Twin soldiers reunited on slopes

The pair were reunited at the championships held at the French ski resort of Les Contamines de Montjoie, near Mont Blanc. Photo: Sergeant Anthony Boocock

Identical twin soldiers separated for a year while on tours of Afghanistan and Iraq have been reunited unexpectedly at an Army skiing competition.

Jonathan Gouldsmith from Haverfordwest said he had no idea brother Christopher would be in the French Alps.

They had not seen each other since embarking on their separate tours.

Jonathan, who served for six months in Afghanistan, said: "I arrived here in France and just bumped into Chris. I was shocked, I couldn't believe it."

The 21-year-olds had both turned up for Exercise Pipedown, the ski championships for British soldiers based in Germany and the UK.

Christopher, a lance corporal with 21 Engineer Regiment, is based at Ripon, while Jonathan is based in Germany with 2 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

Christopher, who returned from Iraq last summer, said: "I found out a while back that Jonathan would be here but I kept it to myself, I didn't tell anyone, not even our parents.

"I started Nordic skiing three years ago on an Army skiing course and came close to being selected for the British Championships.

"As a result Jonathan decided to take skiing up to prove that he could be as good as me, but this is the first time that we have competed against each other.

"One of the main reasons why we both joined the Army was to have the chance to travel and try new things."