Sergeant Lee Andrew Houltram killed in Afghanistan on 29 August
The Royal Marine killed on operations in Afghanistan on Saturday 29 August 2009 has been named as Sergeant Lee Andrew Houltram.
Sergeant Houltram died following an explosion whilst on a foot patrol near Gereshk in Helmand province.
A spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, said at the time of his death:
“This Marine gave his life for his country and the freedom of the Afghan people; there is no greater sacrifice than this.”
While chasing a fanatic into the booby-trapped building nearby, one of Sgt Houltram’s team stepped on a hidden pressure plate – triggering a series of devastating blasts.
As many as five 81mm mortar shells buried in the ground around the commandos exploded simultaneously – killing Sgt Houltram. The explosions also ripped the leg off another SBS commando and wounded two of his colleagues.
Sgt Houltram’s death, near the town of Gereshk on August 29, was covered up by the Ministry of Defence at the time because of the sensitivity of the mission.
Officials simply said “a Royal Marine died following an explosion whilst on a foot patrol”.
Sgt Houltram, a former ex-Royal Marine, was decorated with a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service last year for his Special Forces work on another Afghan tour.
An SBS veteran for a decade, he was “a huge character” in the Poole-based unit.
A Special Boat Service source said: “Andy was a legend in the unit. A jock with a lot of charm, but also hard as nails. All the young lads used to look up to him as someone they could aim to be like with a lot of hard work.
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“His death is a massive loss, and has hit us all hard.”
Despite the heavy casualties the SBS mission was a success.The bomb-making factory was destroyed, meaning numerous more lives could have been saved thanks to the operation.The Taliban also sustained greater losses than the SBS.
A 120-strong task force from the SBS and Army unit the SAS has been dispatched to central Helmand to tackle the plague of Taliban bombs wreaking havoc among British ranks.
Most of the homemade IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) are buried in roads or walls.
But suicide bombers have also caused chaos as they target local people.
The two Special Forces squadrons are being backed by eavesdropping experts from the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, and Paras and Marines.
They are believed to have scored a series of dramatic successes recently against the network, but at a heavy price.
Sgt Houltram is the third SBS hero to die in action in southern Afghanistan since 2006.
Sgt Paul Bartlett, 35, and Lance Cpl Michael Jones, 26, were both killed in different raids on Taliban hideouts. At least 20 have been wounded.
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