Pregnant widow says farewell
to heroic ‘man of my dreams’

JUST over a year ago, Sergeant Lee Davidson and his wife Samantha were looking forward to their life together after marrying in their Yorkshire home town.

The couple already had two sons, and were expecting their first daughter when Sgt Davidson, 32, was killed while serving with The Light Dragoons in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, Mrs Davidson returned to St Nicholas Church in Thorne, near Doncaster, where the vicar who officiated at her wedding, Rev David Green, led her husband’s funeral.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hundreds of mourners both inside and outside the church heard a recording made by Mrs Davidson of a letter she had written to her husband shortly after hearing he had died.

The service was relayed to people outside the church via loudspeakers.

Sgt Davidson’s widow, who is about seven months’ pregnant, said he was “the man of her dreams” and said she knew she would marry him almost as soon as she met him.

She added: “I promise to keep your memory alive. I love you Lee. We all love you. We had five-and-a-half years of great fun, love and memories and I will tell our children all of them.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“One day we will meet again. Until we do, I’m never letting you go. Love you always and forever.”

In a letter written before his death, Sgt Davidson spoke of his pride in his sons and wife and called on everyone who knew him to “from time to time, have a pint for me”.

One of Sgt Davidson’s close friends, James Walker, read out the letter during the service, after the soldier left instructions for it to be used if he should be killed in action.

The letter, which also contained messages for other family members including his grandmother, said: “If a vicar or one of my friends is reading this, all I can say is ‘Whoops, that wasn’t supposed to happen’.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He also left messages for his wife and sons, which said: “Jayden and Jamie, you boys have been my world since you were born and I will miss everything about you.”

Writing to his wife Samantha, the soldier added: “Thanks for being my rock, best friend, lover, therapist, mother and wife. I will miss you the most and I leave everything I own to you. Thank you for every day making me the happiest man alive. I love you.”

Sgt Davison was patrolling with the Afghan Uniformed Police in the Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand Province on September 9, when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. He became the 427th member of the UK’s forces to have died in Afghanistan since October 2001.

Major John Godfrey, of the Light Dragoons, who led the tributes during the service, said: “He truly was one of the highest regarded soldiers in the regiment. He was an optimist, he always gave his best and was an inspiration to many. It’s a terribly sad day.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Rev Green added: “There’s a mixture of emotions. There is the sadness of saying goodbye, but also the good memories his wife and family have of Lee.”

As the funeral cortege left the church, Royal British Legion standard-bearers raised and then slowly lowered their flags. Streets in the centre of Thorne were closed for the funeral procession.

Pallbearers carried the coffin, draped in a Union flag and with Sgt Davidson’s hat and belt placed on top, out of the church, followed by the soldier’s tearful family. A blue and white floral tribute spelled out the word Daddy.

Locals applauded as the hearse moved off to nearby Stonegate cemetery, where a firing party fired a volley over the grave and a bugler sounded the Last Post.

Afghan bomb carnage: 
Page 15.