Tribute to eight fallen soldiers as bodies are brought home
Birmingham soldier Joe Murphy, from Castle Bromwich, died while trying to save a comrade.
His dad, Brian, said: “He’s a hero and so are all the other lads.” His aunt, Annette Ryan, said: “He was too young. “There were three of them that were 18 and perhaps they shouldn’t have been there.”
The soldier, who served with the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, was carrying his wounded “battle buddy”, 20-year-old Daniel Simpson, from the scene of an earlier blast when they were both killed with a second explosion in Sangin, Helmand, on Friday. He was posted to Afghanistan just a month after his 18th birthday.
Walsall soldier, Corporal Jonathan Horne, aged 28, was also killed as he tried to help his wounded colleagues.
The dad-of-two, who was also a member of the Rifles and had served in Iraq and Kosovo, was described by his widow as “the most caring, thoughtful, funniest, loving and generous person I have ever known.”
Corporal Horne leaves behind Rachel, his children Frankie and Jessica, his parents and three brothers.
Three months ago he was back home when his wife, Rachel, gave birth to his second child, Jessica.
Rachel was at RAF Lynham, but Jonathan’s aunt, brother and friends, lined the route in Wootton Bassett.
Barbara Lowe, his aunt, travelled from Walsall in a car with a Union Flag bearing his name across the rear window. The 58-year-old said: “It’s great that so many people are turning out for our JJ. More than 50 of his friends have travelled down from Walsall and we all just want to be close to him.”
Friend Stewart Hartshorne took a day off work to see his friend return home. The 24-year-old from Walsall said: “JJ was just one of those people who could turn a dull moment into a bright spark. He was talking about joining the police so that he could be closer to his family. I went to his wedding and he had only spent a few weeks with Jessica.”
Rifleman William Aldridge, aged 18, from Bromyard, in Herefordshire, was the third Midland soldier to die over the weekend.
He was said to be “fiercely proud” of being one of the very youngest British soldiers in Helmand.
His mother, Lucy, described him as the “perfect” son.
Holding back tears yesterday, his aunt, Alison Aldridge, from Bristol, said she was proud of her nephew.
The 40-year-old arrived seven hours early in Wootton Bassett to set up a mini memorial for William with flowers and bunting.
She added: “My parents are at the base and I would have loved to have been there, but I have to be here for William and this is the next best thing.”
There were also dozens of floral tributes around the town’s official war memorial. One read: “Our dear magnificent boys, we will never repay the debt we owe you. A Wootton family.”
