Crawley soldier dies in Afghanistan
A SOLDIER from Crawley who would have been celebrating his birthday on Saturday (July 11) has been named as one the latest casualties fighting in Afghanistan.
Private John Brackpool, 27, of Prince of Wales' Company, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, died on Thursday from a gunshot wound following a battle with insurgents near Lashkar Gah.
Tributes have come in for Private Brackpool with his commander saying he was 'a superb soldier who was easy going, hard working and had a waterproof smile that kept morale going when things got tough'.