Lieutenant Andrew Chesterman killed in Afghanistan

Lieutenant Chesterman was commanding a vehicle patrol when the lead vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. As he moved forward to take control of the situation the patrol was engaged by insurgent small arms fire and Lieutenant Chesterman was shot.

Despite the best efforts of his fellow Riflemen at the scene, the medical emergency response team and the staff at the Bastion hospital, Lieutenant Chesterman could not be saved.

Lieutenant Andrew Robert Chesterman

Lieutenant Chesterman deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan on 7 April 2012. As a Platoon Commander in C Company, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, he initially worked in the Nad-e Ali district as part of 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment Battle Group. In June 2012, as part of an increased focus on mentoring the Afghan National Police, Lieutenant Chesterman was given a new task of forming a Police Advisory Team, working for 1st Battalion Welsh Guards Battle Group.

Born on 14 January 1986 in Guildford, he studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southampton before attending the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and then the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He commissioned into The Rifles in December 2010 and after completing the Platoon Commanders' Battle Course, joined the 3rd Battalion.

Lieutenant Chesterman was quite simply an exceptional Rifles officer. He was popular, utterly professional, dependable and naturally gifted. Through his inspiring leadership he had earned the respect of his fellow Riflemen on operations under the toughest of circumstances. He had a very bright future ahead of him. His authoritative leadership and determined approach would have carried him far. The swiftest and boldest of Riflemen, he will never be forgotten.

He leaves behind his father Paul and sisters Anna and Olivia.

Lieutenant Chesterman's father, Paul Chesterman, paid the following tribute:

"We have lost a fine young man. It was readily apparent that Andrew gave himself fully and wholeheartedly to his career in 3 Rifles.

"At a Battalion Dinner shortly before Op Herrick 16, I was proud to see his easy, close and well accepted rapport with his fellow young officers.

"Andrew was accomplished in many areas. He developed a skill to play both the trombone and piano, graduated with a Masters Degree in Engineering, qualified as a Mountain Leader, enjoyed working as team yacht racing and was proficient on skis. His family are immensely proud of him and will carry him very dearly in their hearts."

Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Maconochie, Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, said:

"Lieutenant Andrew Chesterman will be remembered by all Officers and Riflemen of 3rd Battalion, The Rifles as an outstanding leader of men who epitomised what it means to be a Rifleman. Professional excellence, self-discipline, integrity and loyalty are characteristics that immediately spring to mind when I think about Andrew. He was always extremely personable, charming, and very charismatic with an ever present sharp sense of humour and wit. We are all the richer for having had the privilege and honour to have served alongside such a talented and popular young Officer.

"His Riflemen clearly adored and utterly respected Andrew not least as he always led from the front, was fiercely fit and set the highest possible personal example. And he did all this in the most challenging of combat environments here in Helmand Province. It was clear he put his Riflemen first and he directed all his energy into developing and making them even more effective. I also admired the way he would passionately fight their corner, no matter what the issue. Tactically astute and meticulous in his planning of operations, he was developing extremely quickly. It was easy to think he had actually been in the Army for much longer, such was the maturity and intelligence present in his approach to soldiering.

"Andrew Chesterman will be remembered as a hugely charismatic, completely dedicated and thoroughly professional Officer who was destined for a great career in the Army. Of that I have no doubt. He will be greatly missed by his brother officers and Riflemen alike and his sacrifice never forgotten. Our huge loss is nothing compared to that of his family and our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this very difficult time."

Lieutenant Colonel Dino Bossi, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, said:

"Andrew Chesterman was a young man of significant talent who died leading from where he always led - the thick of the fight. Always considering others before himself he was the epitome of a modern junior officer. Professional in all that he did and constantly thinking about how to do things better, he commanded his Riflemen with assurance and panache.

"He came to the Police Mentoring and Advisory Group late in the tour and trained his men hard and intelligently to ensure that they became an efficient and highly effective Police Advisory Team in short order. He coped naturally with the demands of the role, revelling in its complexity which, in turn, allowed him to demonstrate his own multi-faceted character. Andrew was a young man of many parts, sporting, artistic and intellectual; he was also an instantly likeable character whose obvious and rather old-fashioned decency shone through immediately to all who encountered him. He brought all these aspects of himself to bear in Afghanistan in the service of the mission and his men and in all that he did he lived the Rifles' motto, "Swift and Bold!"

" Andrew's loss is a heavy blow to all of us in Afghanistan, but however hard we feel its impact our thoughts and prayers must now concentrate on his family to whom we extend our heartfelt sympathies at this most dreadful of times."

Major Bob Hobbs, Officer Commanding C Company, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, said:

"Lieutenant Andrew Chesterman was a natural infantry officer and leader of men. I feel that he was part of our lives in C Company for much longer than the 15 months he served alongside us; such was his positive impact on us all. He was an officer of considerable talent, drive, energy and commitment who strove to do the best for his Riflemen no matter the situation. He was a thoughtful and intelligent man who dedicated time and academic rigour to understanding the challenges that we faced and he always saw a solution to them. He always led from the front he was ruthlessly fit and I have many memories of seeing him quickly disappear over the brow of a hill at the front of the pack while I still laboured up the climb. He was a pleasure to be around and a thoroughly decent man.

"During this summer, Andrew was selected to fulfil one of the most demanding of tasks in serving as a Police Advisory Team commander and he set about this task with the vigour and tenacity I had come to expect but never tired of being impressed by. He saw through the obstacles that would deter a lesser man and dedicated himself and his team to the betterment of the Afghan Police; they have lost a brother in arms as well. He was right to pride himself on the level of professionalism he asked of his Riflemen, underwritten by the highest personal standards that he set and exceeded himself. This legacy will endure with them, and us all, beyond his service and sacrifice. I will miss Andrew hugely and we will re-commit ourselves for the remainder of this operation and beyond to emulate the example set by him.

"My deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones whose heartache and loss greatly eclipses ours. We were blessed and privileged to have been able to share his life with them."

Acting Major Naim Moukarzel, Officer Commanding Nad-e Ali District Advisory Team, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, said:

"Lieutenant Andrew Chesterman moved across to the role of police advising in June 2012, having initially deployed as a ground holding platoon commander with C Company, 3 RIFLES. His transition to his new role could not have gone better, thanks largely to his energy and intellect. From the first day he embraced the role and showed himself to be an imaginative and confident platoon commander. He was in charge of a tight team of men who were clearly highly motivated and eager to deliver for their platoon commander, it is always a genuine pleasure to command such talent and enthusiasm.

"It is utterly devastating to suffer the loss of such an excellent young man. In the short time he had been with us it was clear that Andrew had so much to offer to those around him, not just in the operational environment, but in the widest possible sense. Working with the Afghan National Police is always a challenge, particularly in the rapidly transitioning area of Nad-e Ali where Andrew was working. It takes patience, imagination and care, and Andrew showed, in a short space of time, that he had all these skills in abundance. At the same time he was a firm and decisive commander who was keenly aware of his responsibilities and dedicated to delivering the very highest of standards in all he did.

"The whole of the Nad-e Ali Police Advisory Team, and all of Support Company, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, send our deepest sympathies and condolences to our comrades in arms in 3 RIFLES, but most importantly to Andrew's family and friends at this time. We will remember him."

Captain Rob Fellows, Company Second-in-Command, C Company, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, said:

"Lieutenant Andy Chesterman was a highly capable and determined officer and a good friend. Andy was extremely fit, putting the rest of the Officers' Mess to shame with his dominant performance on all Company sporting events. The only way I could find to beat him at Cross Country was to get him to organise the event and man the stands. It was still a close run thing!

"Not only was Andy supremely fit, he also had a great intellect which he applied to the demanding problems of Counter Insurgency and Police Mentoring. I will miss our discussions on everything from UK politics to the future of Afghanistan.

"Andy was utterly committed to his men and not afraid to stand up for them to anyone he felt he needed to, regardless of rank. His selflessness was typified by the way he died moving forward to support his men following an IED Strike.

"Andy achieved a great deal during his short time in Helmand. Initially responsible for the security of local nationals in Shaheed Kalay, which he helped make more secure, he was the obvious choice to lead the new Police Advisory Team we generated in June. We knew this task would be challenging and as the

Brigade's Main Effort it would need our best. This could only be Andy.

"With his combination of intellect, fitness and determination he had great potential for the future and it is a tragedy to have a bright star snatched from us in this way. I will never forget Andy and the contribution he made to the whole company. I know that the pain we feel at the loss of a fellow Rifleman and brother officer will be as nothing to the hole it will leave in his family. My thoughts and those of the whole company are with them."

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