Remembering the Fallen: on this day in 2009, Sergeant Robert Loughran-Dickson, of the Royal Military Police, died as a result of gunshot wounds sustained whilst taking part in a routine patrol in the vicinity of Patrol Base Wahid in the Nad e-Ali district of Helmand province. He had enisted into the Army in 1997, in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, then four years later transferred to the Royal Military Police. He served in Kosovo, Iraq, Northern Ireland as well as Afghanistan, and held a variety of positions including Police Post Non-Commissioned Officer, Motor Transport Non-Commissioned Officer, and Crime Reduction and Local Intelligence Officer. He is remembered as stalwart, intelligent, an exceptional well-respected soldier. His C.O. said of him: "Prior to his deployment to Afghanistan, Sergeant Loughran-Dickson was the Local Intelligence Officer and a Community Policeman; he excelled in this role, where his calm personable nature, dedication and commitment plus his consistent enthusiasm for the job, made him stand out. He was totally professional, easy company and was the first to volunteer for anything – whether it was helping his colleagues, attending community events out of hours or taking on additional tasks. I had absolute faith in Sergeant Loughran-Dickson; he was utterly reliable, wise beyond his years and he simply got on with the job, quietly and without fuss." Robert, from Deal in Kent, was 33 years old, and left behind a young son.