THREE soldiers killed in Afghanistan died as a result of enemy action whilst serving their country, inquests heard today.

THREE soldiers killed in Afghanistan died as a result of enemy action whilst serving their country, inquests heard today.

Inquests in Bury St Edmunds this morning heard how both Lance Corporal Adam Drane, 23, of Hoggards Green in Stanningfield, Bury, and Lance Corporal of Horse Jonathan Woodgate, 26, of Bolton Street in Sudbury both died, at different times, in Afghanistan.

The inquest was told how L/Cpl Drane, serving with the Royal Anglians, was based in an observation post when he was shot on December 7 last year.

Explaining what happened, Lieutenant Colonel Justin Holt said the shot which killed L/Cpl Drane followed five minutes after a previous shot had been heard to ring out.

Lt Col Holt said “every effort” was made to revive L/Cpl Drane. However, he was declared dead on arrival at Camp Bastion.

A verdict of death as a result of enemy action whilst on active service was recorded.

The second inquest to be heard this morning related to the death of L/Cpl of Horse Woodgate.

The hearing was told how he died as a result of a hand grenade explosion.

He was part of a four-man troop sent into the village of Kowshall Kalay to clear the area of insurgents on March 26 this year.

But when he and a colleague were in an alleyway between compounds, the pair heard a pinging sound as the pin of a grenade was removed.

There was an explosion and L/Cpl of Horse Woodgate was lying face down having suffered extensive injuries to the left side of his body.

Dr Peter Dean, the Greater Suffolk Coroner, recorded a verdict that L/Cpl of Horse Woodgate died as a result of enemy action whilst on active service.

Senior Aircraftsman Luke Southgate, 20, from Bury St Edmunds, was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) on February 24 this year, the inquest into his death heard.

He was on his way back from dealing with a suspected enemy rocket close to Kandahar Airfield when the WMIK vehicle he was driving set off the device.

During the task SAC Southgate would had driven up and down the same track a number of times.

The inquest heard how Dr Russell Delaney, the Home Office pathologist, said given the nature of his injuries he would have expected him to have been rendered unconscious almost simultaneously with death very soon after.

The coroner ruled his death was as a result of enemy action while on active service.

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