Light Infantry - Obituaries - 2001 to 2008

Arthur "CHAD" Chadwick. - RSM at Sir John Moore Barracks.Served in Aden, Malaya, Berlin,Colchester,Ireland, Folkestone, Lemgo and Shrewsbury. Passed away 26th October 2005. Leaves loving wife Ann, Daughter Karen and son in law Mervyn, Grandchildren Matt and Leanne and also daughter Sandra and granddaughter Kathryn. So greatly missed. My dad Arthur, One in a million - Daughter Karen Trout.

Clive Charles Roberts CSgt. - died 9th.November 2004, aged 51yrs. Enlisted into the Light Infantry at Shrewsbury as a Junior Bandsman aged 15yrs. He trained as a Cornet Player before joining 1 LI Band at Lemgo. He served his complete tour of 22yrs in the army with the LI Band, and after vesting day with the 1 LI.Band and later with the Light Division Band. He retired from the army in the rank of CSgt. Later he was a member of the 4th.Bn.Devon & Dorset (TA) Band.

Darren Cox. LCpl. - died 7th. June 2004, aged 21yrs. His death resulted from a Road Traffic Accident which occurred as he was returning to his unit in Edinburgh after a long weekend.
Born in Cornwall, he was educated at Helston Secondary School where he joined the cadets before following his lifetime ambition to become a soldier. After passing his army entrance tests, his training started at the Army Foundation College in September 1998. After successfully completing a year at Harrogate he completed his military training at the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick and was posted to 2 LI.in November 1999. He served in the Falkland Islands, Sierra Leone, Kosovo and Iraq. He successfully completed a JNCO Cadre in April 2002 and had just taken command of a rifle section with the rank of L/Cpl, in the weeks before his death.
Following his funeral service at Breague near Helston, he was buried with full military honours on the 18th.June. A man who will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Lt.Col Bryan M. Elliott MBE. - died 9th October 2003, aged 61yrs. Educated at Clifton College, he was commissioned in 1962 from RMA Sandhurst into the SCLI, serving in Gibraltar and then Berlin. He then moved to the Regtl. Depot at Shrewsbury as a Training Pl. Commander. From Shrewsbury he then served in Malaya with 1 KSLI before a full tour as an Instructor at the School of Infantry Small Arms Wing. In 1971 he returned to 1 LI. in Lemgo and remained until 1974. The time in Lemgo was spent with annual tours in Northern Ireland interspersed with training in BAOR. During this period he was Operations Officer in 1971, OC. Command Coy.in 1972 where he commanded the reserve 'Wurzel Force', made up of senior NCOs and older soldiers, and OC Support Coy in 1973-74. In 1973 as an acting Major he was given the role of Company Operations against the determined and experienced IRA terrorists operating on the Border and in South Armagh. His considerable success was recognised by the award of MBE. The Bn. having moved to Colchester in 1974, his last role was to establish a most professional Jungle Training Course in Belize for the Bn tour later that year. He attended Staff College in 1975, then spent almost two years as Brigade Major with 12 Mech Bde. in BAOR before returning to 1LI. at Tidworth. Following a further operational tour in West Belfast in 1978 he was Mentioned in Despatches. He then went to RMA Sandhurst as a Coy. Commander and Regtl. Representative. In 1982 he took Command of 1 LI. in Munster with the inevitable operational tour in West Belfast, this was at the time of further turmoil in the province with many shootings and explosions. For his determined leadership in command he was again Mentioned in Despatches. Having moved the Bn. to Weeton Camp near Blackpool, he relinquished his command of 1 LI. in January 1985. Shortly after leaving 1 LI., his wife Anne, who was well respected by all ranks of the Battalion, died in May of that year. Following such a personal loss and coming to the end of a long and distinguished Regimental career, he retired from the army in 1987 and took up a career in the city.

Jason Mark Pears Cpl. - died 9th September 2002, aged 31yrs. His death resulted from an accident in Paderborn. He enlisted into the LI. in 1987 and following training was posted to 1 LI. in Omagh. This was followed by postings to Berlin, Bulford, Belize, Colchester, Cyprus and Edinburgh, he also did operational tours in Northern Ireland and Sierra Leone, and exercises in Germany, Jordan and Kenya. In April 2002 he moved to Paderborn. He was buried with full military honours at Weston-Super-Mare.

Maj. Michael J.B.Shircliff - died 8th April 2002 after a herculean struggle against cancer. ( age not given in Silver Bugle ). He was commissioned into the Regt. on a University Cadetship in September 1982 and eventually joined 2 LI. in May 1885 at Hemer. Regimental duty was to continue for the next 5yrs after which he spent time in Mozambique and Zimbabwe on the BMATT. He returned to 2 LI. in 1990 who at that time were based at Tidworth. He later moved to the School of Infantry as an Instructor and then to a staff post with the 4th. Armoured Brigade. From there he went to RMCS for a year and eventually to the Staff College, he then returned to 2 LI. as a Coy Commander.

Kevin Brown Sgt. - died 19th. March 2002, aged 37yrs. He died suddenly in the MRS at Alexander Barracks, Cyprus, whilst serving with 2 LI.

Ben Benvin, Sgt. - died 3 March 2002. ( age not given in Silver Bugle ) Enlisted on 20th. May 1981 and after training he was posted to 3 LI. at Tidworth and then to Omagh in Northern Ireland. He was promoted to LCpl and led a team for the latter part of the tour. After Omagh in 1987, he was posted with 3 LI. to Weeton Bks. in Lancashire where he attended and passed a JNCOs Cadre. In 1989 whilst still serving at Weeton he passed the Sect. Commanders Battle Course at Brecon and was promoted to Cpl. that same year. At the end of 1989 he was posted to 2 LI. as a Sect. Commander for a tour of Crossmaglen, South Armagh. He remained with 2 LI. until merger day in 1993 when he joined 1 LI. becoming one of the few soldiers to have served in all three LI. Bns. He later passed the Pl. Sgts. Battle Course after which he was promoted to Sgt. and yet again went to Northern Ireland with A Coy. as a multiple commander. in 1994 he was posted to ATR at Winchester as a Pl.Sgt. He returned to 2 LI. in 1998 and was deployed once again to Northern Ireland, this time Belfast, as a Pl. Sgt. with C Coy. and later in the WOs and Sgts Mess. His final post was as a recruiter at the Army Careers Information Office at Bristol.

Semiti Cakacakamainadi ( Caka ). - died 2nd. February 2002, aged 25yrs. His death resulted from a RTA. He was born in Fiji and enlisted into the LI. in June 2000, after completing his training at Winchester and Catterick, he was posted to 2 LI. who were stationed at Bulford and joined B Coy.In 2001 the Bn. deployed to Sierra Leone in West Africa, where he served in a 4 man team providing protection to British and Sierra Leonian soldiers who were conducting training in the country. At the end of the tour he was diagnosed as having caught Malaria. Having spent the weekend in the Medical Station he discharged himself saying he felt as though he had just got a bit of a cold. Caka was buried at his home village on Fiji. His funeral was attended by Capt. Rupert Lescott, who had finalised the funeral arrangements with the next of kin and represented the Bn. at the funeral.

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