Corporal John Rigby killed in Iraq on Friday 22 June 2007

Corporal Rigby, aged 24, from Rye, died from injuries sustained by a roadside bomb attack in Basra.

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Sanders, Cpl Rigby's Commanding Officer, paid the following tribute to him:

"The death of any soldier is a tragedy and in death all are equal, but there are some whose loss is particularly hard to bear – the force of their personality, their personal and professional qualities and the love, respect and popularity they inspire set them apart. Corporal John Rigby was such a man. John was fatally injured early this morning by a roadside bomb near Basra Palace and tragically died from his injuries this evening in the Field Hospital. We are utterly heartbroken. But we are also unbowed, tough and determined: John would have it no other way.

"John was an exceptional man in every respect. A Battalion is a large organisation, but John was one of the strongest and most distinctive characters in 4 RIFLES. He was known and universally admired from top to bottom, and even those who did not know him soon learned to speak his name with respect. Although as a Section Commander in B Company he commanded only eight Riflemen, his influence and fame extended the depth and breadth of the 700 men in 4 RIFLES. He was iconic.

"We have lost a true friend and exemplary fellow Rifleman: the most talented Corporal of his generation, and a warm, mature, dignified and almost unnaturally gifted man. But hard as it is for us, our pain is as nothing to that of his family whose suffering will be inconsolable. His parents and two sisters have lost a wonderfully warm, lively and loving son and brother; his twin brother Will, also serving as a Corporal here in 4 RIFLES, has lost his lifetime companion and his soul mate. Will was at John’s side when he died this evening. It was their 24th Birthday.

"Sitting here in Basra Palace a few hours after John died it is almost impossible to convey what he meant to us and to capture the colour, character and vitality of the man that he was and to adequately describe a life lived to the full and with extraordinary spirit and passion. I count myself blessed to have commanded and known John. He was the sort of man and soldier who any Commanding Officer would cherish.

"He was a warrior – tough and fierce, swift and bold. And he was an astonishingly dedicated and charismatic leader. Like all the best soldiers he inspired love, devotion and fierce loyalty in his men. They idolised him and would follow him anywhere – others fought hard to get into his Section seeing that John cared deeply, was calm and decisive under fire, and kept his men safe.

"He was by common consent the most promising Corporal of his generation. This is not just my view, but that of two former Regimental Sergeant Majors who are still serving with the Battalion. He had only recently been selected for promotion to Sergeant; his score on the promotion board placed him as the best Corporal across all five battalions in The RIFLES – an astonishing achievement given that he was only 23 and was competing with many five years older than himself.

"Giving him that good news only two weeks ago gave me such pleasure and pride, but typically he was utterly modest and his only concern was not to leave the Riflemen in his Section. In the words of one of his fellow Corporals from B Company: ‘We called him Goldenballs. He was to squadding what David Beckham is to football.’ In my view, John was unquestionably a future Regimental Sergeant Major and we have lost one of our very brightest and best.

"John was also a remarkable man. He had a dignity, modesty and maturity that went way beyond his years. He was calm, highly intelligent, thoughtful, had a smile that lit up a room and a wicked sense of humour. I admired him immensely and liked him from the first time I met him several years ago – he had a nobility of spirit and an almost serene aura about him that drew one to him.

"John had such strength of character and depth of personality and his talents were so obvious – he was one of those rare people who just had it all. He was just great company and as fellow Spurs supporters we had plenty of adversity to share, particularly in what seemed like a Battalion of Arsenal fans.

"In the five weeks before John was killed he had been out on patrol on an almost daily basis and had been involved in frequent firefights with the enemy. Basra is a very dangerous place for British soldiers and in the early days of the tour all of us were nervous and with justification - casualties were inevitable. Strong leadership, particularly at junior level, is what makes the difference in these situations and John stood out as one of the best in the Battalion.

"On one night early on during a Battle Group operation mounted into a vicious and volatile area known as Al Qibla, John’s vehicle came under heavy enemy fire. John dealt with the attack with great authority and presence of mind and his Section fought their way through the contact, suppressing the enemy and carried on with the operation.

"One of his Riflemen was particularly shaken by the experience, and might well have lost his nerve, but John, in his handling of the Rifleman showed why he was such an inspiring and brilliant leader. Immediately after the contact, and afterwards when they returned to Basra Palace and to relative safety, instead of criticising as others might, John showed humanity, compassion and natural authority.

"He was calm, reassuring and understanding and restored the Rifleman’s confidence and that of his whole Section by his example and force of personality. Because of John's intelligent leadership that Rifleman is trusted and valued and has since proved himself in numerous contacts – the considerable courage he has shown in overcoming his fear was inspired by John’s words and actions. That is the mark of a great leader.

"John’s personal bravery, dedication and love for his Riflemen were a byword in B Company and in the Battalion. He was killed protecting his Riflemen and leading by personal example, exposing himself to great risk as a top cover sentry in an exceptionally dangerous area approaching the Palace.

"He made a judgement that someone had to expose themselves and be ready to engage enemy gunmen and bombers in order to protect the vehicle and its driver and commander, and it is typical of his courage, selflessness and leadership that he chose to do it himself instead of ordering one of his beloved Riflemen to do so. His example has inspired and moved us all.

"The whole Battalion has been shaken and saddened by John’s death and there is an empty space in our ranks and in our hearts that cannot be filled. Men like John are exceptional and rare and we count ourselves truly lucky to have known him and shared part of his life with him. But though we grieve for him, we also celebrate a life lived to the full with no doubts, regrets or half measures. John chose this life and he chose us.

"He found his calling as a Rifleman and was immensely fulfilled by the challenges and comradeship that he found here. He died prematurely, but he died doing what he loved, and he died amongst friends who loved him dearly. We are so very proud of him and our tribute to him will be to emulate the values and standards that he lived by – our resilience, our fighting spirit, our professionalism and our determination are all stronger because of John’s example and are undimmed by his death. It is what he would have expected and wanted and we will not let him down.

"Our hearts go out to John’s family and to his girlfriend Jess. John’s family life mattered more to him than anything and his unique qualities as a man came from the wonderful, loving and stable upbringing he and Will enjoyed. His roots were very deep and very important to him and the grief, suffering and pain that John’s brother, sisters, parents, grandparents and girlfriend will be enduring must be all the more painful because of the depth of love that he enjoyed. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for sharing him with us and all our prayers are for them at this terrible hour that they may somehow be consoled and comforted."

Cpl Rigby's Company Commander, Major John Wakelin, said of him:

"Corporal Rigby, John, was quite simply unique. He was a free thinking, independent and bright young Corporal who approached life with vigour. Life was out there for the taking for Corporal Rigby and he was going to get all that he could from it. Professionally he stood out. His style of soldiering was not only about professionalism and getting the basics right, although he did.

"His approach was more human and his relationship with his men, and his love for them, defined him. He has blistered his way through the ranks and was recently awarded with early promotion to Sergeant. Typically there was little or no fanfare but a quiet knock at my door. ‘Sir’ he asked ‘I’m not sure about this, Section Commanding is where I want to be. I love my job and do not want to leave my boys just yet.’

"Nobody interfered with Corporal Rigby’s section and they were brilliantly trained and utterly effective under his leadership. He had longed to take his Section on operations and no stone was left unturned in his drive for excellence. He was involved with everything and at the heart of B Company. He was the epitome of the thinking Rifleman and no operation or command would escape his scrutiny or the benefit of his fresh ideas.

"He had a wide range of interests from jet skiing to his band ‘The Motion’ in which he played drums and for whom he wrote music. He was a keen Tottenham Hotspur supporter and enjoyed football banter with his mates. He loved Australia where he served briefly on attachment to the Australian Commandos.

"He came from Rye, or Rye’anappa as he called it. He leaves a devoted family including his twin brother Will, two older sisters, his beloved Grandparents in Warminster and his girlfriend Jess. He spoke fondly to me of days spent on Cley Hill learning of the archaeology of the hill from his Grandad who is the curator of the Warminster museum. He kept a history book with him to read when he was on guard along with a photograph of the three beautiful hills in Warminster where he used to walk.

"It is typical of him that he died protecting his Riflemen. ‘His lads’ were saved from injury by their vehicle as he selflessly provided top cover from the vehicle hatch. He died on his 24th birthday."

Corporal Wayne Rimmer said:

"We called him Goldenballs. He was to squadding what David Beckham is to football."

Corporal Craig Maxwell said of him:

"John was a gentleman soldier and a man with a clear and wise head. We all used to go to him for advice and a chat."

Corporal Dave Pratt said:

"His favourite quote was ‘Backs to the walls, everyman will stand and fight and fall. No more retreating'."

Lance Corporal Kevin Langstone and all the boys from B21C (Cpl Rigby's section) said:

"John was an outstanding soldier, a master of all trades. The platoon will never be the same without him. He will be dearly missed. He may be gone but not forgotten."

Cpl Rigby's family issued the following statement:

"John was a cherished and devoted son and brother; a talented hardworking and successful soldier, popular with his peers and across all ranks alike. He was due to be promoted to Sergeant in September and had a very bright future ahead of him which included plans to undertake higher education.

"He will be accompanied back to England by his twin brother William who is also serving in Iraq with the Rifles, and who was with him at his bedside at Basra military hospital when he died.

"The Army have been tremendously helpful and supportive to us at this difficult time, but we are understandably devastated at his loss and ask, please, to be left alone to grieve in peace."

The family have stressed that they do not wish the media to make any effort to contact them. The MOD therefore requests that the media do not contact the family at this very difficult time.