nd lieutenant, died alongside three other soldiers and a civilian interpreter when their Warrior armoured vehicle was destroyed by a "colossal" blast in southern Iraq.
The other troops were named by the Ministry of Defence yesterday as Cpl Kris O'Neill, 27, Pte Eleanor Dlugosz, 19 and Kingsman Adam Smith, also 19.
Passing out in the same company as Prince William in December after a year's officer training, 2nd Lt Dyer decided to deploy immediately to Iraq to gain operational experience.
Attached to the 2Bn the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, she quickly gained a reputation as a highly competent officer. From her time at Sandhurst she would have also known Prince Harry, who deploys to southern Iraq next month with the Blues and Royals.
In a statement released by Clarence House, Prince William said he was "deeply saddened to hear the tragic news of Joanna Dyer's death".
The statement added: "Jo was a close friend of his at Sandhurst and he is very much thinking of her family and friends right now and they will remain in his thoughts and prayers."
A few weeks before being killed, the Oxford graduate had telephoned her family to reassure them after a large bomb had detonated close by in Basra.
A relative said: "She told them, 'You might see it on TV but don't worry, I was not involved. I'm OK'.
"But tragically that's not the case now. She's not the first to die in Tony Blair's war and she won't be the last."
With a father and mother who had served in the Army and a sister in the Intelligence Corps, joining up would have been a natural step.
Her father, Lt Col Neil Dyer, formerly of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, was a contemporary at Sandhurst of Capt Mark Phillips, the Princess Royal's former husband.
Her mother Annie was a captain in Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps.
Her sister Holly is also serving in Iraq but was at home on leave when she was told of the death.
Despite Army regulations banning women from fighting in infantry units, 2nd Lt Dyer essentially carved out a role that put her close to the heart of combat operations. The photograph released of the soldier shows her holding an SA80 assault rifle with laser sights, night vision goggles, the latest body armour and pouches stuffed with ammunition.
Friends within the battalion described her as a "genuinely selfless person" who "had a thirst for knowledge and really wanted to experience all she could". She also embraced every challenge, they added. The officer received a huge amount of mail from friends and always spoke with great pride about her family and boyfriend. "To those who she lived with, she will be remembered as the girl who could light up a room," her friends said. "Jo was a privilege to have known and we will sorely miss both her and her infectious smile."
Lt Col Mark Kenyon, the commanding officer of 2 Lancs, said: "From a very early stage it was evident that Jo was a talented and energetic officer who was determined to make the most of her deployment to Iraq. Her enthusiasm was boundless and her contribution to our operations, even within a few short weeks, was invaluable. We very quickly came to think of her as one of us."
In a statement released last night the family of Pte Smith, 19, said: "No amount of words can describe how much we are hurting.
"We keep thinking, hoping it's not real and at any moment we will wake up from this nightmare.
"Adam was the most wonderful and beautiful person anyone could wish to meet, he always had a smile on his face and loved life so much. Everyone loved him and he has left so many broken hearts behind him."
Military commanders were said to be reviewing tactics yesterday after the Warrior armoured vehicle, regarded as highly robust, was destroyed by the roadside bomb on Thursday morning.
There are several dozen Mastiff armoured trucks in southern Iraq that are more resilient against mines but do not have the firepower of Warriors.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=X2CGWEKDJVVSDQFIQMGCFF4AVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2007/04/07/wiraq07.xml
Prince mourns friend killed in Iraq
By Thomas Harding and Caroline Davies
Last Updated: 1:09am BST 07/04/2007
Prince William was last night mourning a "close friend" who was among four soldiers killed by a bomb in Basra.
Joanna Dyer, 24, a 2nd lieutenant, died alongside three other soldiers and a civilian interpreter when their Warrior armoured vehicle was destroyed by a "colossal" blast in southern Iraq.
The other troops were named by the Ministry of Defence yesterday as Cpl Kris O'Neill, 27, Pte Eleanor Dlugosz, 19 and Kingsman Adam Smith, also 19.
Passing out in the same company as Prince William in December after a year's officer training, 2nd Lt Dyer decided to deploy immediately to Iraq to gain operational experience.
Attached to the 2Bn the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, she quickly gained a reputation as a highly competent officer. From her time at Sandhurst she would have also known Prince Harry, who deploys to southern Iraq next month with the Blues and Royals.
In a statement released by Clarence House, Prince William said he was "deeply saddened to hear the tragic news of Joanna Dyer's death".
The statement added: "Jo was a close friend of his at Sandhurst and he is very much thinking of her family and friends right now and they will remain in his thoughts and prayers."
A few weeks before being killed, the Oxford graduate had telephoned her family to reassure them after a large bomb had detonated close by in Basra.
A relative said: "She told them, 'You might see it on TV but don't worry, I was not involved. I'm OK'.
"But tragically that's not the case now. She's not the first to die in Tony Blair's war and she won't be the last."
With a father and mother who had served in the Army and a sister in the Intelligence Corps, joining up would have been a natural step.
Her father, Lt Col Neil Dyer, formerly of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, was a contemporary at Sandhurst of Capt Mark Phillips, the Princess Royal's former husband.
Her mother Annie was a captain in Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps.
Her sister Holly is also serving in Iraq but was at home on leave when she was told of the death.
Despite Army regulations banning women from fighting in infantry units, 2nd Lt Dyer essentially carved out a role that put her close to the heart of combat operations. The photograph released of the soldier shows her holding an SA80 assault rifle with laser sights, night vision goggles, the latest body armour and pouches stuffed with ammunition.
Friends within the battalion described her as a "genuinely selfless person" who "had a thirst for knowledge and really wanted to experience all she could". She also embraced every challenge, they added. The officer received a huge amount of mail from friends and always spoke with great pride about her family and boyfriend. "To those who she lived with, she will be remembered as the girl who could light up a room," her friends said. "Jo was a privilege to have known and we will sorely miss both her and her infectious smile."
Lt Col Mark Kenyon, the commanding officer of 2 Lancs, said: "From a very early stage it was evident that Jo was a talented and energetic officer who was determined to make the most of her deployment to Iraq. Her enthusiasm was boundless and her contribution to our operations, even within a few short weeks, was invaluable. We very quickly came to think of her as one of us."
In a statement released last night the family of Pte Smith, 19, said: "No amount of words can describe how much we are hurting.
"We keep thinking, hoping it's not real and at any moment we will wake up from this nightmare.
"Adam was the most wonderful and beautiful person anyone could wish to meet, he always had a smile on his face and loved life so much. Everyone loved him and he has left so many broken hearts behind him."
Military commanders were said to be reviewing tactics yesterday after the Warrior armoured vehicle, regarded as highly robust, was destroyed by the roadside bomb on Thursday morning.
There are several dozen Mastiff armoured trucks in southern Iraq that are more resilient against mines but do not have the firepower of Warriors.
