Shropshire funeral for soldier killed in roadside bomb blast
The funeral of a soldier killed in a roadside bomb blast whilst on patrol in Afghanistan last month has taken place in Shropshire today.
Captain Bowers, of 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, was leading a patrol to clear a position from the threat of insurgents when he was killed by the explosion from an improvised explosive device on 21 March.
A full military service was held at 11am for Captain Bowers at St Bartholomew's Church, Moreton Corbet, his parent’s local church.
He leaves behind his beloved wife, Victoria, and his baby son, Hugo, as well as parents, Patrick and Jane, and sister, Juliet.
Training and Development
Commanding a small team Captain Bowers was responsible for the training and development of the Afghan National Army based in Forward Operating Base Ouellette, in the Mirmandab region of Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand province.
Captain Rupert Bowers was born on 29 July 1987 in Wolverhampton, and after studying at The Old Swinford Hospital and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he commissioned into 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment in April 2007.
After successfully passing the Platoon Commanders’ Battle Course in Brecon he joined his regiment in Afghanistan in 2007 where his actions during a complex insurgent ambush resulted in him being ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’. Upon return from Afghanistan he deployed on exercises in Jamaica and later to Kenya, as a Fire Support Group Commander after qualifying as a Machine Gun Specialist.
Lieutenant Colonel Colin R Marks, Commanding Officer, Combined Force Burma, 2 MERCIAN, said: “His brother officers loved him dearly and we will remember him for his infectious smile and wicked sense of humour.”
