As I write this update we are all coming to terms with the death of LCpl Paul "Sandy" Sandford who was killed in action whilst leading his fire team in an assault on a Taliban trench system in the village of RAHIM KALAY on 6th June. It was a day when B Coy and the Czech Platoon were fighting all day long and achieved a hard fought victory over a determined and ruthless enemy. LCpl Sandford will be sorely missed; a stalwart of B Company and immensely respected and loved in 1WFR he had the heart of a lion, our thoughts are foremost with his wife Gaynor and his family.

The pace of operations has picked up, you may have noticed that the 'phone calls and e-mails are shorter and less frequent. This partly due to the fact that our terminals are in need of renovation, which is underway, and partly because we are so busy. The Taliban have finished their poppy harvest and have turned their attention back to disrupting the activities of the Government of Afghanistan, us and the people. But they are losing both militarily and in terms of support from the very people they seek to subvert.

We have started the first reconstruction projects in schools, on roads, hospitals and a mine awareness programme for children in Gereshk. In Lashkar Gah the progress is more advanced and we in Gereshk have some catching up to do!

The companies are doing very well and have established a reputation for tough but fair, no-nonsense soldiering as I knew they would. In LASHKAR GAH C Coy have had some notable successes, capturing a vehicle with arms and munitions, shooting dead a local Taliban commander who had opened fire on them and capturing a Suicide Bomber and his equipment as he was preparing for an attack. B Coy have had a difficult job in managing the Upper Gereshk Valley, which has been quite violent over the last month, and dealing with the frustrations of having Battle Group Headquarters on their doorstep! A Coy are coming to the end of their time in Sangin and will return to BASTION for a brief respite before moving off again to Helmand pastures new.

R&R has started and the first batch is on its way for a short period of rest. We are trying to meet all the timelines for the groups heading back but there will be frustrations with flight changes and I ask you to be patient; we are doing all we can.

Finally a big thank you to you all for your continued support; it has been a great help at this time especially when you are so busy dealing with everything back home. The less we have to worry about, the more focussed we are on the job and the enemy and the safer we are. We remember Sandy Sandford and are doing our very best to keep everyone as secure as possible.

Thank you, again, and best wishes,