Gordon Pritchard (soldier)
Encyclopedia
Gordon Alexander Pritchard (1 October 1974 - 31 January 2006) was a corporal
in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
regiment of the British Army
who served in the Iraq War until he was killed in a bomb explosion in Umm Qasr
. He was the 100th British soldier to die in the conflict.
Pritchard was born in the British Military Hospital in Munster, Germany, the son of a serving Royal Scots Dragoon Guard
. Pritchard and his family moved home frequently in his childhood, living in Catterick
, Berlin
, London
, Fallingbostel and Düsseldorf
. He was educated at Queen Victoria School, Dunblane
and the King's School
in Gutersloh, Germany.
Pritchard joined the Royal Armoured Corps
in 1992 aged 18, and was assigned as a gunner to a tank squadron based in Warminster
. In 1995 he was posted to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and was sent to Bosnia
in 1996. He became a husband and father before being posted to Kosovo
in 2000, he later returned to England to become a highly capable instructor at the Army Training Regiment in Winchester
. He returned to active duty in January 2004, taking command of a Challenger 2 tank
in The Desert Rats or the UK 7th Armoured Brigade. He was sent to Iraq and was deployed to Umm Qasr in October 2005, and on 31 January the following year he was killed when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb that also injured three other soldiers.
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of...
regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
who served in the Iraq War until he was killed in a bomb explosion in Umm Qasr
Umm Qasr
Umm Qasr , is a port city in southern Iraq. It stands on the canalised Khawr az-Zubayr, part of the Khawr Abd Allah estuary which leads to the Persian Gulf. It is separated from the border of Kuwait by a small inlet...
. He was the 100th British soldier to die in the conflict.
Pritchard was born in the British Military Hospital in Munster, Germany, the son of a serving Royal Scots Dragoon Guard
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of...
. Pritchard and his family moved home frequently in his childhood, living in Catterick
Catterick, North Yorkshire
Catterick , sometimes Catterick Village, to distinguish it from the nearby Catterick Garrison, is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Fallingbostel and Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. He was educated at Queen Victoria School, Dunblane
Dunblane
Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...
and the King's School
King's School (Gütersloh)
King's School is a secondary school in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Serving the children of British military families stationed in the area, it is the largest school in Service Children's Education.-History:...
in Gutersloh, Germany.
Pritchard joined the Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
in 1992 aged 18, and was assigned as a gunner to a tank squadron based in Warminster
Warminster
Warminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...
. In 1995 he was posted to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and was sent to Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
in 1996. He became a husband and father before being posted to Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
in 2000, he later returned to England to become a highly capable instructor at the Army Training Regiment in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. He returned to active duty in January 2004, taking command of a Challenger 2 tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
in The Desert Rats or the UK 7th Armoured Brigade. He was sent to Iraq and was deployed to Umm Qasr in October 2005, and on 31 January the following year he was killed when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb that also injured three other soldiers.