Hundreds say cathedral farewell to fallen soldier

Mar 23 2007 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

AROUND 1,500 family members and armed forces personnel yesterday attended a Requiem Mass for a veteran Liverpool-born soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Sgt Major Michael “Mick” Smith died from injuries sustained when insurgents fired a grenade into the UK Army base at Sangin, in Helmand Province, on March 8.

The 39-year-old, from Hunts Cross, had been due to retire from the armed forces in June, after 22 years of military service.

He joined 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery in 1987, having enlisted with the Army two years previously.

He was the team commander of a support observation party while in Afghanistan.

The service at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral was attended by a large contingent from the Royal Artillery, and another from the RAF, where Sgt Major Smith’s brother, Brian, is a Sergeant. Also attending the service were his parents, Brian and Margaret, his two sisters, Moira and Karla, and girlfriend Hayley.

The Union flag-draped coffin was brought into the cathedral to the accompaniment of two pipe-majors from the Liverpool-based 103 Regiment Royal Artillery.

In his address, the main celebrant, Fr Vincent McShane, the parish priest of St John Vianney, Liverpool, said Sgt Major Smith had served all over the world, in places such as Northern Ireland, Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan as well as on exercises in Brunei, Canada, Kenya, France and Norway.

He said Sgt Major Smith had striven to bring “peace, justice and reconciliation” wherever he had been deployed.

In his eulogy, Major Adam Bate, of the 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, said: “Having had the privilege of commanding Sgt Major Smith on and off for the last eight years out of an exemplary 22 years of extremely loyal service, it comes as absolutely no surprise to see so many people here today to pay their last respects to somebody so vibrant and energetic.