Woodbridge: Tributes To Soldier

6 March 2012, 12:19 | Updated: 6 March 2012, 12:25

Tributes are being paid to a solider based at Woodbridge who died in a road crash in Ipswich over the weekend.

29-year-old Lance Corporal Sam Greenfield from 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) based at Woodbridge in Suffolk died on 4th March 2012 as a result of a road traffic collision on the A14 near the Orwell Bridge.

Police were contacted just after 8pm to reports of a collision on the A14 eastbound near the Orwell Crossing lorry park between a Landrover vehicle and a silver VW Passat.

LCpl Greenfield was a front seat passenger in the Landrover.

LCpl Greenfield joined the Army in 1999 and after completing his basic and initial trade training was posted to 42 Field Squadron, 28 Engineer Regiment in Germany. He deployed to Northern Ireland in 2002 and the Congo in 2003 before qualifying as a Military Engineer (Well Driller) in 2004 and subsequently as a Military Engineer Fitter Machinist Class 1 in 2005. In 2006 he deployed to Afghanistan as a member of 170 Infrastructure Support Group and, on promotion to lance corporal, posted to 25 Engineer Regiment (Air Support) in 2008.

He was posted to the Royal Engineer Workshops in 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) in January 2012 and was due to attend his Combat Engineer Class 1 course in May of this year.

In his spare time LCpl Greenfield enjoyed skiing and cricket. 

Lieutenant Colonel Jason Hones, Commanding Officer of 23 Engr Regt (Air Asslt), said: "LCpl Greenfield was a soldier who had very recently arrived in the Regiment and had made a promising start, immediately immersing himself into the busy commitments of the unit. As a mature Junior Non-Commissioned Officer he settled in easily and was an uplifting presence in the Royal Engineers Workshop.
He was proud to be a Royal Engineer and had his life ahead of him. His death is both tragic and untimely. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family and friends at this difficult time."

LCpl Greenfield's wife Charlene said: "Lance Corporal Sam Greenfield, 29, loving husband to Charlene Greenfield and fabulous dad to Sean, Harris-James and Jacob was killed in a road traffic accident on Sunday 4th of March whilst on his way back to his family after serving on exercise. He had served 12 years as a Royal Engineer. His wife, children, mother and father-in-law are devastated to lose such a wonderfully loving and dedicated man. A true hero."