Afghanistan deaths: ‘The Yorkshire soldier is unique; often outspoken but always determined’

FIVE of the soldiers involved in the Afghanistan explosion yesterday were from the 3rd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, an armoured infantry battalion equipped with the Warrior armoured vehicle.

The battalion, which also uses Bulldog vehicles, is based at Battlesbury Barracks, Warminster, Wiltshire, as part of 12 Mechanized Brigade.

The regiment is also known as The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment or The Dukes - named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who both served in and commanded the regiment.

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Its motto is “fortune favours the brave” and its Colonel in Chief is the Duke of York.

Its website states: “The high levels of protection, firepower, ground mobility and sustainability enjoyed by armoured infantry make them well suited to providing both shock action and the endurance element of any operational force.

“Warrior is armed with a 30mm Rarden Cannon, capable of engaging vehicle and dismounted targets out to 2000m. It carries a crew of 10 - driver, commander, gunner and seven infantry soldiers.”

Speaking before the battalion deployed, commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Zak Stenning said: “The troops have worked very hard over the past few months and they will be ready for this challenge.

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“The Yorkshire soldier is unique; he is resilient, often outspoken but always determined.”

The other soldier believed to have been killed in the blast is from the 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, which has the Queen as its Colonel in Chief.

The light-role infantry battalion made up of 600 servicemen and women is based at Somme Barracks in Catterick, north Yorkshire.

Their website said the battalion had been deployed to Canada most recently, and added: “In this role, the Battalion is equipped to deploy anywhere in the world to operate on foot, in vehicles or in helicopters.

“The last few months have been another busy period for everybody in the 1st Battalion.”

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