Iraq road death soldier named

Lance Corporal James Cartwright, 21, from the Badger Squadron, 2 Royal Tank Regiment, was killed when the Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle he was driving slid off a bridge into a small canal and overturned.

The vehicle had been involved in securing a route for a re-supply convoy when the accident happened in the As Sarraji district south of Basra.

In spite of his colleagues' best efforts to get him out of the vehicle and revive him, Lc Cpl Cartwright was later declared dead, the MoD said.

Lc Cpl Cartwright, from London, who joined the Army in August 2003, had been in Iraq since last month after deploying as part of the Irish Guards Battle Group.

The soldier, who leaves behind a fiancee Natalie, had planned to leave the armed forces and become a fireman in Lincolnshire.

His colleagues paid tribute to "a consummate professional" who was committed to his duties despite his decision to embark on a different career.

Lieutenant Colonel David Catmur, Commanding Officer of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, said: "Lance Corporal Cartwright was a professional soldier and a committed "Tankie". Despite the fact that he had planned to leave the Army to become a fireman in Lincolnshire, he still deployed to Iraq out of loyalty to his Squadron and Regiment. He was a renowned character and will be sorely missed by those who worked with him.

"Lance Corporal Cartwright died in the service of his country, in the line of duty and alongside his comrades. The thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences of the whole Regiment are with his family and his many close friends."

Lieutenant Colonel Michael O'Dwyer MBE, Commanding Officer of the Irish Guards Battle Group in Iraq, said the "unflappable" and "determined" soldier was a source of inspiration for his colleagues.