Corporal John Rigby
Corporal John Rigby, of the 4th Battalion The Rifles, died on his 24th birthday just hours after he was injured in a roadside bomb in Iraq in June 2007. His twin brother Will, also a British soldier, was by his side when John died of his wounds in a field hospital near Basra. His family set up a Group Fund on-line so that friends, relatives, colleagues and other well-wishers could contribute to a very special woodland dedication in John's memory. Brede High Woods, near his home in East Sussex, was chosen for the dedication, and a traditional oak bench in John's name was placed there where any visitor can rest awhile and enjoy the beauty and peace that this beautiful wood has to offer.
Corporal Rigby's father, Doug, said: John was a cherished and devoted son and brother and a talented, hardworking and successful soldier, popular with his peers and across all ranks alike.' His death was a very public thing, creating a huge story in the media at the time, but our dedication of woodland in his memory was a very private affair. Brede High Woods is a place of enormous family significance because I fish at the Powdermill Reservoir which the woods wrap around, and since the boys were in their early teens we'd spend whole days together sat in boats, often going for a walk amongst the trees afterwards.
