Colour Sergeant Alan Cameron, 1st Battalion Scots Guards


Colour Sergeant Alan Cameron from 1st Battalion Scots Guards died on 31 March 2011 as a result of wounds he received in Afghanistan on 13 April 2010.

Colour Sergeant Cameron received serious injuries when he was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device while on foot patrol north of Lashkar Gah on 13 April 2010.

Colour Sergeant Cameron succumbed to his wounds and died suddenly at home in Livingston, Scotland on March 31, 2011. He was 42.

Colour Sergeant Cameron, or 'Cammy' as he was known, had been making a good recovery from his wounds after undergoing a number of difficult operations. The post mortem found that his death was directly attributable to the injuries he suffered last year.

Colour Sergeant Cameron's family paid the following tribute to him:

"The whole family is devastated by the sudden loss of a dear family member, who has sadly lost his battle to overcome injuries sustained on operations. Alan (Cammy) fulfilled his childhood dreams of becoming a soldier in 1989 when he joined the Scots Guards. He was very passionate about Army Life and as a very experienced, professional soldier; he loved the challenges involved in operating in an operational environment.

"The family would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Team Medics and medical staff involved in saving Alan's life initially as this allowed us a further year in the company of a great man.

"The family would also like to thank the 1st Battalion Scots Guards for their continued support at this very difficult time."

Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Lincoln Jopp MC, said:

"Colour Sergeant Cameron was a real father figure in the Battalion. Whether in Canada in charge of his beloved Javelin platoon or in Afghanistan in charge of the Fire Support Group, with his greying hair and knowing smile he was someone everyone looked up to and admired, particularly me. He was a gentleman in all the best meanings of that word.

"When he was so severely injured last year, the Battalion was totally shocked and many prayers were said for both Cammy and another Scots
Guardsman who was injured in the same incident. The fact that both men lived was testament to their own inner resilience as well as the
incredible medical support they were given, from the Guardsmen on the ground right up to the greatest consultants in the land.

"Cammy was making incredible progress in his recovery and it was with huge pride that I stood next to him as he talked lucidly with HRH The Prince of Wales at our Brigade memorial service last December and more recently when he was presented to HRH The Princess Royal at the Calcutta Cup.  I was so proud of him. He was an almost permanent fixture at Headley Court for months, but could not have been more generous in the praise he gave the staff there for his progress. He was an inspiration to many there, not least the younger soldiers suffering from similar head injuries whom Colour Sergeant Cameron buoyed up. Even when injured he remained a model Scots Guardsman.

"And so it was out of a clear blue sky that we heard that he had collapsed and died in Livingston.  It has hit us all very hard and our sincerest and deepest condolences go out to his son Dean, Dean's mother Yvonne, his partner and constant companion Nicola, his parents, brothers, sister and all his wider family. We share in their sense of bewilderment and loss.

"The only consolation I can take from this devastating news is that in the year we had with Cammy after he was blown up, he could not have been
more loved or more supported. He will have died knowing just how much he was loved by us all. We honour our fallen. "