Soldiers provide a lesson in military life

Corporal Simon Cook, 41, a member of the 5th Battalion Rifles, met everyone from the nursery to the sixth-form at Fulneck School yesterday as he told pupils about his life in the army which has spanned more than two decades. During his military career he has toured in Iraq, Basra, Bosnia and Northern Ireland and he is now preparing to go to Afghanistan.

He was accompanied yesterday by his Colour Serjeant, Wayne Edwards, 41,

Trevor Kernohan, Fulneck School’s principal, said: “As an outstanding school we like to give our pupils a fully-rounded experience, not just focus on excellent academic achievements.

“A number of our pupils come from military families so it’s great to have someone from the Army come into the school and talk about the life and sacrifices of forces personnel and their families.

“We are indebted to our troops for their hard work and commitment and are delighted that Cpl Cook and C/Sjt Edwards were able to visit. We wish them all them all the best in their forthcoming tour of duty.”

Cpl Cook’s visit also tied in with the school’s celebration of Remembrance and Armed Forces Day where they held a poetry competition inspired by military life.

He and C/Sjt Edwards presented the winners of the competition with a framed version of their poems.