Private Aaron McClure

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The story of AARON MCCLURE came to my attention when a newspaper article mentioning the mural that had been created in his memory. It was commissioned by the school in Ipswich, which he attended, and is on the wall in the front of the school. A brief history, as part of his funeral, is below the picture.

On the wall of the school where Aaron attended - Westbourne Academy in Ipswich

`Private Aaron McClure, who died on 23 August 2007 in a so-called “friendly fire” incident that also killed two other UK soldiers, was serving in Afghanistan with 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Despite his young age – he was 19 at the time of his death - Private McClure was a veteran of more than forty conflict operations.
The two other soldiers who died were Private John Thrumble and Private Robert Foster
Colleagues described Private McClure as a highly capable, motivated soldier with great ambition and potential, but his talent was hidden by a modest, unassuming personality and a quiet confidence in his abilities.
He was regarded by colleagues as “incredibly focused” on his career and as tough mentally as he was physically.
Private Aaron James McClure, affectionately known as ‘Troy’, was from Ipswich. He joined the Army in March 2006 and completed rifleman training at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick.
In October 2006, Private McClure joined the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, participating in exercises in the UK and Kenya.
He was deployed to Helmand Province in Afghanistan the following March to serve as a rifleman in 7 Platoon B (Suffolk) Company. It was his first operational tour and he was involved in many close-range engagements with the Taliban.
On 23 August 2007, PrivateMcClure’s platoon was on patrol near Kajaki, northern Helmand Province, when they came under attack by Taliban forces. Air support was requested from two American F15 aircraft and it appears that a bomb dropped by one of the planes hit the compound where Private McClure and his colleagues were located.`
Location: Marlow Rd, Ipswich IP1 5JN, UK

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