Captain Guy's wife, Helen, above, gave birth to their daughter, Emily, 12 days after her father died
Posted on 04/11/2003 4:41:28 PM PDT by MadIvan
Captain Guy's wife, Helen, above, gave birth to their daughter, Emily, 12 days after her father died |
Helen Guy gave birth to Emily Charlotte 12 days after her father was killed in a helicopter crash in the Kuwaiti desert. It was to have been Captain Philip Guy’s final mission before he returned to Britain for the birth of his second child.
A congregation of 400 gathered for the service at Holy Trinity Church, Skipton, where the Guys were married in 2000 and where their 20-month-old son, Henry, was christened last year. Union Jacks flew at half-mast throughout the town. In the main street, normally bustling on market day, stall-trading ceased and shops closed for an hour as crowds gathered for the funeral procession.
At the request of his family, Captain Guy, 29, of 3 Commando Brigade, was buried with full military honours. A guard of Royal Marines reversed arms as the funeral cortège approached the 14th-century parish church.
Another six Marines acted as pall-bearers for the flag-draped coffin, upon which lay a wreath of white flowers, Captain Guy’s sword, his cap and two military ribbons. Three volleys of shots were fired above the coffin.
The service was relayed to crowds in the market square. They heard a eulogy by Daniel Hughes, a former Royal Marine, who spoke of Captain Guy’s great determination and drive. “They say you cannot control the length of life, only the breadth, width and depth of it. Phil managed to push all of these things to the limit and still had time for all of us ,” he said.
The Rev Dr Jonathan Pritchard, the Holy Trinity curate, remembered the joy and delight of Captain Guy’s wedding and his son’s christening in the same church. He was, he said, “someone to be proud of: a man who served his country well”.
Captain Guy, who was returning from a successful mission to capture an Iraqi oil-pumping station when the helicopter crashed, grew up in a Dales farmhouse on the banks of a river near Leyburn, gained a geography degree from Salford University and joined the Royal Marines in 1995, seeing active service in Afghanistan.
Hundreds of mourners turned out yesterday in Llandudno, North Wales, for the funeral of a soldier killed in a helicopter crash on the first day of the war in Iraq. More than 800 people lined the streets to pay tribute to Lance-Bombardier Llywelyn Evans, 24, who was among eight British troops and four Americans killed when their Sea Knight helicopter crashed in Kuwait on March 21.
Bombardier Evans, known as Welly, signed up to the Royal Regiment of Artillery when he was 18. He was awarded a medal for service in Sierra Leone and received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in February 2002.
Rhodri Morgan, the Welsh First Minister, was among the 500 mourners inside the church who joined Theresa and Gordon Evans in remembering their son’s life. His brother, Lee, who was also serving in the Gulf, had flown home on compassionate leave to be with his parents.
Bombardier Evans was to have married his fiancée, Rebecca Williams, next year. She said: “Welly was one of those people you meet once and never forget . . . When he smiled his whole face glowed. He was like a bright light in a dark room.”
In Memoriam
May God keep and bless them all.
(And, I wish the person who posted that ad would realize how tasteless it is on this thread.)
Another warrior has received the call.
Til' the bye and bye when we shall meet,
With tears of joy each shall greet.
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