Remembering the Fallen: on this day in 2010, Kingsman Darren Deady, 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, of wounds sustained eighteen days earlier in Afghanistan. He had been shot while taking part in Operation KAPCHA AMIQ 1, as his company came under prolonged and intense small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. He was given first-aid at the scene before being taken to the hospital at Camp Bastion, and from there he was sent home to the U.K..

Kingsman Deady had joined the army two years earlier, and was on his second tour of Afghanistan. He was described as small in stature yet huge in character, being able to find humour in the darkest of places, and for being courageous and selfless. The many tributes that can be found on the Ministry of Defence fatalities site speak of a young man of immeasurable popularity, full of fun and cheeky, yet tough and capable – he was much-loved and is much-missed.

Lieutenant Colonel Robbie Boyd said: “Kingsman Darren Deady was a tiny man with the heart of a lion. His irrepressible and infectious sense of humour made this small man a huge character within Arnhem Company, where his courage and selflessness will always be remembered. He was always the first to volunteer for everything, to carry the heaviest load or to be first in the patrol to clear a path for his mates. He loved his job and his regiment, he loved serving with his fellow Lions. He had already shown skill as well as courage having previously served in Afghanistan. This was his second deployment in the face of the enemy and he fought again with the courage and heart of a lion. No-one in my battalion was as good or as accurate with an underslung grenade launcher; he fired it time and again on two separate tours to protect the team he was ferociously loyal to. We will never forget Darren Deady; a regimental brother to his fellow Kingsmen, forever popular and forever respected.”

Darren, from Bolton, was 22 years old.