Volcanic Ash affects Repatriation Flight
15th April 2010
A flight returning the body of a Swansea soldier killed in Afghanistan has landed early as a cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland grounds UK planes.

Fusilier Jonathan Burgess, 20, of 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, was killed in Helmand province Wednesday 7th April 2010. The plane landed three and a half hours early at RAF Lyneham. From midday Thursday a decision was made that there would be no flights into UK- controlled airspace except in emergency situations.

The embargo encroached on the scheduled timing, to repatriate the latest fallen hero who has paid the ultimate sacrifice serving for his country. A decision was made to bring the gigantic C17 Globemaster to RAF Lyneham ahead of the formal and private ceremony ensuring the major airway disruptions did not affect or delay the poignant moments for the Burgess family.

During Fusilier Jonathan Burgess' four-month tour of Afghanistan, he had carried out several operations while working as a member of 3 Platoon, A Company. He was killed in the Nad Ali area of Helmand Province during fighting while on patrol with colleagues near Showal. The town had been taken by Nato and Afghan forces in February during Operation Moshtarak.

Fusilier Burgess leaves his father Royston, mother Susan, sisters Tracy and Suzanne, and brothers David, Christopher and Ashley. His partner, Kelly, is due to give birth to their child next month. In January, he told the South Wales Evening Post: "I am excited. Kelly is due to give birth in May and I should be back home in April.

The family of Fusilier Burgess, and his fiancée, Kelly, paid the following tribute: "Jonathan was a loving and caring man who enjoyed life to the full. He had an infectious smile that would brighten up anyone's day. We were all very lucky to have had such a wonderful person in our lives. He was a much loved son, brother, friend and fiancé and would have been an amazing father to his baby girl. He will be greatly missed by us all. He will always be our hero."

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Lock, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh Battle Group, said: "Fusilier Jon Burgess was the epitome of a Welsh infantry soldier; fiercely proud of being a Royal Welshman and of the job that he was doing in Afghanistan. A real character in both his platoon and company he could always be relied upon to lift the spirits of his mates. He had already shown himself to be a natural leader, stepping up to command when required; he was marked out for early promotion.

"He had come into his own in Afghanistan, growing in confidence throughout our time here, rising to the many challenges that operations threw at him. He was a tough and dependable field soldier who would always be there for his mates. Jon had been working with his multiple in the Showal area since the start of Operation MOSHTARAK. They have all made a real difference to the lives of the people in the area, keeping the insurgents at bay and ensuring that the people can live their lives in peace. Jon was killed in a firefight with insurgents, fighting alongside his comrades as he always did with a cool head and immense courage.

"All members of the Battle Group are truly shocked by the news of Jon's death. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and especially his fiancée, Kelly, who is expecting their daughter. They can be justly proud of their Welsh Warrior, greatly missed, but never forgotten."

Airports across Britain were deserted today after an unprecedented lock down of airspace prompted by the threat from a deadly cloud of volcanic ash. But with the source of the ash - a volcano 700 miles away in Iceland - still spewing smoke into the atmosphere, there are already fears the chaos could go on for days if not weeks. The cancellations have already caused the greatest mayhem to air travel since the Second World War.


The volcanic ash contains tiny particles of rock and even glass which, when sucked into an aircraft's jet engine, can potentially cause them to fail. While skies above the UK remained clear but eerily quiet, runways emptied and planes were grounded, the air lock down  -  the first in living memory  -  meant misery for millions.

The travel chaos spread across mainland Europe, with airspace closed in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark and all northbound flights from France and Spain cancelled. The closing of UK skies led to a rush for seats on Eurostar, bus and train operators and ferries.