Private Lewis Hendry

Private Lewis Hendry was born in Norwich on 12 February 1990 and educated at Northgate High School, Dereham.

He joined the Army in May 2008, conducting his training at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick. On completion of his training he was posted to 3 PARA. Originally serving in A Company, his performance marked him out from his peers and he was nominated for service in the prestigious Patrols Platoon, moving across in January 2010.

A laid back but highly social individual, he enjoyed football but his true passion was the Parachute Regiment and his fellow Paratroopers. He intended to make a career within the Regiment or the Special Forces, realistic aspirations given his dedication and natural talent.

Private Hendry, from A Company, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), deployed to Afghanistan on 10 October 2010 as a member of the Patrols Platoon detachment serving with A Company. An extremely fit, popular and committed soldier, he fitted in well in this highly motivated and specialist team.

In Afghanistan Private Hendry was employed as an intelligence specialist. His role required him to build relationships with the Afghan locals in the area, using his considerable charm and sense of humour to gather information in order to protect the population and his comrades. However, Private Hendry was still a man with a hard edge. Regularly under fire in one of the most dangerous checkpoints in the area of operations, he demonstrated the same fearlessness in the face of the enemy as he had when boxing at the Battalion.

On 9 February 2011, Private Hendry deployed as part of a foot patrol to reassure the local population and gather census information in a small village north of the Nahr-e Bughra Canal. The patrol came under fire and, during the ensuing firefight, Private Hendry received serious gunshot wounds. Despite receiving immediate medical attention at the scene, and extraction by helicopter, Private Hendry sadly died of his wounds.