Rifleman Carlo Apolis killed in Afghanistan

3 Mar 10

It is with sadness that we must confirm that Rifleman Carlo Apolis of 4th Battalion The Rifles (4 RIFLES), serving as part of the 3 RIFLES Battle Group, was killed in Afghanistan on 1 March 2010.

Rifleman Carlo Apolis

Rifleman Apolis was killed by a gunshot wound resulting from small arms fire in Sangin, Helmand province. He was on a foot patrol about 700 metres east of Patrol Base Blenheim, taking part in a wider operation conducted by the 3 RIFLES Battle Group to expand security around the district centre.

Rifleman Carlo Apolis

Rifleman Carlo Apolis was a South African who came to the United Kingdom in 2004. He worked in a hotel in Exeter before joining the Army, a little older than most recruits. Rifleman Apolis initially enlisted in 2007 but left the Army for a short while before re-joining six months later.

After attending the demanding Combat Infantryman's Course at the Infantry Training Centre, Catterick, Rifleman Apolis joined 4th Battalion, The Rifles in November 2007. He was posted to A Company, training with them throughout 2008 and then attended Pre-Deployment Training in 2009, prior to deploying on his first Operational tour to Afghanistan on Operation HERRICK 11.

Nicknamed 'Apollo' by friends within his platoon, Rifleman Apolis was 28 when he died. He leaves behind his mother, father, two sisters and his long-term girlfriend Rebecca.

Rifleman Apolis's girlfriend, Rebecca Williams (from Cardiff), paid the following tribute:

"Most people will have known Carlo as fun loving and highly entertaining, someone who could make you smile and motivate you when you were feeling down. But outside work he also had a much quieter and more reserved side that not many people would have seen, and he liked to keep his personal life private.

"Carlo was my best friend and we shared everything together, I miss him so much and he will always be with me in my thoughts. He will be sadly missed by everyone that knew him."

Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Jones, Commanding Officer 4 RIFLES, said:

"Rifleman Carlo Apolis was something of a big brother figure to the younger Riflemen. He was older than most and others naturally looked up to him and sought his guidance. But it was not just his age that stood him apart, but his natural maturity and wisdom. He was generous to his core and was always ready to share his experience and offer a word of guidance to his friends.

"He had fully mastered the soldier's art of lifting morale with an ever ready sceptical comment on the rollercoaster ride of being a Rifleman. He understood the power of a good moan to lift the gloom and was not cowed by anyone in sharing his views on events. He could appear gruff, but his comments never had a side to them and he was nothing if not kind.

"He was very much an individual as well as a keen chess player. This is not normally a hazardous hobby, but earlier in the tour he was injured by a grenade while playing. He recovered from his wounds and returned to the line a sign of real courage.

"He had travelled a long way from home to be a Rifleman, but remained fiercely proud and loyal of his native South Africa. They, in turn, should be very proud of him for he was a fine ambassador for his nation. His loss is the high price for progress and his brother Riflemen salute him a courageous young man who has fallen in his prime.

"His family, far from our shores, are very much in our thoughts and prayers. They should take great pride that he fell with his friends at his side and helping to improve the lives of ordinary Afghan people. This is a fine legacy and we will remember him."

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, Commanding Officer, 3 RIFLES Battle Group, said:

"Rifleman Apolis was an outstanding soldier and a truly dedicated member of this Battle Group. Wounded previously in this tour of duty, it was a mark of his determination and commitment that he wasted no time returning to his team and continuing with the important work that they are doing here in Sangin. He fell to enemy fire at the forefront of an important move to enlarge our security footprint for the benefit of the local population.

"His loss comes at a time when real progress is being made, largely thanks to the efforts of Riflemen such as him, working tirelessly day and night to bring security and a better future to the locals of Sangin. As a senior Rifleman, his personality and experience was woven tightly into the fabric of his Platoon, Company and as such this whole Battle Group. His loss will be felt most keenly across all ranks.

"At this most difficult of times, we take inspiration from the man that he showed himself to be and from the excellent example that he set in life. The thoughts and prayers of the whole Battle Group go out to his family in South Africa and to his girlfriend Rebecca. We hope that they, like us, may draw some strength and comfort from his memory and all that he had achieved. We shall continue his noble work with renewed steadfastness."

Major Richard Streatfeild, Officer Commanding, A Company 4 RIFLES, said:

"Rifleman Carlo Apolis was a South African and a Rifleman. He has been in the Company for over 2 years and as such was a relatively longstanding member of A Company and very much a senior Rifleman. He was a calm authoritative figure, relatively short in stature but big hearted, very determined and utterly reliable.

"This was no ordinary soldier. He had come a long way to do his job; half way round the world. He was a Rifleman because he wanted to improve himself. He had been trained in specialist weapons. He was doing a part time accounting course.

"Whilst he was a British soldier he never lost his identity as a South African. I first met him when playing for our company cricket team. A lover of cricket and rugby, the highs and lows of various matches have peppered our conversations in the last two years. He was saving hard on this tour so that he could buy a house with his long term partner Rebecca in Cardiff.

"Rifleman Apolis and I travelled home together three weeks ago for our rest and recuperation break, one could tell where his heart was. Ours go out to Rebecca, his parents and sisters, whose grief we share. Yet our loss is not comparable to that of his family. They have every reason to be proud of him.

"He made a considerable and positive impact in Afghanistan. He was amongst the first group in our area to partner the Afghan National Army so that they could develop the skills and professionalism that came naturally to him. He will long be remembered by those who operated alongside him, we will miss his reassuring presence. We shall now muster the gritty determination he showed to see the job through."

Captain Ben Shuttleworth, Second in Command, A Company 4 RIFLES, said:

"The initial impression received from meeting Rifleman Apolis was disarming: quiet, polite and thoughtful, he did not immediately come across as a typical soldier. He was, however, a steely fighter and made of much stronger stuff than the rest of us. He had already bounced back from countless extraordinary incidents including treating and evacuating close friends and brother Riflemen.

"The enormity of his inner fighting spirit was shown when he fought to return to his front line Patrol Base as quickly as possible after he was himself injured by an insurgent grenade. His Platoon will miss his wise words of advice, his chain of command will miss a future leader but none of us will feel his loss as much as his family and girlfriend Rebecca of whom he often spoke fondly."