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Funeral of soldier killed in Iraq | Funeral of soldier killed in Iraq |
(about 5 hours later) | |
The funeral of the 100th serviceman to die in action in Iraq has taken place in Sussex. | The funeral of the 100th serviceman to die in action in Iraq has taken place in Sussex. |
Second Lieutenant Jonathan Carlos Bracho-Cooke, 24, from Hove in Sussex, was on patrol in Basra when a roadside bomb was detonated on 5 February. | Second Lieutenant Jonathan Carlos Bracho-Cooke, 24, from Hove in Sussex, was on patrol in Basra when a roadside bomb was detonated on 5 February. |
He had been due to marry his fiancee Laura Bottomley, 24, in August. It is thought he was on his first tour of duty after finishing officer training. | He had been due to marry his fiancee Laura Bottomley, 24, in August. It is thought he was on his first tour of duty after finishing officer training. |
The service at St George's Church was followed by a burial at Hove Cemetery. | The service at St George's Church was followed by a burial at Hove Cemetery. |
'Promising' officer | 'Promising' officer |
The bomb which killed Lt Bracho-Cooke also wounded a number of Iraqi civilians. | The bomb which killed Lt Bracho-Cooke also wounded a number of Iraqi civilians. |
It was detonated as armoured Warrior vehicles patrolled near the US consulate in the south east of the city. | It was detonated as armoured Warrior vehicles patrolled near the US consulate in the south east of the city. |
About 500 people attended the funeral of Lt Bracho-Cooke, who had been described by the Ministry of Defence as a "promising" young officer. | |
The coffin of Lt Bracho-Cooke was carried by regimental colleagues | |
His Union flag-draped coffin was carried into the church by regimental colleagues to the sound of a lone piper playing Flowers of the Forest. | |
Mourners heard his fiancee pay tribute to his courage and his ability to touch other people's lives. | |
Speaking of her happiness at their planned marriage, Miss Bottomley said: "Before Jon came into my world, I didn't really believe in love. | |
"I know it may seem cynical but I thought love was the best friendship anyone could have. | |
"I now know it's so much more." | |
She went on to describe how she wrote letters to buoy him during the low periods he faced on the frontline. | |
Lt Bracho-Cooke's father, also called Jonathan, said his son liked to help people and had a natural instinct to protect the weak and the vulnerable. | |
He told mourners that the day his son graduated from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in April 2006, "was one of the happiest days of our lives". | |
Lt Bracho-Cooke was from the 2nd Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. | Lt Bracho-Cooke was from the 2nd Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. |
His body was laid to rest with military honours at Hove Cemetery. |