[Marinir] [bbc] Hercules crash 10 UK servicemen feared killed

[YapHongGie]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4226213.stm

Last Updated: Tuesday, 1 February, 2005, 15:46 GMT
Hercules crash servicemen named
Flags were flown at half-mast at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire

The 10 UK servicemen feared killed when an RAF Hercules crashed in central
Iraq on Sunday have been named by the Ministry of Defence.
The plane crashed 25 miles (40km) north-west of Baghdad.
The al-Jazeera TV channel has broadcast apparent claims by insurgents that
they shot down the aircraft. The MoD has not verified this.
The UK has sent a senior official to Iraq to investigate why the Hercules
came down.

Largest loss
The men's deaths would represent the largest single loss of British life in
Iraq since military action began.
Eight of the men feared killed were crew from RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.
They were Flt Lt David Stead, 35, Flt Lt Andrew Smith, 25, Flt Lt Paul
Pardoel, 35, Master Engineer Gary Nicholson, 42, Ch Tech Richard Brown, 40,
Flt Sgt Mark Gibson, 34, Sgt Robert O'Connor, 38, and Cpl David Williams,
37.

Australian Flt Lt Paul Pardoel, 35, with wife Kellie
A ninth RAF man on board, Sqn Ldr Patrick Marshall, 39, was from Strike
Command Headquarters at RAF High Wycombe.
Acting L/Cpl Steven Jones, 25, was a soldier serving with the Royal Signals
and a passenger on the Hercules.
The MoD said it was confirming their names with "very deep regret".
It says the plane was on a routine transport flight. The BBC's Mark Urban
says special forces were on board.
The Queen has sent her "deepest sympathy" to the men's families and said she
was "saddened" by the news.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has expressed "sympathy and condolences".

Tributes paid
Floral tributes had been left outside RAF Lyneham.
Station commander Gp Capt Paul Oborn paid tribute to "one of our best"
crews.
"The whole of RAF Lyneham feels this loss intensely and our thoughts,
prayers and deepest sympathies are with the families, friends and colleagues
of those involved," he said.

Clare Bateman-Jones, a cousin of crew-member Flt Sgt Gibson, said the news
had come as a "great shock".
"Mark loved being in the RAF and couldn't wait to join when he left school
at 18. He was always such a happy guy, easy to be around, very laid back.
It's terribly sad," she said.
Video footage
A video shown on al-Jazeera was reported to have come from insurgents who
claim they shot down the plane, showing burning wreckage on the ground.
A spokesman for the news channel said the video came from a faction of the
1920 Revolution Brigade, a group named after the uprising against the
British after World War I.

It is unclear if the wreckage shown in the video is of a Hercules C-130
The footage did not show missiles hitting a plane, and it was not certain
that the wreckage was that of a Hercules C-130.
An MoD spokesman said press reports of a bomb on board were "speculation".
"Bombs on board, missile strikes, explosions - that's a matter for the crash
investigators to work through and advise on," they said.
Marshy terrain and hostile local forces were likely to hamper the
investigation which could take weeks, they added.
The RAF has said people on the ground are sifting through the aircraft
debris.
Wreckage from the C-130 plane, which is known for its reliability, was
spread over a wide area, after crashing in fine conditions at 1725 local
time (1425 GMT).

The plane had been on its way to Balad, which is home to about 25,000 US
troops and has been the frequent target of mortar attacks by Iraqi
insurgents.
The MoD has a phone number for concerned relatives to call: 08457 800 900