OLIVER SIMON DICKETTSLance CorporalDicketts, who died on 2 September, 2006, aged 27, was an outstanding young soldier with an exciting Army career ahead of him.L/CplDicketts was travelling in an RAF Nimrod plane when it crashed near Kandahar. L/Cpl Dicketts was the only soldier among the 14 British servicemen killed in the crash, most of whom were RAF servicemen based at Kinloss in Scotland .L/Cpl Dicketts, who was from Sussex , was a young man with a taste for adventure who thoroughly enjoyed his life in the Army. He had recently been promoted.His father, Robert Dicketts, said: "We are exceptionally proud of him. He was a much loved son and will be greatly missed, not just by us but his friends."Oliver Simon Dicketts grew up in Wadhurst, Sussex. He was educated at Holmwood House preparatory school in Langton Green and Sevenoaks public school where he was said to be a popular pupil.He left school in the sixth form and began training as a scuba diving instructor. Having become qualified he worked for three months in northern Cyprus.L/Cpl Dicketts also spent time exploring the wreck of the Lusitania, the liner sunk off the Irish coast by a German submarine during the First World War.A young man who enjoyed risk and adventure, he took up skydiving as a hobby. When he joined the Parachute Regiment in 2000 his family were not surprised.His father said: "He was never going to be a nine-to-five man. He always wanted something different. He did cadets at school and was always very sporty."After completing his training, L/Cpl Dicketts joined 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, stationed in Dover. He went on exercises to Kenya and the USA and accumulated a broad range of operational skills.A statement released by the MoD said: "Throughout his career he demonstrated ability beyond his age and rank. A loyal, brave, intelligent and dependable man he was an outstanding soldier with a bright future ahead of him."L/Cpl Dicketts was deployed on operational tours to Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq as part of Operation Telic in 2003. He earned the respect of his colleagues and became recognised as a soldier of the highest calibre who could be relied upon for his professionalism.His parents described L/Cpl Dickettsas a "fantastic son" with a true zest for life. Aside from his immediate family he will be fondly remembered by a large circle of friends and a girlfriend of one year.The crash in which L/Cpl Dicketts was killed is thought to have been caused by a fuel leak. On the first anniversary of the incident, Group Captain Jerry Kessell of RAF Kinloss, said: "The pain is still as deep, we all miss such a wonderful group of men whose lives were tragically robbed on the ill-fated Nimrod XV230."
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