Remembering the Fallen: on this day in 2005, Sergeant John Jones, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, died in Basra, Iraq, as a result of injuries sustained from a roadside bomb during a routine patrol. He had joined the army at the age of sixteen, and served in Bosnia, Northern Ireland and Kosovo. He served in the War Fighting and Peace Support phases of Operation TELIC 1 in 2003, the same year he was promoted to Sergeant. He is remembered as a highly professional soldier, dedicated and compassionate with a sharp sense of humour. Lieutenant Colonel Simon Marr MBE paid this tribute: “Sergeant John Jones was a much loved and highly popular member of our Battalion. Brimming with energy, a love of soldiering and an endearing sense of humour and compassion for his men, he will be sorely missed…he showed remarkable qualities of professionalism, grit and absolute determination…he looked forward with optimism and determination to playing his part in bringing a semblance of stability and normality to Iraq. In the short period of this tour, he and his patrol had already established an excellent rapport with the local population and he was enjoying the challenges of his role. Sergeant Jones was an outstanding soldier, a wonderful husband and a loving father, who always found time to speak to and encourage those around him. He had a smile for everyone. We are left remembering his drive, his courage, his humour and his typically understated contribution to the Battalion.” John, from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, was 31 years old and married with a five-year-old son.