Irish soldier killed in action

AN Irishman serving with the British Army was killed on Sunday in the battle for Basra.

He was named last night as Lance Corporal Ian Malone from Ballyfermot, Dublin.

The 28-year-old was a member of the 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards and was serving with his regiment in Basra in southern Iraq.

His family said they were devastated by his death but took some comfort from knowing he died doing the job he loved.

“Ian was a wonderful son, full of life and vitality, fun and wit,” they said in a statement released by the British embassy in Dublin, yesterday.

“His family and girlfriend are devastated to learn of his death. He had so many friends and so much to live for.

“He loved the army and lived for the excitement and challenges that being a soldier brought.”

Mr Malone’s family said he was proud to be an Irishman and to be serving in the Irish Guards.

Lance Corporal Malone joined the Irish Guards in 1997 and served in Britain, Poland, Oman, Canada, Kosovo and Germany.

He was also a valued member of the regimental pipe band. His family asked the media to respect their rights to grieve in privacy.

The Irish Guards are a British regiment who recruit from both sides of the Irish Border, with around 200 soldiers deployed in Iraq.

Late last week they led British troops into the centre of Basra supported by Challenger 2 tanks and RAF helicopters.

The Irish Guards were formed in 1900 by Queen Victoria to commemorate the bravery of the Irish people who fought in the Boer War.

Two other soldiers died in Sunday’s operation to take control of Iraq’s second city.

Kelan Turrington from Haslingfield, near Cambridge, was just 18 when he died during the advance into Basra.

Yesterday, his parents told how all their son had ever wanted to do was serve his country.

His mother, Ann, father, Curly, and 15-year-old brother, Liam, said they had taken comfort from knowing he was doing what he had always dreamed of.

Mrs Turrington, 46, said: “He wanted to be a soldier since he was four. We didn’t try and change his mind and we didn’t encourage him either.”

The name of the third soldier will not be released until his next of kin have been informed.