It is with great sadness that this edition of Castle must mark the death of a serving member of The Regiment, Corporal Ashley (Ash) Brown, of the 2nd Battalion. He died suddenly, whilst at home, on the 14th of February; he leaves behind his Wife, Vicky and two young children, Connor and Mollie.

Ash Brown began his career in his early 20s, joining the Poachers after a brief flirtation with the RAF- evidently he deemed planes not tough enough and moved instead to a career in the Infantry. His first experience of the Battalion was in Celle in the early 1990s as a Warrior Battalion; whilst in Germany he deployed to Bosnia on his first operational tour of duty. Subsequently he served in Belize, Cyprus and on operations in Northern Ireland and Iraq.

In his early career he fulfilled a number of roles, including time in the Drums Platoon and its associated task of Machine Gunning. After a stint away from the Battalion with the Poachers’ Recruiting Team in Bassingbourn, he moved to a G4 role in Headquarter Company prior to embarking on his true calling, working in the Battalion Medical Centre as a Combat Medic.

He swiftly passed his Regimental Medical Assistant qualifications up to the highest level, before being sent to the Medical Training Centre at Keogh Barracks to train as a Regimental Combat Medical Technician (Class 1). It is a measure of the man that he was known as the ‘Gentle Giant’ by those on the Course, a reflection of his compassionate nature. Throughout this time he strived to aid those who were less experienced on the Course, thus gaining the respect of his peers and instructors alike.

In the last two years of his career he was posted to the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick, where he adapted well to the training environment and established an outstanding reputation. He was not fazed by the complexities of the training environment and made the most of his time away from the rigours of the operational cycle. Nonetheless he was keenly looking forward to returning to the Medical Centre in Celle, an organisation that is now made much the poorer by his absence.

Ash always exhibited the best attributes of a soldier; he showed true enthusiasm in all he did and was a team player to the highest degree. In his medical career he was meticulous, professional and compassionate; he believed in the worth and character of his fellow soldiers at all times. As a man, his friendship was firm and constant, backed up with an excellent sense of humour. His death was a shock to his many friends in the Battalion, many of whom made the journey to his funeral in Cleethorpes.

Corporal Ashley Brown was buried with full military honours in Cleethorpes Cemetery on 25th February. Many hundreds of mourners from the Regimental community attended to pay their respects. He will be greatly missed in the Medical Centre, in the wider Battalion and by all of his friends and family. Our thoughts are very much with Vicky, Connor and Mollie.

SP