Cpl Paul Turner, who died of a brain tumour at the young age of 31, was a soldier who represented all that is best about the Queen’s Royal Hussars.
Brave, determined, fun and intensely loyal he was a leading light in ‘C’ Squadron, with whom he served most of his time at Regimental Duty.
Born in Kidderminster, he originally joined the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters as an infantryman in July 1998. He served a residential tour in Northern Ireland and on a peacekeeping tour to Bosnia. He left the army in 2004 and returned to civilian life, moving with his beloved wife Claire to Morecambe in Lancashire.
He worked for Google while a civilian and a love of IT was a strong theme in his life; on his return to the Army, he would be the leading light behind the setting up of BFG Bay.
However the lure of an Army career was still strong and he re-joined the Army, making the excellent decision to join his local cavalry regiment, the QRH in January 2009.
Paul quickly became an extremely popular member of ‘C’ Squadron. He was sharp, and his sense of humour served to lighten even the darkest of situations.
As Major Shann, one of his Squadron Leaders’ said of him “he was always able to make light of difficult circumstances and see the positive in any situation”.
Unsurprisingly he was selected to remain in ‘C’ Squadron as they converted to the infantry role for Operation HERRICK 15 and his tremendous experience was a huge boost to the wider squadron. He was always willing to share his experience and knowledge with others and was a magnificent role model and mentor for junior soldiers, who looked up to him significantly.
They instinctively knew that he had their best interests at heart and would do anything to ensure they were as well prepared as possible for the tasks ahead.
On Operation HERRICK 15 he served for the entire tour in Durai Junction, an extremely hostile environment. His performance there was never less than magnificent and he was the lynchpin of a highly successful platoon.
During the course of his military career, he was awarded the General Service Medal with Northern Ireland Clasp, the NATO Bosnia Medal, the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Sadly on his return from Afghanistan, he was struck down with illness, the pain from which he bore with immense guts.
He died of a Brain Tumour on 23 April 2013, leaving behind his wife Claire and daughters Neve and Eva. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him; he was a fantastic soldier, mate, husband and father who left everyone who knew him better for the experience.
