Hundreds mourn shot soldier hero
HUNDREDS of mourners joined family members yesterday at the funeral of a British soldier killed in one of the bloodiest day’s fighting in Afghanistan.
Private John Brackpool, 27, of Prince of Wales’s Company, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, died from a gunshot wound following a battle with insurgents near Lashkar Gah on July 9.
Private Brackpool, from Crawley, West Sussex, was among eight British soldiers to die in 24 hours.
The father-of-one, who was an Arsenal football supporter, died days before his 28th birthday.
His coffin, draped in a Union flag, was laid to rest following a full military service at St John the Baptist Church in Crawley.
After yesterday’s ceremony, Private Brackpool’s girlfriend Naomi Wiggins said: “Everyone who spoke showed how much they loved John.
“He was far too young to be taken from us and he’ll be missed for ever. He was such a lovely man.”