Simon's a trooper

By The Newsroom
Published 1st Jun 2006, 20:33 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 20:07 BST
Trooper Simon Piper, from Bexhill, took part in a major night operation in Basra that captured huge quantities of bomb equipment, weapons and ammunition.

Former High School pupil Simon, 20, is serving with A Squadron, the Queen's Royal Hussars, Sussex's own cavalry regiment and is on his first operational tour since joining the regiment.

The squadron is being used in an infantry role, their 62-tonne Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks have been left back in their base at Paderborn, Germany and they are using armoured Land Rovers as they patrol the streets of the Iraqi city.

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They are based in the Shatt al Arab Hotel in Basra City, still resplendent with ornamental chandeliers and fountains (not working) as part of the Basra City Battle Group. The hotel is next to the Shatt al Arab waterway from where the Battle Group patrols the waterway as well as the city. Simon was part of the team that searched a house and made the find.