Stafford, Staffordshire, England, UK
British Army
Guardsman, 6 Platoon, 2 Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards
10/5/2009, Nad e-Ali district, Afghanistan
Guardsman Jamie Janes was a Guardsman in 6 Platoon, 2 Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. Born on 16 May 1989 in Stafford, his family moved to Brighton when he was two. He attended Hove Park Comprehensive School and began his Army career at Harrogate Foundation College when he was 16, before moving to the Infantry Training Centre Catterick.
Guardsman Janes joined Nijmegen Company, Grenadier Guards, in Woolwich, aged 17, where he carried out numerous state ceremonial and public duties. In 2007, on turning 18, he deployed to the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards who were in Afghanistan. He spent four months on operations before returning to England. Between tours he deployed to the Falkland Islands and also conducted training exercises in Kenya with the Battalion.
On Monday 5 October 2009, Guardsman Janes was tragically killed as a result of an explosion that happened whilst on a foot patrol near to Nad e-Ali district centre in central Helmand province. He was mortally wounded by an improvised explosive device, which also wounded three of his colleagues. The explosion was followed up by an insurgent ambush which the patrol then had to fight off before evacuating the wounded soldiers. Unfortunately Guardsman Janes died en route to hospital.
Guardsman Janes leaves behind his beloved girlfriend, Kate, three brothers (one of whom is serving in the British Army), two sisters, and his mother. Guardsman Janes’ experience and professionalism from his previous tour of Afghanistan ensured he was a reliable and dependable individual whatever the circumstances. He was a natural soldier, comfortable on operations in testing circumstances, and he had a very promising career ahead of him.
Lieutenant Alexander Rawlins, his Platoon Commander, said:
“I worked with Jamie since joining the Battalion in late 2007. He was an enthusiastic, passionate man who took both his job and his friends very seriously. Never afraid to speak his mind, he was painfully honest and always had something to say. Professionally and socially, he was an integral part of 6 Platoon, good at his job and was always up for a laugh. He would speak often of his girlfriend, Kate, whom he loved very much and with whom he was hoping to start a family. He died as a result of wounds he received whilst on patrol, clearing safe passage for his comrades. He will be sorely missed by the platoon and all who knew him.”
Guardsman Bradley-Dean Jones, a close friend in his section, said:
“I’ve known Jamie Janes since we began training in 2005. He was a friend who was always there for me, as I was to him. We joked saying how when one of us was sent somewhere within the Army, the other was sure to follow through no fault of our own. We were well known as being like a married couple with all the arguments and disagreements we had over the littlest subjects, but we always ended up laughing about it, normally with a massive hug of some sorts. I wish Kate, his girlfriend, all my support in the coming times, as we have lost someone very close to us both.”