THE Governor of Helmand Province in Afghanistan has visited the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas.
During the visit Gulabuddin Mangal met Lucy Aldridge, mother of Rifleman William Aldridge. William, 18, of 2 Rifles, is the youngest member of UK armed forces to be killed in Afghanistan.
Governor Mangal is in the UK to meet and brief ministers and other MPs on the current situation in Helmand.
William Aldridge was killed by an IED blast in Sangin, Helmand, in July 2009, while helping to extract casualties from a previous explosion in which he too had been injured.
In private conversations with the rifleman’s mother, the governor talked of her son’s bravery and expressed his sincere condolences for both her loss and for the losses experienced by so many other families.
During his tour of the 150-acre National Memorial Arboretum, the governor laid a wreath in remembrance of the UK service personnel who are commemorated on the Armed Forces Memorial.
Governor Mangal said: “I want to pay tribute to William’s mother and, as a father myself, share the pain she has experienced.
“It was an honour to speak to Lucy and talk about her incredibly brave son.
“When peace is achieved in Afghanistan I’ll ensure Lucy visits Helmand to see first-hand what her son was fighting for.” Governor Mangal was in the UK for a week-long visit, which ends today.
During his visit he has called in on the Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs, Defence and International Development, and also met and briefed MPs on what is happening in Helmand.
Governor Mangal also had close-up experience of what life in Britain is like for the Afghan community when he met with members of the community at events in Birmingham and London.
