Inquest hears how ‘extremely professional’ 24-year-old died after being hit by single bullet

Published: 3 December, 2010
by JOSH LOEB

Soldier was shot fighting the Taliban

A SOLDIER from Marylebone “died instantly” after being shot while serving in Afghanistan earlier this year, an inquest concluded this week. 

Lance Corporal Thomas Keogh, 24, of Bridgewater House on the Hallfield Estate, died of a single gunshot wound to the chest while manning a grenade machine gun (GMG) in a sangar – a type of defensive fortification.

Mr Keogh, of 4th Battalion The Rifles, had gone into the sangar with another soldier, rifleman Adam Weaving, to return fire from Taliban insurgents at around 10am on March 7 when he was hit by a bullet believed to have come from an AK47.

Soon after, Mr Weaving was heard to cry “man down”.

Asked by coroner Dr Paul Knapman whether he had any doubt that the shot had come from enemy fire, Lieutenant Jessie Leach replied: “No doubt.”

Mr Leach told the inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court that the bullet had come from the south west, but added: “At the time the GMG sangar was not considered vulnerable in the south west because it had not been shot at before from that direction.”  

Following the incident the sangar was “built up” using extra sandbags, giving greater protection to its south-westerly wall.

Lawrence Keogh, Thomas’s father, said he did “not attach blame to anyone” but asked: “If it [the sangar] was fortified the night that he was killed, in hindsight couldn’t it have been fortified the night before he was killed?”  

Mr Leach replied that the job had been “in the pipeline”, adding: “There will always be improvements to be made.”

The lieutenant paid tribute to Mr Keogh, who was known to friends as “Army Tom”.

He said: “It is sometimes tempting to get carried away extolling the virtues of the fallen, but with Lance Corporal Thomas Keogh there is no danger of drifting towards exaggeration. He was highly fit, dynamic, extremely professional.”

Recording a verdict of death while on active service, Dr Knapman said: “Here was a soldier of 24 years coming under fire in Af­ghanistan. He was killed by a single shot from the enemy. The family will know that he died doing his duty for his country and no doubt must take pride in that.” 

Earlier this year Haydn Higgs, a friend of Mr Keogh, told the West End Extra: “He was a top fella and everyone you meet says he was the most generous, funny and outspoken person.”