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Cpl Loren Owen Christopher Marlton-Thomas

A EULOGY FOR

CORPORAL LOREN OWEN CHRISTOPHER MARLTON-THOMAS
49 FIELD SQUADRON (EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL)

BY

LIEUTENANT COLONEL D W SOUTHALL MBE ROYAL ENGINEERS
COMMANDING OFFICER
33 ENGINEER REGIMENT (EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL)

I’m very grateful to Nicola for allowing me to say a few words today, specifically about Loren’s time in the Army. Whilst there is much grief and sorrow in the Regiment at this time, I hope we will also be able to honour the heroic sacrifice that Loren has made.

Loren was ‘Army Barmy’ from a very young age; he first joined the scouts, then the cadets, before finally enlisted into the Royal Engineers in 1998, marching into the Army Apprentices College as a keen young Sapper on 7th September that year. He romped through basic training before being posted to Germany to earn his spurs, first in 35 Engineer Regiment in Hameln and then within 21 Engineer Regiment in Osnabruck.

Life was busy but fun in Germany and Loren soon made his mark, not just during some testing deployments to Northern Ireland, Canada and the Oman, but also as a bright and happy go lucky JNCO who’d always have time to share a beer with you, providing, of course, you were prepared to chat about cars!

Loren then found himself back in Northern Ireland, this time as a Search Team Commander. During this tour he met his wife to be, Nicola, and having moved to Wimbish, he proposed just prior to a deployment to Iraq. Once back from Basrah, they were married in Spain. Ask any of his friends in the Regiment and they’ll not hesitate to tell you this was the happiest day of his life.

Loren deployed earlier this year, with 49 Field Squadron (EOD) to Afghanistan. His role, in leading Search Teams to find Improvised Explosive Devices (or roadside bombs) was undeniably amongst the toughest of any in Helmand Province. Despite this, Loren was one of the most irrepressible and positive Junior Commanders you could meet. He was truly passionate about his profession and he revelled in his Search Team Commander role, something I know that is difficult for many outside the military to understand.

We ask extraordinary things of our soldiers in these most testing and demanding of times; but what drives any man forward in such situations? Well, its young commanders like Cpl Loren Marlton-Thomas who provide the very bedrock on which extraordinary actions are delivered daily in Afghanistan. Loren embodied the values and standards upon which our service depends - loyal, courageous and always selfless; you’d always find him right in the thick of it whatever the challenge. I’ll remember Loren as an honest and uncomplicated soldier, big in character and big in heart – he was one of life’s optimists - everybody loved him and nothing ever got him down.

Whilst striving to rid Afghanistan of IEDs, and make the country a safer place for both our troops and the Afghan people, Loren has made the ultimate sacrifice. My soldiers have now lost a courageous and committed NCO, my Regiment has lost part of its family and we have all lost a true friend.

Our thoughts are with Nicola, his wife and his family; we share their grief and will not forget the sacrifice Loren has made.

Comments

Carl Shepherdson writes [20th June 2011]:

Loz, its been nearly 2 years since you were taken from us, the pain of you not being here any longer is still very strong, I miss you buddy I will see you soon and I promise I will bring plenty of Stella when we meet again.

Shep

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