Sapper
36 Engineer Regiment
Corps of Royal Engineers
British Army
He was serving as a searcher with the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Task Force deployed with the UK contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
He was killed in an explosion during an IED clearance operation in the Sangin district centre area of Helmand province. There will be a military investigation as this incident may have been caused by friendly fire. As members of the search team were moving into position, a smoke screen was requested to enable their movement. Initial reports suggest that one of the smoke shells landed short of its intended target, killing Spr Smith. The Ministry of Defence will not release any further information until the investigation is complete.
Aged 26, from Swanley in Kent. Spr Smith enlisted in June 2001 and, following training as a Combat Engineer and trade training as a Communications and Information Systems Operator, he was posted to 36 Engineer Regiment in December 2002. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 and on his first tour to Afghanistan in 2007. In March 2010, having successfully completed the Royal Engineer Search Course, he volunteered for a second tour to Afghanistan. Popular and respected among his comrades, he is remembered as a real character with an unrivalled wit and sense of humour. His close-knit group of friends will miss his fun loving personality and compassionate heart. He was also an avid Tottenham Hotspur FC fan.
Spr Smith leaves behind his mother Helen and brother Shane, stepfather Doug Lovelock, stepsiblings Gemma and Marc Lovelock, along with other family members and many friends. On behalf of the family, a close friend said, "Mark Smith, fondly known by his friends as "Smit" and Army colleagues as "Smudge", was truly unique. His cheeky grin could light up a room and his zest for life was an inspiration to us all. His friendship and loyalty to those closest to him knew no bounds and I am truly honoured to have called him my friend. Smit will be greatly missed but it is difficult to think of him without smiling as he had a unique ability to lift anyone from the most sombre of moods and was always the life and soul of the party. He loved his Army life and his courage and bravery, all inspiring. Mark was a loveable rogue and the world will certainly be a sadder place without him."
Funeral with full military honours was held on August 19, 2010 at St Martin's Church, Eynsford.
He is buried one row over from Lt Oliver Augustin in the local churchyard.
*Sincere thanks to Edda Meinikat for her generous sponsorship of this memorial.
*A heartfelt thank you to Spr Smith's mother, Helen, for sharing the grave photos.
*Thanks to Geoffrey Gillon, Forscher, Stephen Archer and Peter Evetts-Imray for the photos.
36 Engineer Regiment
Corps of Royal Engineers
British Army
He was serving as a searcher with the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Task Force deployed with the UK contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
He was killed in an explosion during an IED clearance operation in the Sangin district centre area of Helmand province. There will be a military investigation as this incident may have been caused by friendly fire. As members of the search team were moving into position, a smoke screen was requested to enable their movement. Initial reports suggest that one of the smoke shells landed short of its intended target, killing Spr Smith. The Ministry of Defence will not release any further information until the investigation is complete.
Aged 26, from Swanley in Kent. Spr Smith enlisted in June 2001 and, following training as a Combat Engineer and trade training as a Communications and Information Systems Operator, he was posted to 36 Engineer Regiment in December 2002. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 and on his first tour to Afghanistan in 2007. In March 2010, having successfully completed the Royal Engineer Search Course, he volunteered for a second tour to Afghanistan. Popular and respected among his comrades, he is remembered as a real character with an unrivalled wit and sense of humour. His close-knit group of friends will miss his fun loving personality and compassionate heart. He was also an avid Tottenham Hotspur FC fan.
Spr Smith leaves behind his mother Helen and brother Shane, stepfather Doug Lovelock, stepsiblings Gemma and Marc Lovelock, along with other family members and many friends. On behalf of the family, a close friend said, "Mark Smith, fondly known by his friends as "Smit" and Army colleagues as "Smudge", was truly unique. His cheeky grin could light up a room and his zest for life was an inspiration to us all. His friendship and loyalty to those closest to him knew no bounds and I am truly honoured to have called him my friend. Smit will be greatly missed but it is difficult to think of him without smiling as he had a unique ability to lift anyone from the most sombre of moods and was always the life and soul of the party. He loved his Army life and his courage and bravery, all inspiring. Mark was a loveable rogue and the world will certainly be a sadder place without him."
Funeral with full military honours was held on August 19, 2010 at St Martin's Church, Eynsford.
He is buried one row over from Lt Oliver Augustin in the local churchyard.
*Sincere thanks to Edda Meinikat for her generous sponsorship of this memorial.
*A heartfelt thank you to Spr Smith's mother, Helen, for sharing the grave photos.
*Thanks to Geoffrey Gillon, Forscher, Stephen Archer and Peter Evetts-Imray for the photos.
Sapper
36 Engineer Regiment
Corps of Royal Engineers
British Army
He was serving as a searcher with the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Task Force deployed with the UK contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
He was killed in an explosion during an IED clearance operation in the Sangin district centre area of Helmand province. There will be a military investigation as this incident may have been caused by friendly fire. As members of the search team were moving into position, a smoke screen was requested to enable their movement. Initial reports suggest that one of the smoke shells landed short of its intended target, killing Spr Smith. The Ministry of Defence will not release any further information until the investigation is complete.
Aged 26, from Swanley in Kent. Spr Smith enlisted in June 2001 and, following training as a Combat Engineer and trade training as a Communications and Information Systems Operator, he was posted to 36 Engineer Regiment in December 2002. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 and on his first tour to Afghanistan in 2007. In March 2010, having successfully completed the Royal Engineer Search Course, he volunteered for a second tour to Afghanistan. Popular and respected among his comrades, he is remembered as a real character with an unrivalled wit and sense of humour. His close-knit group of friends will miss his fun loving personality and compassionate heart. He was also an avid Tottenham Hotspur FC fan.
Spr Smith leaves behind his mother Helen and brother Shane, stepfather Doug Lovelock, stepsiblings Gemma and Marc Lovelock, along with other family members and many friends. On behalf of the family, a close friend said, "Mark Smith, fondly known by his friends as "Smit" and Army colleagues as "Smudge", was truly unique. His cheeky grin could light up a room and his zest for life was an inspiration to us all. His friendship and loyalty to those closest to him knew no bounds and I am truly honoured to have called him my friend. Smit will be greatly missed but it is difficult to think of him without smiling as he had a unique ability to lift anyone from the most sombre of moods and was always the life and soul of the party. He loved his Army life and his courage and bravery, all inspiring. Mark was a loveable rogue and the world will certainly be a sadder place without him."
Funeral with full military honours was held on August 19, 2010 at St Martin's Church, Eynsford.
He is buried one row over from Lt Oliver Augustin in the local churchyard.
*Sincere thanks to Edda Meinikat for her generous sponsorship of this memorial.
*A heartfelt thank you to Spr Smith's mother, Helen, for sharing the grave photos.
*Thanks to Geoffrey Gillon, Forscher, Stephen Archer and Peter Evetts-Imray for the photos.
36 Engineer Regiment
Corps of Royal Engineers
British Army
He was serving as a searcher with the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Task Force deployed with the UK contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
He was killed in an explosion during an IED clearance operation in the Sangin district centre area of Helmand province. There will be a military investigation as this incident may have been caused by friendly fire. As members of the search team were moving into position, a smoke screen was requested to enable their movement. Initial reports suggest that one of the smoke shells landed short of its intended target, killing Spr Smith. The Ministry of Defence will not release any further information until the investigation is complete.
Aged 26, from Swanley in Kent. Spr Smith enlisted in June 2001 and, following training as a Combat Engineer and trade training as a Communications and Information Systems Operator, he was posted to 36 Engineer Regiment in December 2002. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 and on his first tour to Afghanistan in 2007. In March 2010, having successfully completed the Royal Engineer Search Course, he volunteered for a second tour to Afghanistan. Popular and respected among his comrades, he is remembered as a real character with an unrivalled wit and sense of humour. His close-knit group of friends will miss his fun loving personality and compassionate heart. He was also an avid Tottenham Hotspur FC fan.
Spr Smith leaves behind his mother Helen and brother Shane, stepfather Doug Lovelock, stepsiblings Gemma and Marc Lovelock, along with other family members and many friends. On behalf of the family, a close friend said, "Mark Smith, fondly known by his friends as "Smit" and Army colleagues as "Smudge", was truly unique. His cheeky grin could light up a room and his zest for life was an inspiration to us all. His friendship and loyalty to those closest to him knew no bounds and I am truly honoured to have called him my friend. Smit will be greatly missed but it is difficult to think of him without smiling as he had a unique ability to lift anyone from the most sombre of moods and was always the life and soul of the party. He loved his Army life and his courage and bravery, all inspiring. Mark was a loveable rogue and the world will certainly be a sadder place without him."
Funeral with full military honours was held on August 19, 2010 at St Martin's Church, Eynsford.
He is buried one row over from Lt Oliver Augustin in the local churchyard.
*Sincere thanks to Edda Meinikat for her generous sponsorship of this memorial.
*A heartfelt thank you to Spr Smith's mother, Helen, for sharing the grave photos.
*Thanks to Geoffrey Gillon, Forscher, Stephen Archer and Peter Evetts-Imray for the photos.
