FORMER COLLEGE STUDENT KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Lance Corporal Webb, a former student of Macclesfield College, died in Afghanistan yesterday.

Lance Corporal Jamie Webb, of 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire), died as a result of wounds sustained during an insurgent attack on his patrol base in the Nad `Ali district of Helmand on Monday, 25th March.

The 24-year-old soldier was born in Wythenshawe and attended Wilmslow High School and Macclesfield College.

His family have issued a statement saying “We are so proud of Jamie being a Mercian soldier. Jamie is loved by his dad, Dave, mum, Sue, and his close family and friends.”

Paying tribute, Lieutenant Colonel Phil Kimber MBE, Commanding Officer 1 MERCIAN, said “A real character, a totally professional soldier and a great friend to many, Lance Corporal Webb was exactly the type of man you wanted around. Always with a smile on his face, always willing to engage in some witty and mischievous banter, he really did lift the morale of all around him.

“He was also an outstanding professional; bright, engaging and hugely talented. He had an obvious gift for intelligence work, which ensured he was at the heart of all that his company did on this tour. Despite his relatively junior rank he had a huge amount of operational experience having deployed to Northern Ireland, Iraq, and twice to Afghanistan. No matter what else he did, he was an Infantry Lance Corporal at heart and as such he was a talented and inspirational junior commander.

“Lance Corporal Webb was surrounded by his friends when he was injured. These friends and all in 1 Mercian Battlegroup will miss him terribly. We have lost a great soldier and a great friend. Despite our grief we are acutely aware of the indescribable loss his family will now be feeling and it is his family that our thoughts and prayers are now with.”

Captain Richard Sawyer, Company Second in Command, C Company, 1 MERCIAN, said: “Lance Corporal Webb was a fine soldier and undoubtedly one of life`s true characters. Never one to hide from the limelight, he was always ready to treat those around him, be it a private soldier or the Officer Commanding, to one of his impressions or jokes – which invariably resulted in hilarity for all those present. Jamie Webb was constant morale.

“Having deployed to Afghanistan previously, he was a committed soldier but it was his unique and loveable personality that makes him unforgettable. It was clear to all how much he enjoyed working with his mates in the Army and how much he loved his family. He will be sorely missed.”

Jamie Webb enlisted in the British Army aged 18 and joined 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment in September 2006. His first posting took him to Ballykinler, Northern Ireland.

On his return Lance Corporal Webb deployed on operations to Iraq where he spent 3 months involved in security operations. In January 2009, Lance Corporal Webb moved from B Company to C Company where he “continued to shine as an intelligent, fit and enthusiastic soldier”.

Lance Corporal Webb, known as `webby` was subsequently deployed on 2 tours of Afghanistan. On his first tour in 2010, he served as a rifle section second-in-command in the Nahr-e Saraj area operating with the Danish battle group. Although he was only a private soldier at the time he undertook the role of a junior non-commissioned officer where he “developed a reputation for hard work, strong leadership and reliability”.

As a result of his performance on operations in Afghanistan, Lance Corporal Webb was recommended for promotion to lance corporal and assumed the role of infantry section second-in-command.
Lance Corporal Webb deployed on his second tour of Afghanistan in October 2012.

Working as a Company intelligence collator and section second-in-command he “displayed a sharp, analytical mind and a deep understanding of the operational environment and the Afghanistan campaign”.

Lieutenant Jack Brierley, Platoon Commander, C Company, 1 MERCIAN, said: “To describe Lance Corporal Webb as `a bit of a character` is an understatement. For a man small in stature, he had a bigger personality than anyone I have ever met. Through the employment of his unique and somewhat left-of-field sense of humour, he made sure that if you were near him, you had a smile on your face. As a junior non-commissioned officer in 9 Platoon he was a consummate professional.

“Keen, compassionate, proactive, competent, intelligent are all words that do not come close enough to describing Lance Corporal Webb. The welfare of his soldiers was his primary concern and he constantly checked up on them.”

Private Darren Hamnett, 9 Platoon, C Company, 1 MERCIAN, said: “What he lacked in height, he made up for with his massive personality. He was a top soldier and a top bloke for dishing out tons of morale to the lads when times got a little hard. Always the one to have a smile on his face, he could be relied upon to tell jokes that were so bad you could not help but laugh.

“Webby was an awesome section second-in-command, always getting around the blokes, asking if they were okay even if he knew they were. He loved being around the lads, even if it was to have a talk about something that did not even make any sense. Overall he was a loving and loyal man and an awesome soldier who has paid the ultimate sacrifice doing a job he loved. Gone but not forgotten.”

Source and image: http://www.wilmslow.co.uk/news/article/8189/former-wilmslow-high-student-killed-in-afghanistan