COLIN WALLColin Wall, who died on 23 August, 2003, aged 34, was an experienced and professional soldier and devoted family man.
Warrant Officer Colin Wall, the Company Sergeant Major of 150 Provost Company, Royal Military Police, was killed in an ambush by gunmen on a British military vehicle in Basra. Two other British servicemen were killed in the attack.
He was from Crawleyside, near Stanhope, County Durham , and had been married to Trish for eight years. The couple had an 11-month-old son, Alexander. Warrant Officer Wall also had two children from a previous marriage – Lauren, 12, and Robert, 10.
His parents, Barry and Joan, said in a statement: "Colin was a loving son and we are very proud of him."
Warrant OfficerWall joined the Army as a Junior Leader soldier in Bovington in September, 1985, and subsequently joined the RMP. At the time of his death, he was stationed at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.
He had served in Belize, Germany, Canada, Northern Ireland and England. He had also completed operational tours of duty in Kosovo and Iraq. He was a member of 19 Mechanised Brigade.
The Second in Command of 150 Provost Company, Captain Sean O'Brien, said: "Colin was the epitome of a Company Sergeant Major and made a real difference to the operational effectiveness of the Company."
Outside of his family and Army life, Warrant Officer Wall enjoyed walking with his dogs in the Weardales and restoring cars.
Captain O'Brien added: "His untimely death is a blow to all in the RMP family and to all those who worked closely with him here in Catterick. He had many friends in the Company and will be sorely missed by all who knew him."
Warrant Officer Wall's funeral took place with full military honours at St Thomas's Church in Stanhope. Hundreds of mourners were present to sing his favourite hymn, Jerusalem.
His friend, Warrant Officer Jeremy Thomson, said: "We all know that Colin was the epitome of a professional soldier. He was a born leader and possessed in abundance the qualities of humility, compassion, integrity and self-discipline which we recognise are fundamental to the care of others."
Padre Andrew Duff, of Catterick Garrison, said: "His example of courage and discipline, inspiring the men and women under his command and who are still based in Iraq, underpins the belief that what they are doing will make our world a safer place."
Warrant Officer Wall was an experienced and professional soldier who was an example to all those around him. He was respected by his soldiers and superior officers alike.
A Ministry of Defence statement said: "Colin was a highly focussed and professional soldier. His calm and measured approach commanded respect and admiration from all who knew him."
With his death, Warrant OfficerWall's Regiment lost a talented and respected colleague and his family a much-loved son, husband and father.
The MoD statement concluded: "He was immensely proud of the role he played within the RMP, in particular as the Company Sergeant Major. His first priority was always the morale and motivation of the men and women in his care."
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