Sam Bassett
We feel so tempted to tell you,
in an older English way, Sam
to “pick up thy musket”
Knowing that you’d understand
And we shall think of you in the same bright light we shine for Rifleman Dodds
Hoping that you’ll get the link
1 Platoon will miss you as a friend in arms, a comrade, a fighting man among men
Your family will miss you most
The rest of us will share a common moment of despair at the loss of “one of our own”
Whose body fell while on patrol in a foreign field
Dealing only in reassurance of troubled souls in the desert sun, routine, they said
But now, like that older England you could stand for, heroic, you are gone.
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A British soldier who died in hospital on Sunday a week after an explosion in Afghanistan has been named as Rifleman Samuel Bassett, from Plymouth, Devon.
The 20-year-old, of 1 Platoon, 4th Battalion The Rifles, was serving as part of the 3 Rifles Battle Group.
He was injured by a bomb near Sangin, in northern Helmand province.
His platoon was conducting a routine patrol of the area to reassure the local population and comrades paid tribute to his dedication.
