Lance Corporal Jeffery Jenner

Jeffery Jenner from Dawlish Exeter enlisted into The Parachute Regiment in January 2003.

After completing P Company he was posted to A Company, the 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (1 PARA).

In April 2005 he was promoted to Lance Corporal and during his service in 1 PARA he served in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal ‘Jeff’ Jenner died of Cancer on 23 March 2012, aged 35 years.

Extracts from the Eulogy by Lt Col Sandry

'Jeff Jenner When speaking to Jeff a few weeks ago, I asked him why he wanted to join up. He said he wanted adventure and to do something different with his life. And when looking at the Army he knew there was only one Regiment he should join. The Parachute Regiment. A determined man, he knew he would have to mentally and physically robust. He knew he would have to be prepared. Therefore, after a full day’s painting and decorating, he would come home and then go out and beast himself doing long runs. He became immensely fit.

He took this attitude to PARA Coy and passed through with ease. He then gained his wings and arrived at 1 PARA in 2003 joining A Coy. Intelligent and articulate he was selected for the Signals Cadre in which he gained a strong pass and thus joined the Signals Platoon.

However after a bit he felt he wanted a change and completed the Fire Support Group Cadre and joined Support Company. He was promoted to LCpl in April 2005.

He loved being in the Parachute Regiment, believed in what it stood for and knew the men he served with were a very special breed and he thoroughly enjoyed sharing the banter and the crack.

During his final few weeks, Jeff’s spirit, bravery, fortitude and sheer determination were there for all to see. His dignity was inspiring and I was amazed that although he was very unwell he wanted to know how the Unit was and what were the blokes doing. His strength of character lasted through to the end. This was typified by one of his last actions.

Nikki, in his final few hours of life you turned to him and said, "you Paratroopers are all the same, you never know when to give up’" All energy gone unable to raise his head, he clenched his fist, pushed his thumb out and raised it up. What spirit. That is what it meant to be a Paratrooper to Jeff. God, you can take this man from this earth, but once a Paratrooper, always a Paratrooper. You leave behind Nikki and Jay in whom your spirit lives on. I know Jay will grow up to be a fine man; he does after all have a fine father.

Goodbye my brother Paratrooper. We will carry on knowing that a Great man walked amongst us and always will. We salute you and will miss you.'