It is with deepest regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the deaths of Corporal Tom Gaden, Lance Corporal Paul Upton and Rifleman Jamie Gunn all of 1st Battalion The Rifles Regiment, in southern Afghanistan yesterday, Wednesday 25 February 2009.
The soldiers died from wounds sustained as a result of an enemy explosion during an escort patrol in Gereshk district, central Helmand province.
Corporal Tom Gaden, 1st Battalion The Rifles
Corporal Tom Gaden was killed in action on Wednesday 25 February 2009 when the vehicle in which he and two other Riflemen of his Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) were travelling was struck by an IED on the highway East of Gereshk. He was on patrol with his OMLT with whom he had been operating since January 2009.
Tom Gaden was born on 23 November 1984 in Taunton, attending Bishop Fox’s Community School. He took part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and had been a member of the Blackbrook Scout Troop.
He enlisted into the Army in Taunton and on completion of the Combat Infantryman’s Course at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick, was posted to the Second Battalion, the Light Infantry (2 LI, later to become 3 RIFLES)) on 25 November 2002.
He was promoted to Lance Corporal in 2005 and attended the Section Commanders' Battle course in the summer of 2006. His performance was remarked upon as the 'best of the 2 LI batch'.
He served on Op TELIC 2 (Iraq) and on peace keeping operations in Cyprus, joining the 2 LI Recce (Reconnaissance) Platoon where he was 'zealous and enthusiastic' by nature, earning the respect of his peers and becoming one of the most popular members of his platoon.
Corporal Gaden was posted to the First Battalion The Rifles (1 RIFLES) in February 2008, moving to E Company that April, and was immediately selected to attend the Close Quarter Battle Skills Course with a view to passing on these skills to the Company for the tour to Afghanistan.
However, he was almost immediately selected to deploy as a Section Commander to Um Qasr, Iraq, as part of the Battalion’s commitment to that operational theatre. He spent four months working with the Naval Transition Team before redeploying just after Christmas 2008 to rejoin his original team in a remote Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Helmand, Southern Afghanistan.
Corporal Gaden was a competent and assuredly professional operator, selected for the technically complex skills of Close Quarter Battle, then selected again to carry out a discrete and independent task for the Battalion.
He took these rapid changes in his stride, remaining resourceful and flexible to the operational requirements and always relishing the challenge. He thrived in Iraq and led his Section with skill and determination throughout that short tour.
On arrival in Afghanistan, he immediately involved himself in the small team environment in an isolated and austere FOB, as team 3ic (third in command), stepping up where necessary as second in command of the team.
Corporal Gaden was a Rifleman of the calibre that has shaped the Regiment’s reputation and the Battalion’s character and ethos. He was well known for his strong faith and deep sense of duty, which was reflected in his qualities as a commander and friend to those around him.
He was part of the future of this great organisation and his sacrifice will be felt by all Riflemen. Our sense of loss cannot match the sorrow and grief that is being felt by Corporal Gaden’s family, and his fiancée. Our prayers are with them at this time.
Once a Rifleman, always a Rifleman, 'Swift and Bold'
Lance Corporal Paul 'Uppers' Upton, 1st Battalion the Rifles
Acting Lance Corporal Paul Upton was killed in action when the vehicle in which he and two other Riflemen of his OMLT were travelling was struck by an IED the highway East of Gereshk on Wednesday 25 February 2009. He was on patrol with his OMLT with whom he had been operating since April 2008.
Paul Upton was born in Paderborn on 17 March 1977. He originally enlisted into the Army in Salisbury in August 1986. On completion of his Combat Infantryman’s course at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick he was posted to A Company, First Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (1 RGBW) on 24 February 1997.
He served in the Anti-Tank Platoon with a tour to Northern Ireland and exercises in Canada. Lance Corporal Upton left the army in 2000 to pursue other interests, although he was deployed as a reservist to Kosovo with the First Battalion the Princess’s of Wales Royal Regiment. He re-enlisted in December 2007 and was posted to E Company, First Battalion The Rifles (1 RIFLES) in April 2008, in time to commence Pre-Deployment Training for their operational tour in Afghanistan, alongside his brother Leon, a Serjeant in C Company of the same Battalion.
Lance Corporal Upton was thirty one years old. Mature and experienced, lance Corporal Upton immediately settled back into Regimental life. It was as if he had never been away and he clearly relished being back in the Battalion environment and back with many of his friends from his former Regiment.
His determined and friendly manner was evident in his energetic approach to all he did, and he took many of the younger Riflemen under his wing, offering advice, but never forcing it, and ‘digging out blind’ at all tasks. He led by example and encouraged others with boundless enthusiasm and a ready smile.
He was a clear candidate for the forthcoming Non-Commissioned Officer cadre and had already shown his ability and potential as an Acting Lance Corporal during the tour.
As a Mentor to the Afghan National Army, his patience and maturity shone through and he was a vital part of the mentoring effort.
This tragic loss will be felt sorely by all who knew him in the Battalion, and particularly by his team-mates. He was a constant presence and a rock for the team, bearing adversity and hardship with consummate ease and a constantly bright outlook on life, which was a bonus to all who knew him.
However, we feel most for the sorrow and grief of Paul’s parents Peter and Christine, his brother Leon, and his much loved son Jake. Our sense of loss is nothing compared to their grief and we are thinking and praying for them at this time.
Once a Rifleman, always a Rifleman, 'Swift and Bold'
Rifleman Jamie Gunn, 1st Battalion the Rifles
Rifleman Jamie Gunn was killed in action when the vehicle in which he and two other Riflemen of his OMLT were travelling was struck by an IED on the highway East of Gereshk on Wednesday 25 February 2009. He was on patrol with his Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team with whom he had been operating since April 2008.
Jamie Gunn was born on 4 August 1987 in Leamington Spa and grew up in Monmouth, Wales. He was selected as an apprentice for Land Rover before deciding that his future lay in the armed forces.
Soon after turning twenty, he enlisted into the Army in Hereford on 20 November 2007. Whilst waiting to start his basic training he worked long hours to get to the peak of physical fitness. He successfully completed his Combat Infantryman’s course at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick in May 2008, triumphing over an injury to reach the required standard.
On passing out from the Centre he was posted to ‘E’ Company (E Coy), First Battalion The Rifles (1 RIFLES), in Beachley, Gloucestershire. He was twenty-one years old.
As a new Rifleman in the newly formed Company, Rifleman Gunn settled in quickly to the hectic pace of Pre-Deployment Training, where his previous experience as a Land Rover mechanic was put to good use.
Practical with his hands and always keen to help, he was an asset to the team in making their life more comfortable when in the rough conditions of exercise and later on operations in Helmand, southern Afghanistan.
Careful in his choice of friends, he was a loyal and conscientious young man who was enthusiastic about his expectant career.
Predictably, he came out of his shell once the tour started in earnest, quickly establishing himself as a core member of his team and earning the respect of his commanders and fellow Riflemen alike.
Humorous, and at the centre of every banter session, he was clearly relishing his chosen profession, taking pride in his work and totally at ease in the harsh and austere working environment of these eight-man teams.
His valuable work with the soldiers of the Afghan National Army saw them develop noticeably over the months he acted as a Mentor.
He was an integral part of a small and tight knit team, forged by common experience and communal struggle. His loss drives a deep sadness into this team and he will be sorely missed by those who will continue the struggle.
Our pain does not compare to the grief of his parents, Janet and Mervyn, and his sister Jess; our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time.
Once a Rifleman, always a Rifleman, 'Swift and Bold'
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