Military funeral for Skipton soldier Gareth Thursby (From Craven Herald)

Military funeral for Skipton soldier Gareth Thursby

10:00am Monday 15th October 2012 in News

Skipton soldier Gareth Thursby, shot dead in Afghanistan, will be given a full military funeral.

Sgt Thursby, who served with 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was shot by a man dressed as an Afghan policeman at a checkpoint in the south of Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province last month.

Also killed was Private Thomas Wroe, 18, from Holmfirth, whose funeral was held last week.

Both men were remembered at the start of Tuesday’s full meeting of Craven District Council.

Sgt Thursby’s funeral will take place at Holy Trinity Church, Skipton, on Friday, October 26 at noon and will be attended by soldiers from the regiment, who are due to finish their tour of duty in Afghanistan in a few days.

Sgt Thursby, 29, was brought up in the Broughton Road area of Skipton and joined the Army after leaving South Craven School, Cross Hills, in 1999. He had previously been a member of the Skipton Army Cadet Force.

He married his wife, Louise, at St Thomas’ Church, Sutton-in-Craven, in 2005 and had two children, Joshua and Ruby.