JONATHAN HOLLINGSWORTHSergeant Jonathan Hollingsworth, who died on 24 November, 2006, at the age of 28, was an SAS soldier and member of the 3rd Battalion.
Described as "an SAS hero" by a British tabloid newspaper, the former paratrooper reportedly sustained gunshot wounds during a raid to capture terror leaders in Basra and later died of his injuries at a nearby military hospital.
Sources suggest he had been recommended for a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross after single-handedly killing six insurgents during a separate raid in the southern Iraq capital only two weeks earlier.
He was the 126th British soldier to be killed in operations in Iraq.
Sgt Jonathan Hollingsworth was born in 1978, at Hull, Humberside. Married with a family, he was a member of the Parachute Regiment before eventually rising to become one of the SAS's most experienced soldiers.
"He was a seasoned trooper and a brilliant individual," a senior defence source told the Daily Telegraph. "He epitomised everything the regiment stands for. He was tough, highly professional and totally unselfish."
Only a fortnight before his death, reports suggested that Sgt Hollingsworth, who embodied the SAS motto "who dares wins", had been shot in the neck during another operation in Basra. The bullet missed his carotid by millimetres but, rather than taking time off to recover, he promptly returned to action.
Fate, however, was not so kind to the 28-year-old soldier when, on 24 November, 2006, a raid on a suspected insurgent headquarters in the city saw him shot in the ribs.
He was taken to a nearby military hospital but died of his injuries within minutes.
The ill-fated covert operation was reportedly launched on the basis of intelligence suggesting that two dangerous terrorists were hiding at a house in Basra.
Sgt Hollingsworth was the first SAS soldier to die in combat in Iraq since hostilities began in 2003.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said: "The death of Sgt Hollingsworth is a terrible loss and my heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family, friends and comrades.
"Sgt Hollingsworth was killed on a successful operation to detain those who were known to attack both civilian and military personnel. He did not die in vain."
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