GRAHAM HESKETHSergeant Graham Hesketh, who joined the Army as a 17-year-old, lost his life at the age of aged 35, on December 28, 2006, in Iraq.He died as a result of injuries sustained in a roadside bomb in Basra, southern Iraq, while commanding an armoured vehicle on a routine patrol near the centre of the city.Sergeant Hesketh was posted to Iraq the month before he died, and both he and his fiancee were due to return home five months later.Sergeant Graham Hesketh was born in Liverpool on December 1, 1971, and grew up in Runcorn, Cheshire, moving there with his father and grandparents, aged four.He went to St Edward's School before moving up to Our Lady's Junior School when he was seven, and served as an altar boy at the local parish church.At 11 he attended Brookvale School, moving later to St Chad's High School, leaving at 16 and enrolling into Catterick aged 17, serving three years with the tank regiment.After serving in Germany, Cyprus and Ireland, he left the Army for three years, but service life called again and at 22 he re-enlisted, rising through the ranks to corporal in the 1st battalion The King's Regiment.He became an instructor to infantry recruits at Catterick and was promoted to sergeant on his return to the Battalion.Soon after the King's Regiment merged with the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, he was deployed to Iraq, serving as Platoon Sergeant.His Army career saw him on tour in Canada, Jordan and Kenya, and he had spent time on attachment with The King's Own Royal Border Regiment.Lieutenant Colonel Simon Hutchinson paid tribute, saying: "Graham cared deeply about his profession, about the men in his charge and about his job here in Iraq . He was part of the backbone of this Battalion. We are proud to have known him."His Commanding Officer, Major Rob Driver, said: "Sergeant Graham Hesketh's death is a desperate loss to his family, colleagues and friends."Graham always lived life to the fullest; he was a vibrant and energetic individual whose love for life and sense of humour touched all those around him. He was a highly capable, professional soldier and a role model to the other soldiers within his Battalion."Away from work he was a keen supporter of Everton FC, and enjoyed time with his family and friends.Sergeant Hesketh had two children, Georgia, who was seven when he died, and Ben, three, and was engaged to be married to Rebecca Barnes, aged 25, who was serving in the same regiment in Basra.
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