100th UK soldier to die in Afghanistan repatriated

L/Cpl Adam Drane had been in Afghanistan for two months

The body of the 100th British serviceman to die in Afghanistan this year has been returned to the UK.

L/Cpl Adam Drane, 23, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, was shot in Helmand province on 7 December.

His body was flown into RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.

His parents, Desmond and Jackie Drane, said no words could describe their loss but spoke of their "tremendous pride" in their son's achievements.

After a private ceremony, a hearse carrying his Union Jack-draped coffin was set to pass along the high street of Wootton Bassett.

L/Cpl Drane had been in Afghanistan for about two months as commander of a four-man fire team attached to the Grenadier Guards Battle Group.

His parents said in a statement: "We wish also to honour his chosen profession, which taught him the true meaning of courage and self-sacrifice.

"In the course of his duties, Lance Corporal Adam Drane died at his post, protecting his Company, in the service of his country."

Private Jason Field, a fellow member of C (Essex) Company of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, said: "L/Cpl Drane was the kindest, most loving man I knew.

"This was most apparent when he talked about his fiancee. He loved her so much. She was the first and last person on his mind and I have never met anyone who loved someone as much as he did."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version