 |
Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter (left)
and Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar
[Picture: via MOD] |
Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter and Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar killed in Afghanistan
31 Oct 12
It is with great
sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Lieutenant Edward
Drummond-Baxter and Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar, both from 1st
Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1 RGR), were killed on Tuesday 30
October 2012 while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand
province. Both men were attached to 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Lieutenant Drummond-Baxter and Lance Corporal Kunwar were based in Checkpoint Prrang in the southern area of Nahr-e Saraj.
On 30 October they were participating in a shura (meeting) with Afghan Uniform Policemen inside the checkpoint.
On completion of the shura, they were shot and killed by a man
wearing an Afghan police uniform who had been attending the meeting.
---
10/30/2012: An Afghan police killed 2 ISAF British nationals (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)
---
Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter
Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter deployed to Afghanistan on 30
September 2012 as Platoon Command of 1 Platoon, A (Delhi) Company, 1st
Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, attached to 40 Commando Royal Marines
as part of Transition Support Unit Nahr-e Saraj. He was based in
Checkpoint Prrang in the southern part of Nahr-e Saraj District, Helmand
province. He was on his first operational tour of Afghanistan.
Lieutenant Drummond-Baxter was born in Peterborough on 15 September
1983 and lived in County Durham with his parents. He studied at
University College London and gained a BSc degree in Psychology. While
at university he was an active member of his local Army Reserves
regiment, The Honourable Artillery Company.
He subsequently spent two years working for the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office including a posting to Japan before joining the
British Army. He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2010
and commissioned into 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles in December
2010.
After Sandhurst, he completed the demanding training to qualify as an
Infantry Platoon Commander and further cemented his ability as an
outstanding field soldier by passing the arduous Jungle Warfare Course
in Brunei to qualify as Jungle Operations Instructor.
Throughout 2011 and 2012 he expertly prepared and led his platoon
through the detailed mission-specific training for Operation HERRICK 17
in Afghanistan and attended the three-month Nepali language course in
Pokhara, Nepal. In August 2012, he volunteered to spend a further month
in Nepal assisting with the Brigade of Gurkhas' selection course.
Lieutenant Drummond-Baxter was an excellent Platoon Commander whose
calm demeanour and ready sense of humour were widely respected by his
soldiers and fellow officers. He quickly made his mark as a talented
officer who possessed great potential and always put his soldiers first.
He leaves behind his mother, Helen, father, David and sister, Emily.
---
Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar
Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar deployed to Afghanistan on 3 October
2012 as a Sniper Section Commander in the acting rank of Lance Corporal.
He was serving with A (Delhi) Company, 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha
Rifles, attached to 40 Commando Royal Marines as part of Transition
Support Unit Nahr-e Saraj. He was based in Checkpoint Prrang in the
southern part of Nahr-e Saraj District, Helmand province. He was on his
third operational tour of Afghanistan.
Lance Corporal Siddhanta was born on 19 June 1984 in Pokhara, Nepal,
where he lived with his mother and father. He passed the arduous
selection for the Brigade of Gurkhas on 17 December 2004 and having
completed his year-long infantry training joined 1st Battalion The Royal
Gurkha Rifles in October 2005.
Very soon after his arrival in 1 RGR he deployed with the Battalion
to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2005-2006 as part of the European Union Force
in support of the Bosnian Government. Lance Corporal Siddhanta then
moved with 1 RGR to Brunei where he conducted extensive jungle training
and qualified as a sniper in 2007.
In late 2007 and into 2008 he deployed to Afghanistan on Operation
Herrick 7 where he served in Garmsir in southern Helmand Province. In
2009 he successfully passed a Junior NCO selection course and in 2010
returned to Afghanistan with 1 RGR on Operation HERRICK 12 to the Nahr-e
Saraj area of Helmand province. It was during this tour more than ever
that his calm good humour, sharp mind and huge operational experience
became a touchstone for his fellow soldiers.
LCpl Siddhanta Kunwar was an outstanding soldier and a true Gurkha.
He displayed the calmness of mind, cheerfulness in adversity and loyalty
throughout his many operational tours - qualities that the Brigade of
Gurkhas hold dear. He served with many of the Companies within the
Battalion and his loss will be deeply felt throughout 1 RGR.
He leaves behind his mother, Krishna Maya Kunwar, his father, Shyam
Kumar Kunwar, stepmother Chhali Devi Kunwar, his four sisters; Shova,
Shyandya, Smita and Sardha Kunwar and his elder brother Bhupendra
Kunwar.
read more at MOD site here
Washington Time
Kabul Time
London Time
