belfasttelegraph

Monday 20 May 2013

Soldiers' bodies are flown home

The repatriation ceremony of Ranger David Dalzell, of 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment
The repatriation ceremony of Warrant Officer Class 2 (Company Sergeant Major) Colin Beckett of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment

Family and friends of two soldiers killed in Afghanistan clutched flowers and wept as their loved ones were returned home.

The bodies of Ranger David Dalzell, 20, of the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, and Warrant Officer Class 2 (Company Sergeant Major) Colin Beckett, 36, of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, were flown into RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire then passed through the nearby town of Wootton Bassett.

Ranger Dalzell, from Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland, was killed last Friday in an "operational accident" in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province.

CSM Beckett, from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, was killed the next day by a roadside bomb. There have been claims that Ranger Dalzell may have been accidentally shot by a colleague as they cleaned their rifles.

His bereaved relatives have said: "David died after being accidentally shot by another soldier, having returned to base from a patrol. We do not know exactly what happened, just that our son was fatally wounded.

"As well as our huge loss which has devastated the family, the other soldier must also be suffering and our thoughts are with him as well. We have been told there is an investigation by the army's Special Investigation Branch (SIB) under way and we hope to learn more from that."

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has refused to be drawn on the circumstances surrounding the death and a spokeswoman said details of the accident would be heard during an inquest.

WO2 Beckett, who was known as Tom, was attempting to secure an area in Shaheed, a village on the Nahr-e-Bughra canal, when he was caught in a roadside bomb. His wife Rachel is expecting their first child later this month.

He joined the Army more than 20 years ago and had been on deployments to Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and three tours of Afghanistan.

Mrs Beckett has said: "Anyone whoever met or knew Colin 'Tom' would have been touched by him in a big way and he will never be forgotten. He was a fantastic soldier, a great son, a good brother and friend and a truly special husband. My bestest friend, my soul mate, my absolute world. We love him and shall miss him so very much. May his love for life, strength, humour and strong character, live on forever in his baby girl Freya."

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