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GRIEF . . . for the fallen soldier

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Outpouring of grief for fallen soldier

HUNDREDS of mourners bowed their heads as the body of Mossley soldier Joey Etchells returned to Britain yesterday.

Silence fell over the village of Wootton Bassett after his Union Jack-draped coffin was flown into near-by RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.

People lined the streets of the small town to pay their respects to the 22-year-old Lance Corporal and four other British soldiers killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan.

Veterans, shopkeepers and residents stood under blue skies and patchy cloud as the cortege covered in floral tributes passed. One woman shouted out “Joseph”.

A minute’s silence was held and relatives then attended a private ceremony.

Cpl Etchells was killed in a booby trap explosion while on foot patrol in Sangin, Helmand province, on July 19. He had a young daughter and was looking forward to marrying fiancee Julie.

The former Mossley Hollins High School pupil was a rising star of the Army after joining up at 16, serving in Northern Ireland two years later.

He was on his third tour of Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

His company endured 107 days under fire when he first went to Hellmand in 2006. He later redeployed to the capital Kabul.

Tributes continue to pour into his Facebook site. His sister Jayne wrote yesterday: “I love you and I miss you so much. I hope you rest in peace now my big brother.

“You will never be forgotten and will be in my heart. Sleep well. Love you.”

The other fallen solders who returned to Britain yesterday were Rifleman Aminiasi Toge (26) of 2nd Batallion The Rifles, Captain Daniel Shepherd (28) of the 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Guardsman Christopher King (20) from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and Bombardier Craig Hopson (24) of 40th Regiment Royal Artillery.

The Ministry of Defence announced that another two British soldiers were killed in separate incidents in Helmand on Monday.

The deaths bring the number of British personnel killed this month alone in Afghanistan to 22, with 191 having died since the start of operations eight years ago.