Tribute to Nimrod death soldier

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The parents of a Sussex soldier killed in Afghanistan have said they have no regrets their son joined the Army.

L/Cpl Oliver Dicketts, who grew up in Wadhurst, died alongside 13 others when the RAF Nimrod plane he was in crashed near Kandahar.

The soldier's parents said their son had loved the Army and his work, and while the loss was "a terrible shock", they were "immensely proud" of him.

His father Robert Dicketts said: "Obviously we knew there was a risk."

He said: "We never tried to dissuade him from doing what he did. It's very difficult. He was a fantastic son."

And he said: "The Army was something he always wanted to do.

"Obviously we knew that when he was going to Afghanistan there was a risk.

He died doing what he enjoyed doing and what he had chosen to do Priscilla Dicketts

"He was in Iraq in 2003 at the beginning - we had three televisions on all the time for the first day or two.

"Then we said if something happens to him we'll soon find out. Obviously we were worried, but he did something he loved."

He said his son, who was an outdoors man, a keen sportsman, a highly qualified scuba diver and skydiver, would be greatly missed.

L/Cpl Dicketts' mother, Priscilla, said he had been "great fun".

But she added: "How does anybody feel when they lose their only child? You lose a part of yourself.

"You lose the opportunity of seeing your son married, having grandchildren, so many things.

"But at the same time there's no point in regretting it, because he died doing what he enjoyed doing and what he had chosen to do."

Twelve of the 14 men killed in the Nimrod crash on Saturday were based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland.

The two others were a Royal Marine and L/Cpl Dicketts.

An inquiry is under way, with a technical fault so far being blamed.