Grief in Dales after soldier, 21, killed in Afghanistan (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Grief in Dales after soldier, 21, killed in Afghanistan

9:20am Thursday 10th November 2011 in Settle news By Kate Proctor, Reporter

A DALES community is in shock after a popular young soldier was shot dead in Afghanistan.

Private Matthew Haseldin, 21, of Settle, was killed in Helmand province just weeks into his first tour of the country.

He was the 384th British soldier to die in the conflict.

He was described in the community as ‘a genuine and kind’ man who was ‘always laughing’.

The Army said the former Settle College student had been trying to make the Nahr-e Saraj district safe for locals when his patrol came under attack by insurgents. He died from gunshot wounds.

His death has stunned Settle’s tight-knit community and will add poignancy to local Remembrance Day commemorations tomorrow and on Sunday.

Matthew’s father Alan, who lives in Settle, and his mother Jill, now resident in Cyprus, said: “Matthew was a loving son and we are very proud of him. He had only been in the Army for a few months.

Friends and family will miss him greatly. Rest in Peace.”

Friend Emma Porter, who worked with Mr Haseldin at the Royal Oak pub in Settle, before he joined the army in February this year, said: “We are all absolutely devastated. He was really fun and jokey and always laughing.

“All the locals knew him and he got on well with everybody.

"Sometimes he might come and play pool with his mates when he wasn’t working. He was a big part of the pub.”

Private Haseldin joined the the Mercian regiment nine months ago and had trained at Catterick Garrison before being deployed to Afghanistan in September.

Hundreds of emotional tributes have now been left on a Facebook site set up in his memory from friends, colleagues and fellow soldiers who have praised his friendliness and kindness.

The Rev Alistair Helm, of Settle parish churches, said: “The community has been hit very hard by the loss of such a young life and well-known lad in Settle and Giggleswick. It is particularly important as Remembrance Sunday is upon us. We have let the family know we are there if they need our support.”

Private Haseldin’s body is expected to be flown home to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire today and funeral arrangements will be made once he has been officially repatriated, said an official from the Ministry of Defence.

Private Haseldin was raised in Giggleswick, where he went to primary school, and later became well known to people in Settle, where he worked at the Naked Man Cafe and Booths supermarket.

He briefly lived with his mother in Cyprus before returning to Settle in 2010.

Paul Strickland, owner of The Naked Man, said: “He was a nice, genuine lad who was incredibly polite. I think we all feel deep shock and sympathy for the family. It really is a tragedy and he will be missed incredbily by my nephews who were his closest friends.”

Private Haseldin’s battalion has responsibility for keeping open Route 611, which is a key supply route linking Gereshk city with other district centres in Helmand and beyond, including Kandahar City.

On Thursday morning, his patrol was carrying out a check when it came under sustained attack from small arms and grenades during which Private Haseldin was fatally wounded, said the Ministry of Defence.

Lieutenant Colonel Colin Marks, of the Mercian Regiment, paid tribute to Private Haseldin’s ‘immense character’ and maturity beyond his years which had made him extremely popular with his fellow soliders.

He said: “Steadfast in battle, Matthew faced more challenges in the few short weeks he spent in Helmand than many soldiers experience in a lifetime.”

Settle College science teacher Lionel Edwards, who taught Matthew, said the army was not something he had been considering when he left school but he had clearly been passionate about his new career and had visited the local gym to build up his strength before he signed up.

He said: “This is the first time that the locality has been touched by the war and it comes as a terrible shock.

"Matthew was a quiet lad, who kept his head down and who had a very close group of friends.”