Silence as fallen soldiers remembered (From Worcester News)

Silence as fallen soldiers remembered

10:50am Thursday 15th October 2009 in News © © Press Association

THE Houses of Parliament fell silent yesterday as the names of fallen troops were read out.

Gordon Brown opened the first Prime Minister’s Ques-tions of the new parliamentary term by reading out the names of the 37 British personnel killed in Af-ghanistan this summer.

The names included 23-year-old Private Jason Williams of Barbourne, Worcester, who was killed while trying to retrieve the body of an Afghan National Army colleague. He was serving with the 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters) when killed by a bomb on Saturday, August 8.

Other names included Serjeant Paul McAleese from 2nd Battalion The Rifles, who lived in Hereford, and Lance Corporal Richard Brandon, of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, from Kidderminster.

After the roll call Mr Brown said: “Nothing can erase the pain for their families.

“Nothing can be greater than the pride we take in their contribution to our country and our sadness at their loss.”

Mr Brown also said that the British force in Afghanistan will be increased to 9,500.