Brecon Beacons deaths: soldier lost his life in pursuit of his dream, say family

Family pay tribute to Lance Corporal Craig Roberts, who died in searing temperatures during SAS selection exercise on Saturday

The family of one of the soldiers who died during an SAS selection exercise have said they are devastated, but added that he had lost his life “in the pursuit of his dream”.

They revealed that Lance Corporal Craig Roberts, who died in searing temperatures on the Brecon Beacons, was about to begin a new post in the office of the secretary of state for education.

In a statement released via the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday, the family, who are from north Wales, said: “We would like to thank all our and Craig’s friends for their kind thoughts and support. We are all devastated at the loss of our beloved Craig; this has left a massive hole in all our lives.

“We wholeheartedly supported Craig in his military endeavours and it gives us some comfort, though great sadness, that he died in the pursuit of his dream.

“Next month Craig was due to start a new post in the office of the secretary of state for education and we were all very proud of him.

“We would like to thank the Ministry of Defence family liaison officer for all his help and support in these trying times.”

Roberts was one of two soldiers who died while trying out for the Territorial Army section of the SAS. The second man has not been named but the Guardian understands that he – like Roberts – was an experienced soldier.

Roberts, 24, is believed to have served in Afghanistan as well as undergoing hot weather training in the US. The second man is also understood to have completed a tour of Afghanistan.

The inquiry into the men’s deaths in the mountains of south Wales on Saturday is being headed by Dyfed-Powys police. An inquest is due to open later this week or next. A third man who was also hit by apparent heat exhaustion remains in a serious condition in hospital.

That both men who died were experienced and had worked in much hotter places than the Brecon Beacons will increase pressure on the army and Ministry of Defence to explain what went so badly wrong. The tragedy has focused attention on the government’s plans to make greater use of part-time reservist soldiers as the regular army shrinks because of budget cuts.

Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, promised a full service inquiry into the tragedy following the police investigation.

It is believed the men were both taking part in the “aptitude training” element of the course to become an SAS reservist. They had been tutored in how to survive in hostile territory and were just embarking on the testing stage of the process.

Only around one in 10 are thought to pass the test. It is known that the tragedy happened close to Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in southern Britain and venue for the notorious “Fan Dance”, which involves would-be SAS members marching up the mountain, down the other side and back …read more