Shropshire skydive for bomb blast victim soldier

Weeks later he was killed by a roadside bomb whilst leading a patrol – leaving his family devastated.

Now, nearly three years after the tragedy, sister Juliet Bowers, 24, will be skydiving to raise money for Help for Heroes.

"Ever since he was killed I wanted to do something in his memory," said Miss Bowers. "He lived an exciting life, so when I was deciding what to do I thought it ought to be something exciting.

"I thought, why not do a skydive? We both enjoyed exciting things, so it seemed like a good idea."

Captain Bowers, whose parents live in Moreton Corbet, near Shawbury, was 24 when he died leading a patrol to clear the area of insurgents in Helmand Province on March 21 2012.

A former pupil of the Kingsland Grange School in Shrewsbury, he was part of the 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment and was working alongside an Afghan security forces patrol when he was killed by the improvised bomb.

Living with wife Victoria in Oakham, Leicestershire, at the time, the couple had welcomed their newborn son Hugo in February.

Miss Bowers, a nursery nurse, said: "His death was a huge shock to the whole family.

"Four weeks beforehand he had been home, and he only had his son born in February. There was only about two weeks left for him to go and he was coming home.

"It was hard, knowing what he was doing and of course as a family we worried about him.

"There was no point worrying ourselves."

The funeral saw hundreds pay their respects to the soldier who was honoured for his bravery in action in the 2008 for his part in rescuing a soldier. Miss Bowers said her brother had always been a leader, even through childhood.

She said: "He was always a soldier – you could say he was born with a beret on his head.

"He always loved it, taking command. He was a very good leader and would always be at the front.

"We used to run round the garden a lot growing up, we were always making bows and arrows and that sort of thing, seeing who could make the strongest bow.

"I think a lot of the stuff we used to do would have broken a few health and safety rules. Once I was in the supermarket and he asked me to buy three cans of hairspray and four sacks of potatoes – he was making a spud cannon.

"He was very inventive and if anyone told him he couldn't, he'd find a way to make it work."

He died on his third tour of duty on the front line.

Miss Bowers said: "He was very proud of his work in Afghanistan. If people asked him why we were there he would have his reasons and he really believed in what they were doing.

"He would be very confident with what he was doing, and he knew why he was helping and the good he was doing."

The Bowers family has all been fully supportive of Juliet's decision to take on a skydive for her brother, and she will be joined for the leap by partner David Cantwell, 23.

"A lot of people have already said they would sponsor me.

"I'm sure Victoria will be behind me as well. Their son is going to start pre-school in January or February and he is doing really well. He'll be three in February."

Miss Bowers is planning to take the leap in June 4 in Nottingham. To donate, visit www.bmycharity.com/skydivingforrupert