Remembering the Fallen: on this day in 2013, Corporal William Savage and Fusilier Samuel Flint, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, and Private Robert Hetherington, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were killed in Afghanistan. They were hit by an IED as their patrol travelled between Forward Operating Base Ouellette and Patrol Base Lashkar Gah Durai in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.

Corporal Savage enlisted in the army in 2003, joining 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret’s Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment). He served in Iraq and twice before in Afghanistan. He had excelled on the Section Commanders’ Battle Course in 2011 and afterwards was promoted to Corporal. He had also been a member of the Regimental Police. Corporal Savage arrived in Afghanistan in March of 2013, commanding 3 Section of 1 Platoon in a District Enabling Company composed of Bravo Company Group, 2 SCOTS, part of the First Fusiliers Battle Group. Lieutenant Robin Hold said: “Corporal Savage was a charismatic and enthusiastic individual. He possessed the ability to inspire those under his command due to his competence and professionalism as a soldier and through his confident personality. He was always thoughtful and caring, putting the needs of the platoon before his own. I have worked with Corporal Savage for 6 months and during that time his diligence and ability impressed me on every level. He had so much potential to succeed in his career….he was a shining example of a Scottish infantry soldier and was a rising star in the battalion with an extremely bright future ahead of him. He will be sorely missed by the entire battalion and will always be remembered. William, from Irvine, was 30 years and and married – at the time of his death he and his wife were expecting their first child.

Fusilier Flint joined the army in 2011, joining 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland the following year as they began their Mission Specific Training for deployment to Afghanistan. He is remembered as being an impressive infantry soldier who approached training in a very enthusiastic and motivated manner, and for being extremely fit, quiet, full of humour and popular. Lieutenant Colonel Robin Lindsay said: “Fusilier Samuel Flint arrived at the Battalion at the very beginning of Mission Specific Training in June 2012 and made an immediate impression as a fit, enthusiastic, motivated and capable soldier who was quick with a smile and a laugh. Despite his young age and relative inexperience it was clear to us all that he was a soldier brimming with skill and ability. He excelled during the many exercises that his Platoon took part in during the build-up to operations and had been identified as a potential Junior Non-Commissioned Officer following the tour of Afghanistan.” Samuel, from Blackpool, was 21 years old.

Private Hetherington had enlisted in the Territorial Army in 2006 and joined the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, in November of that year. He graduated from Stirling University in 2010 with a BSc in Environmental Geography, and during his time there he was part of the University Officer Training Corps, and spoke of keenly pursuing a military career, intending to attend the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Lieutenant Colonel Robin Lindsay, said: “Private Bobby Hetherington was a thoughtful and humorous soldier who was always quick to find the fun in army life and to keep the chain of command on our toes with his sharp wit and insightful mind. He was gregarious and open and this made him a much-liked and respected member of his platoon and the battalion.” Major Tim Petransky added: “Pte Hetherington embodied the ethos of the TA, who stand shoulder to shoulder with us in this fight. To us, he was very much part of 2 Scots and we were extremely proud to have him serve with us.” Robert, born in the United States but raised in Scotland, was 25 years old.