British military fatalities in Iraq

OUR SOURCES Information on British fatalities is released by the Ministry of Defence In some cases additional information is included from other sources such as official reports or relatives UK casualties during war

The total number of UK troops killed in operations in Iraq has risen to 140 after the death of four soldiers killed by a roadside explosion near Basra in southern Iraq.

Of those who died, 108 are classed as having been killed after hostile action, while 32 have died from illness, non-combat injuries or accidents, or the cause of their death is still unknown.

Details of all the dead are below, listed in date order.

For a list of the 33 fatalities during the war itself, see the link in the box above.

APRIL 2007

• Four British soldiers were killed by a roadside explosion near Basra on 5 April.

They were named as: Second Lieutenant Joanna Yorke Dyer from the Intelligence Corps attached to the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment; Corporal Kris O'Neill and Private Eleanor Dlugosz from the Royal Army Medical Corps; and Kingsman Adam James Smith from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

A civilian translator also died in the bomb blast, which targeted a Warrior patrol. A fifth soldier was "very seriously injured".

UK soldiers killed in Iraq named

• Rifleman Aaron Lincoln , from the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, died on 2 April after he was wounded by small arms fire during a routine patrol in Basra in southern Iraq.

Rifleman Aaron Lincoln was killed while on patrol in southern Iraq

The Ministry of Defence said the serviceman was injured in the al-Ashar district.

He was taken to Basra Palace for treatment before being flown by helicopter to a field hospital at Basra Air Station but died later of his injuries.

UK soldier dies after patrol

Kingsman Wilson leaves behind a wife and son

• Kingsman Danny Wilson , from Chindit Company, 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died on 1 April after being wounded while on patrol in the al-Ashar area of Basra.

Kingsman Wilson, from Workington, Cumbria, was wounded as he checked the roadside ahead for explosive devices. He leaves behind a wife and son.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Kenyon MBE, said: "Selfless, committed and always ready to look on the bright side, he will be sorely missed."

Soldier dies after Iraq shooting

MARCH 2007

Private Wysoczan died in the UK after being injured in Iraq

• Private Johnathon Wysoczan from 4 Platoon, B Company, First Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, died in the UK on 4 March after being critically injured on patrol in Iraq.

Pte Wysoczan, 21, from Biddulph, Stoke-on-Trent, was wounded after being hit by a single round in south Basra.

Major Dominic Rutherford said: "He was a very confident soldier, indeed the very first time I met him he jumped in before I could call him by his name and told me how to pronounce it or to call him A-Z as it was easier."

UK soldier dies from Iraq wounds

FEBRUARY 2007

Rifleman Coffey's patrol was ambushed in Basra

• Rifleman Daniel Coffey of the 2nd Battalion The Rifles - formerly 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets - died in hospital on 28 February, a day after being injured in an attack in Basra.

The 21-year-old was returning to his base after taking part in a task mentoring the Iraqi Police Service, when his patrol was ambushed by two gunmen.

Lt Col Justin Maciejewski, commanding officer 2nd Battalion, the Rifles said: "As the first soldier of the Rifles to be killed in action, Rifleman Coffey occupies a unique place in our Regimental story. In death he is a shining example."

MoD names soldier killed in Iraq attack

Private Simpson was driving a vehicle on a patrol

• Private Luke Simpson , from the 1st Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, was killed in a roadside bomb attack on 9 February about five miles outside of Basra.

The 21-year-old from Howden, East Yorks, was returning to his base from a routine patrol when the device detonated close to the vehicle he was driving.

His commanding officer, Lt Col Andrew Jackson, said Private Simpson stood out as a young soldier with the highest personal and professional credentials.

"He had the potential to go far and his dedication to duty, personal pride in soldiering and selfless commitment to his comrades is an inspiration to us all," he said.

Bomb attack soldier is named

Lt Bracho-Cooke was due to be married in August

• Second Lt Jonathan Carlos Bracho-Cooke from the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment was killed in the southern part of Basra on 5 February.

The patrol in which he was travelling was hit by a roadside bomb which also wounded a number of Iraqi civilians near the US consulate in the city.

Second Lieutenant Bracho-Cooke, 24, from Hove, East Sussex, was described by his commanding officer as "bright, enthusiastic and charismatic".

The "promising" young officer was due to marry his fiancee Laura in a wedding planned for August, a eulogy released by the Ministry of Defence said.

Officer killed in Basra named

JANUARY 2007

Private Tench was described as being full of "promise"

• Private Michael Tench , 18, from A Company, 2nd Battalion The Light Infantry, was killed in the northern part of Basra on 21 January after the patrol vehicle he was travelling in was hit by a roadside bomb.

Private Tench, who was from Sunderland, was described by the MoD as a "young man with so much promise".

Soldier killed in roadside bomb

• Kingsman Alexander Green , from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died after being shot by small arms fire whilst on a task in the Hayy Al Muhandisn District of Basra City.

Kingsman Green described as "all that a kingsman could hope to be"

Kingsman Green, 21, from Warrington, had already been identified by his colleagues and commanders as a professional soldier with real leadership and command potential.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Hutchinson described him as an "inspiration".

"If you could capture in one man all that a Kingsman could hope to be, you would struggle to come closer to the mark than him", he said.

He leaves behind a two-year-old son.

MoD names two dead servicemen

Sgt Rees had been in the Army for 16 years

• Sergeant Wayne Rees , from the 19 Light Brigade, the Queen's Royal Lancers, was killed in a road crash while on patrol in the Maysan province of southern Iraq.

The 36-year-old, from Nottingham, was a loving family man with a mischievous wit, colleagues said.

His squadron leader, Major Martin Todd, said the regiment had lost not only a charismatic and wholly professional soldier but also one of its most ebullient and best loved characters.

He was engaged and had an 11-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son.

Iraq death crash sergeant named

DECEMBER 2006

• Sergeant Graham Hesketh , from the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was killed by a roadside bomb while taking part in a routine patrol in Basra City in southern Iraq.

The Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle which he was travelling in was targeted by a roadside bomb.

The 35-year-old, born in Liverpool and who grew up in Runcorn, Cheshire, had a fiancee who is a soldier also serving in Iraq.

He had a seven-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.

British soldier is killed in Iraq

NOVEMBER 2006

Staff Sgt Elliott is only the second British servicewoman to die

• Sergeant Jonathan Hollingsworth , of the Parachute Regiment was shot during a "search and detention" operation in Basra. He was taken to a nearby military hospital, where he died from his injuries.

• Four British service personnel were killed following an attack on a boat patrol in southern Iraq on 12 November.

They were named as: Warrant Officer Lee Hopkins , 35, of the Royal Corps of Signals; Staff Sergeant Sharron Elliott , 34, of the Intelligence Corps; Corporal Ben Nowak , 27, of 45 Commando Royal Marines; and Marine Jason Hylton , 33, of 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines.

A further three suffered serious injuries in the attack on the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra.

Soldier killed in Iraq raid named

Iraq boat attack personnel named

Kingsman Jamie Hancock was shot while on sentry duty

• Kingsman Jamie Hancock , 19, of the 2nd Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died after coming under attack from small arms fire while on sentry duty on 6 November 2006.

The incident took place at the Old State Building, a coalition forces base in central Basra City.

Kingsman Hancock, who lived with his soldier brother near Wigan, Greater Manchester, was deployed to Iraq on 21 October after volunteering for a six-month tour of the country.

His company commander, Major Chris Job, described him as an "energetic and enthusiastic individual who lived for the Army and had a very promising career ahead of him".

British soldier killed in Basra

OCTOBER 2006

Lieutenant Tom Tanswell joined the army in 2004

• Lieutenant Tom Tanswell , 27, of 58 Battery 12 Regiment Royal Artillery, was killed in a road accident just outside Shaibah Logistics Base near the city of Basra, southern Iraq, on 27 October 2006.

The Londoner joined the Army in 2004 after gaining a degree in management and marketing from the University of Manchester, and working as the area manager for a major supermarket group.

In Iraq, he was a multiple commander, responsible for 12 men, manning three vehicles. The MoD said he often escorted Danish Military Police and reconstruction teams and was well-liked by his peers.

His commanding officer in Iraq, Major Marcus Tivey, said: "He was leading from the front when he was killed, which typified the way he conducted himself.

"Prior to deploying to Iraq Tom had been praised by his superiors on numerous exercises, and while on operations he had made his mark as a rising star."

UK soldier dies in Iraq accident

L/Cpl Dennis Brady died after a mortar attack on a base

• Lance Corporal Dennis Brady was hit in an "indirect fire attack" at the Shatt Al-Arab Hotel after mortars landed inside the UK base in Basra, southern Iraq, on 1 October.

The 37-year-old, from Cumbria, was a regular reservist from the Royal Army Medical Corps, attached to the 1st Battalion of the Light Infantry.

L/Cpl Brady grew up in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, where he lived with his wife, Zoe.

He left the regular Army in 2004 and worked as a firefighter before volunteering to return to the military as a reservist.

His commanding officer, Lt Col Johnny Bowron, said: "His loss will be keenly felt, and the battalion has lost a trusted member and a real friend."

MoD names soldier killed in Basra

SEPTEMBER 2006

Gunner Lee Thornton died after being shot

• Gunner Lee Thornton died on 7 September from injuries sustained in a shooting two days earlier at Al-Qurna, north of Basra.

He was transferred to a military hospital in Germany but his injuries were too severe to survive, the Ministry of Defence said.

He was serving with 58 Battery, 12 Regiment Royal Artillery.

Family friend Jim Radcliffe described Gunner Thornton, who was engaged to be married, as a man "full of life and energy".

Soldier killed in Iraq named

• Gunner Stephen Wright and Gunner Samuela Vanua died in a roadside explosion near Ad Dayr, north of Basra, on 4 September. Both were members of 12 Regiment Royal Artillery.

Gunner Wright, 20, from Leyland in Lancashire, had joined the Army aged 16 after four years as a cadet.

His commanding officer said Gunner Wright had "very much come of age in Iraq".

Lt Col Jon Campbell said: "I was struck by Gunner Wright's confidence, growing maturity and belief in himself."

Gunners Stephen Wright and Samuela Vanua were killed by a roadside bomb

Col Campbell said he got to know Gunner Vanua, a 27-year-old Fijian, in July when they had been on patrol together.

"I was impressed by his excellent attitude, infectious cheerfulness, conduct and confidence," he said.

Family tributes to gunner

MoD names killed gunner

AUGUST 2006

Cpl Cornish died after a mortar attack on a base

• Corporal Matthew Cornish , 29, of the 1st Battalion The Light Infantry, died after a mortar attack on a Basra base in the early hours of Tuesday, 1 August.

The father-of-two from Yorkshire was the first soldier killed in an attack on a UK military base in Iraq.

The Ministry of Defence said his deployments included Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone and Iraq in 2003 and 2004.

"Matthew was a great soldier, a fine friend and a marvellous husband and father," said his Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Bowron.

Soldier dies after base attacked

JULY 2006

Cpl John Cosby died as a result of gunshot wounds

• Corporal John Cosby , 27, of the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, died after sustaining serious wounds in a firefight after troops were sent to capture suspected insurgents in Garmat Ali, north of Basra, on Saturday, 15 July. Another soldier was slightly wounded during the exchange of fire.

Cpl Cosby, who was known as George to his friends, was born in Belfast and lived there until he was seven when he moved to Exeter with his family.

The MoD said the soldier's "experience, enthusiasm and style" during his time in Iraq had made him an obvious choice to be made a team leader in the Brigade Surveillance Company.

Soldier killed in Basra clash

MAY 2006

Lt Mildinhall (L) and L/Cpl Farrelly died after an attack in Basra

• Lieutenant Tom Mildinhall , 26, and Lance Corporal Paul Farrelly , 27, both of the 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Cavalry), were killed when a Land Rover they were travelling in as part of a routine patrol was hit by a roadside bomb in north west Basra on 28 May.

Lt Mildinhall, from south London, had a younger brother at university and was the son of a retired army officer. He completed his training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in April 2004 and was described as "thoroughly capable" by his commanding officer.

L/Cpl Farrelly, known as "Fas", from Rhyl in Wales, was married and had three young children. Judged top recruit during basic training at the Army Training Regiment in Winchester, he was described as "knowledgeable, quick-thinking and tough".

Two UK soldiers killed in Basra

Pte Adam Morris (L) and Joseva Lewaicei were killed near Basra

• Private Joseva Lewaicei , 25, and Private Adam Morris , 19, from the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, were killed in a roadside bomb explosion just outside the southern city of Basra on 13 May.

Pte Lewaicei, a father of one who was born and grew up in Fiji, was described as a "universally popular" character. Private Morris, who was single and lived with his mother in Leicester, was said to have had a "fine career ahead of him".

Dead British soldiers are named

Wing Commander John Coxen

• Five British troops were killed in a helicopter crash in Basra on 6 May.

They were named as: Wing Commander John Coxen , the most senior British officer killed in Iraq, who was 46 and based at RAF Benson; Flight Lieutenant Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill , 32, who was the first female member of British forces killed in action in Iraq and was also based at RAF Benson; Lieutenant Commander Darren Chapman , a 40-year-old father of three, of 847 Naval Air Squadron in Yeovilton; Captain David Dobson , 27, of 847 Naval Air Squadron; and Marine Paul Collins , 21, of 847 Naval Air Squadron.

Flt Lt Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill

Defence Secretary Des Browne said the causes of the crash remained unclear but offered his "heartfelt sympathies" to the families of those who had died.

Basra crash victims named by MoD

APRIL 2006

Lt Richard Palmer was said to be a "star of the future"

• Lieutenant Richard Palmer , of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, died after the vehicle he was commanding was caught in a roadside explosion near Ad Dayr, north-west of Basra, on 15 April.

Lt Palmer, 27, from Ware, Hertfordshire, was "widely regarded by soldier and officer alike as a star of the future," said his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Edwards.

UK soldier killed in Iraq named

FEBRUARY 2006

Pte Ellis died in the attack, which also left one soldier injured

• Captain Richard Holmes and Private Lee Ellis , both from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and attached to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, died in an attack on the outskirts of Amara, in southern Iraq, on 28 February.

They were part of a routine patrol that was targeted by a roadside bomb.

The soldiers' commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Chiswell, described Cpt Holmes as "charming, compassionate and bright" and one of the Parachute Regiment's "rising stars". He said Pte Ellis was "bright, enthusiastic and immensely popular" and "displayed all the qualities of a first class paratrooper".

Troops killed in Iraq blast named

Trooper Smith's family were "immensely proud of him"

• Trooper Carl Smith , 23, from the 9th/12th Lancers, died after a crash on the outskirts of Basra in southern Iraq on 2 February. He had only been on duty in Iraq for 11 days.

Crash soldier was 'new to Iraq'

JANUARY 2006

Tony Blair met Cpl Pritchard on a visit to Iraq in December 2005

• On 31 January Corporal Gordon Pritchard of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards became the 100th British soldier to die on Iraq-related operations. The 31-year-old died as a result of injuries from a blast in Umm Qasr, Basra province. A number of other personnel were injured in the same incident.

Cpl Pritchard's parents said in a statement that he was "the epitome of a modern, professional soldier" who was "extremely proud" of his regiment.

Funeral for 100th conflict death

UK forces suffer 100th Iraq death

• Lance Corporal Allan Douglas of the 7th Armoured Brigade, serving with the 1st Battalion The Highlanders, was killed by small arms fire while on patrol in Maysan province, southern Iraq, on 30 January. No other UK personnel were injured in the incident.

British soldier shot dead in Iraq

NOVEMBER 2005

Sgt Jones was described as a "fantastic dad"

• Sergeant John Jones , 31, from Birmingham, who served with the 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was killed in a roadside bomb attack on 20 November in Basra while on routine patrol. Four other soldiers were injured, one seriously.

Tributes to Iraq blast sergeant

OCTOBER 2005

Sgt Hickey, killed by a roadside bomb

• Sergeant Christian Hickey , 30, of the 1st Battalion The Coldstream Guards, was killed on 18 October by a roadside bomb in Basra while on a routine patrol.

UK soldier killed in Basra named

• The senior military police investigator in Iraq, Captain Ken Masters , 40, was found dead at the British base in Basra on 15 October in circumstances the Ministry of Defence said were not regarded as suspicious. Capt Masters had served with the Royal Military Police since 1981.

Military police chief found dead

SEPTEMBER 2005

• Major Matthew Bacon was killed in an attack in Basra, in southern Iraq, on 11 September when a roadside bomb struck the armoured vehicle he was travelling in.

Maj Bacon, 34, from London, was serving in Iraq with the Headquarters Multi National Division South East.

MoD names soldier killed in Iraq

Fusiliers Manning (L) and Meade died in a roadside bombing

• Fusilier Donal Meade , 20, from Plumstead in south east London, and Fusilier Stephen Manning , 22, from Erith in Kent, were killed by a roadside bomb on 5 September.

The men were from the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, which is based in Lisburn, Northern Ireland.

They had been travelling in a convoy which was hit about five miles east of Shaibah airbase, in Basra province.

UK soldiers killed in Iraq named

JULY 2005

Phillip Hewitt, Leon Spicer, and Richard Shearer

• Second Lieutenant Richard Shearer , 26, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Private Leon Spicer , also 26, and Private Phillip Hewett , 21, both from Tamworth, Staffordshire, died in a roadside bomb blast in Amara, north of Basra, on 16 July.

The troops were patrolling in the central Risaala district when the device was detonated.

All three came from the 1st Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment, based at Tidworth in Wiltshire.

Soldier's mother criticises MoD

JUNE 2005 CASUALTIES

Signaller Didsbury was described as "outgoing and irrepressibly cheerful"

• Signaller Paul Didsbury , 18, of the Royal Signals, died in a shooting accident on 29 June at Basra airport base, southern Iraq.

It is understood he accidentally discharged his own weapon. Signaller Didsbury, from Blackpool in Lancashire, was serving with the 21st Signal Regiment (Air Support).

Soldier dies in 'tragic' accident

MAY 2005

• Lance Corporal Alan Brackenbury , 21, died when a military convoy he was travelling in was hit by an explosion in Amara, north of Basra, on 29 May. Iraqi police said the explosion was caused by a roadside bomb.

The soldier, from East Yorkshire, was serving with the King's Royal Hussars.

Soldiers mourn Iraq blast victim

• Guardsman Anthony Wakefield , a 24-year-old Coldstream Guard, from the 12th Mechanised Brigade, died on 2 May from injuries sustained when a roadside bomb exploded in Amara the day before.

The married father-of-three from Newcastle was on patrol in a two-vehicle convoy when it was attacked.

UK soldier's body returned home

MARCH 2005

• Private Mark Dobson , 41, from County Durham, who served with the Tyne-Tees Regiment, was found dead in his accommodation at Basra air station. His death is not thought to be a result of hostile action.

JANUARY 2005

• On Sunday 30 January 10 servicemen were killed when an RAF Hercules transport aircraft crashed around 18.5 miles (30km) north west of Baghdad on a flight from the Iraqi capital to Balad airbase. It was the largest single loss of life suffered by the British military in Iraq since operations began in 2003.

Flt Lt Paul Pardoel was on board the crashed Hercules

The dead were named as: Squadron Leader Patrick Marshall, 39, a staff officer with Headquarters Strike Command based at High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, who was on temporary detachment to Iraq; Flight Lieutenant David Stead , 35, a pilot with 47 Squadron based at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire; Flight Lieutenant Andrew Smith , 25, a pilot with 47 Squadron; Flight Lieutenant Paul Pardoel , 35, a pilot with 47 Squadron; Master Engineer Gary Nicholson , 42, who served with 47 Squadron; Chief Technician Richard Brown , 40, who served with 47 Squadron; Flight Sergeant Mark Gibson , 34, who served with 47 Squadron; Sergeant Robert O'Connor , 38, who served with 47 Squadron; Corporal David Williams , 37, who served with 47 Squadron; and Acting Lance Corporal Steven Jones , 25, a soldier with the Royal Signals.

A Board of Inquiry has said the cause of the crash is likely to be enemy fire, which caused an explosion in the right wing fuel tank. Investigators said the aircraft was vulnerable to fire from the ground as it was flying low in daylight.

Service honours Iraq crash dead

Profiles of Hercules crash dead

Ten feared dead in Hercules crash

DECEMBER 2004

• Sergeant Paul Connolly , 33, who served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, was found dead with a gunshot wound at Shaibah Logistic Base, south west of Basra, on 26 December. The death of Sgt Connolly, from Crawley in West Sussex, is not thought to be a result of "hostile action".

Inquiry into UK soldier's death

NOVEMBER 2004

• Private Pita Tukatukawaqa , 27, a Fijian serving with the Black Watch, died when a roadside bomb hit his Warrior armoured vehicle near Camp Dogwood on 8 November.

MoD names soldier killed in Iraq

• Three Black Watch troops from Fife in Scotland -Sergeant Stuart Gray , 31; Private Paul Lowe , 19; and Private Scott McArdle , 22 - were killed while operating a vehicle checkpoint near Camp Dogwood on 5 November. A suicide bomber drove at the soldiers and detonated his device, and the unit then came under mortar fire. A civilian interpreter, who was not named, was also killed.

Blair tribute to Black Watch dead

OCTOBER 2004

• Staff Sergeant Denise Rose , 34, from Liverpool, of the Royal Military Police's Special Investigation Branch, was found dead from a gunshot at the Army base in the Shatt-al-Arab Hotel in Basra on 31 October. The first death of a female soldier from the UK in Iraq since operations began was not believed to be the result of "hostile action".

Family devastated by Iraq death

• A Black Watch soldier, Private Kevin McHale , 27, from Fife, was killed on 29 October when his Warrior armoured vehicle overturned after the bridge it was crossing collapsed. The MoD said the death was not believed to be the result of "hostile action". Three other soldiers were injured.

Service honours Scottish soldier

SEPTEMBER 2004

Cpl Marc Taylor died in an ambush near Basra in September

• Corporal Marc Taylor , 27, from Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, serving with the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, and Gunner David Lawrence , 25, from Walsall in the West Midlands, of the Royal Artillery, died after a convoy was ambushed south-west of Basra on 28 September.

MoD names second killed soldier

• Fusilier Stephen Jones , 22, from Denbeigh, serving with the Royal Welch Fusiliers, died in a road traffic accident near Amara on 10 September.

Soldier killed in Iraq road crash

AUGUST 2004

• Lance Corporal Paul Thomas , 29, from Welshpool in Powys, serving with 2nd Battalion The Light Infantry, was killed in a gunfight with insurgents in Basra on 17 August.

Inquest into Iraq soldier death

• On 12 August, Private Marc Ferns , 21, from Glenrothes in Fife, died after an improvised bomb attack in the southern city of Basra. He was on his second tour of duty with the Black Watch regiment.

Hundreds attend soldier's funeral

'Troops out of Iraq' says mother

Pte Lee O'Callaghan was killed during an attack by insurgents

• Private Lee O'Callaghan , 20, from London, of the 1st Battalion Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment, was killed in Basra during an attack by insurgents on 9 August.

• On 4 August, Private Christopher Rayment , 22, was killed at Amara in what the MoD said was a "tragic accident". He came from London and was serving with the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment.

JULY 2004

• Flight Lieutenant Kristian Gover was killed in a helicopter accident at Basra International Airport on 19 July. Aged 30, he was a Puma helicopter pilot serving with 33 Squadron, based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire.

JUNE 2004

• Fusilier Gordon Gentle , 19, of the 1st Battalion Royal Highland Fusiliers was killed and two other soldiers injured when a roadside bomb went off next to their convoy in Basra on 28 June.

Soldier death charges considered

Mother suffers heavy election defeat

FEBRUARY 2004

• On 12 February, Corporal Richard Ivell , 29, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, was killed in a vehicle accident at Shaibah Logistics Base. Cpl Ivell was from near Doncaster in South Yorkshire.

UK soldier dies in Iraq accident

JANUARY 2004

• A "tragic accident" claimed the life of Sapper Robert Thomson , 22, from West Lothian, in Basra on 31 January.

Final farewell to Scots soldier

• Rifleman Vincent Windsor , 23, from Oxfordshire, serving with the Royal Green Jackets, died in a road accident at Amara on 21 January.

L/Cpl Craw died at a training range near Basra

• Lance Corporal Andrew Craw , 21, of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, died on 7 January as the result of what the MoD said was a "tragic incident" on a training range near Basra. He was from Clackmannanshire.

Tributes to Iraq death soldier

• A road accident in Baghdad on 1 January 2004 left two British soldiers dead. They were Major James Stenner , 30, from Monmouthshire, of the Welsh Guards, and Sergeant Norman Patterson , 28, from Staffordshire, of the Cheshire Regiment, although both were understood by the BBC to be serving with the SAS when they died.

SAS men die in Baghdad car crash

NOVEMBER 2003

• On 6 November, Private Ryan Thomas , 18, of the Royal Regiment of Wales, was killed in a road accident in Basra. Pte Thomas was from Resolven, near Neath, in Glamorgan.

Welsh soldier, 18, killed in Iraq

OCTOBER 2003

• Corporal Ian Plank , a 31-year-old from Poole in Dorset serving with the Royal Marines, was killed by "hostile fire" during an operation on 31 October.

British marine dies in Iraq clash

SEPTEMBER 2003

• Sergeant John Nightingale , a Territorial Army soldier, of 217 Transport Squadron, died in an incident on 23 September while serving at Shaibah, near Basra. The MoD said the death of the 32-year-old from Leeds, which is under investigation, involved a firearm but was not the result of enemy action.

UK soldier dies in Iraq

AUGUST 2003

• Fusilier Russell Beeston , a Territorial Army soldier in the 52nd Lowland Regiment, was killed on 27 August after a crowd surrounded his patrol vehicle in Ali As Sharqi, southern Iraq, and opened fire with guns and rocket-propelled grenades. He was 26 and from Govan.

Funeral of Scots TA soldier held

• Three soldiers from the Royal Military Police were killed driving in central Basra on 23 August when a group of men in a truck drew up alongside and opened fire with what witnesses said were machine guns. The dead were named as: Major Matthew Titchener , 32, from Southport on Merseyside, the commanding officer of 150 Provost Company, Royal Military Police;Company Sergeant Major Colin Wall , 34, from Crawleyside, County Durham; and Corporal Dewi Pritchard , 35, a Territorial Army soldier from Bridgend in Wales.

Iraq attack survivor speaks out

Wife pays tribute to dead soldier

UK military police killed in Basra

• On 14 August, Captain David Jones , 29, from Louth in Lincolnshire and serving with the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, was killed during a bomb attack on a military ambulance in Basra that was delivering humanitarian aid. Two other soldiers were injured in the incident.

Tributes to soldier killed in Iraq

• A Territorial Army soldier, Private Jason Smith , from Hawick in Roxburghshire, of 52nd Lowland Regiment, died on 13 August in southern Iraq. A coroner said the 32-year-old soldier died of heat exhaustion after his body temperature soared to 41.1C (106F).

JULY 2003

• Captain James Linton , 43, of 40 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, collapsed and died on 18 July after a training run at a military base in Az Zubayr, southern Iraq.

JUNE 2003

Sgt Hamilton-Jewell died in an attack on a police station

• Six Royal Military Police soldiers were killed at a civilian police station in Al Majar al-Kabir, near Basra, on 24 June. They were: Sergeant Simon Alexander Hamilton-Jewell , 41, from Chessington in Surrey; Corporal Russell Aston , 30, from Swadlincote, Derbyshire; Corporal Paul Long , 24, from Colchester in Essex; Corporal Simon Miller , 21, from Washington in Tyne and Wear; Lance-Corporal Benjamin Hyde , 23, from Northallerton in Yorkshire; and Lance-Corporal Thomas Keys , 20, from near Bala in Gwynedd.

Inquiry call over Red Cap deaths

Red Caps vanished in confusion

British military police killed in Iraq

MAY 2003

• Leonard Harvey , 55, from Wattisham in Suffolk, a civilian member of the Defence Fire Service, died in a UK hospital on 22 May after falling ill in the Gulf.

• On 19 May, Corporal David Shepherd , 34, an RAF policeman, died in Kuwait, believed to be from natural causes.

• Gunner Duncan Pritchard , 22, serving with the RAF Regiment, died in hospital in the UK on 8 May, following injuries sustained in a traffic accident in Iraq.

• On 6 May, Private Andrew Kelly , 18, from Tavistock in Devon and serving with the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, died in a shooting accident at his barracks near Basra.

Military funeral for young soldier

Acting Chief Petty Officer Simon Owen , 38, who was not assigned to operations connected with Iraq, died of natural causes aboard HMS Chatham in the Gulf in December 2004.

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