This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7534801.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| MoD names dead UK Afghan soldier | MoD names dead UK Afghan soldier |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The British soldier killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday has been named as Private Peter Cowton, 25, from Basingstoke, Hampshire. | The British soldier killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday has been named as Private Peter Cowton, 25, from Basingstoke, Hampshire. |
| Private Cowton, who was from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, died during a routine patrol that clashed with Taleban fighters. | Private Cowton, who was from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, died during a routine patrol that clashed with Taleban fighters. |
| He was seriously injured in an explosion and died as he was flown out for medical treatment. | He was seriously injured in an explosion and died as he was flown out for medical treatment. |
| His parents said: "Peter was proud to serve his country." | His parents said: "Peter was proud to serve his country." |
| Private Cowton was the 114th British serviceman to be killed in Afghanistan since operations began in November 2001. | |
| His parents, Karen and Robin Rolfe, said their son had already served in Iraq as part of the Territorial Army. | |
| "He was so proud to be a Paratrooper as we, his parents, and family were. | |
| 'Remarkable man' | |
| "His short regular Army career will not be forgotten, and his 'maroon beret' will have loving memories in our home. We are so proud of you," his parents said. | |
| Commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Joe O'Sullivan said Pte Cowton was the seventh member of the Battalion, and the 10th member of 2 Para Battle Group, to be killed this summer. | |
| "Pte Cowton, like those we already mourn, was a remarkable man because he knew, as every member of the battle group knows, what he was risking and yet he chose to face a dangerous enemy in a harsh environment and to do so every day for his friends, his regiment and his country," Lt O'Sullivan said. | |
| Pte Cowton joined the Territorial Army in January 2004 and after two spells in Iraq became a regular soldier last year. | |
| He had been in Afghanistan since March. |