Jon Hollingsworth
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Jonathan Hollingsworth | |
---|---|
1971 - 2006 | |
Nickname | Jon |
Place of birth | Hull, England |
Place of death | Al Baṣrah, Iraq |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/branch | British Army |
Rank | Sergeant |
Unit | Special Air Service |
Battles/wars | The Troubles Operation Telic |
Awards | Conspicuous Gallantry Cross Queen's Gallantry Medal |
Sergeant Jonathan Stuart Hollingsworth CGC, QGM who died on 24 November 2006, at the age of 35, was an SAS soldier.
Described as "an SAS hero" by a British tabloid newspaper, the former paratrooper reportedly sustained gunshot wounds during a raid to capture terror leaders in Basra and later died of his injuries at a nearby military hospital.
Sources suggest he had been recommended for a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross after single-handedly killing six insurgents during a separate raid in the southern Iraq capital only weeks earlier.
He was the 126th British soldier to be killed in operations in Iraq.
Sgt Jonathan Hollingsworth was born in 1971, at Hull, Humberside. Married with a family, he was a member of the Parachute Regiment before eventually joining the SAS.
Only weeks before his death, reports suggested that Sgt Hollingsworth, who embodied the SAS motto "who dares wins", had been shot in the neck during another operation in Basra. The bullet missed his carotid by millimetres but, rather than taking time off to recover, he promptly returned to action.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said: "The death of Sgt Hollingsworth is a terrible loss and my heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family, friends and comrades.
"Sgt Hollingsworth was killed on a successful operation to detain those who were known to attack both civilian and military personnel. He did not die in vain."
Hollingsworth was twice decorated for his gallantry; firstly receiving the Queen's Gallantry Medal as a Corporal in Northern Ireland, and later the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross in Iraq.