Fiancee joins hundreds of mourners at funeral of soldier Josh Hoole who died training on hottest day of year
Corporal Josh Hoole collapsed and died last week while trying to complete a training run in the Brecon Beacons
The grieving fiancee of Corporal Josh Hoole was among hundreds of mourners who today braved driving rain to pay tribute to the much-loved soldier.
Cpl Hoole, of The Rifles Regiment, died last week during an Army training run held in the Brecon Beacons on the hottest day of the year.
Around 200 locals attended his funeral service in tiny Ecclefechan, near Lockerbie in Dumfriesshire, where the much-loved soldier’s coffin was driven through the city streets.
His fiancee Rachael McKie was among those seen attending, as were fellow soldiers and local villagers.
Sheltering under umbrellas and wearing winter coats, they stood in silence as the hearse carrying Cpl Hoole’s body travelled slowly down the high street.
An army piper in full ceremonial Highland regalia marched in front of the hearse in which 26-year-old Cpl Hoole’s coffin was proudly draped in the Union Jack.
A simple white floral tribute spelling out Josh rested in the window of the hearse as the convoy made its way from the village to Crichton Memorial Church in Dumfries, 18 miles away, for the first part of the service.
Villager Amir Rasool, 45, who runs the local Costcutter convenience store, knew Cpl Hoole well.
He said: “He was such a nice and polite boy and never gave you any trouble.
“I can’t imagine what the family must be going through right now. It’s so tragic. My heart goes out to his lovely family at this time. I’m still in shock.”
Donna Currie, 55, owns the Premier convenience in Ecclefechan, a village known as the birthplace of Victorian poet and author Thomas Carlyle.
She said: “It’s absolutely terrible to lose a life like that at such a young age. I’m glad they’re bringing him through the village. It gives everyone a chance to say goodbye.
“It’s a chance for the community to come together and show our support. It’s the least we could do. We’ve closed the shop and are joining everyone else in paying our respects.”
Cpl Hoole, of The Rifles Regiment, died last Tuesday in Brecon, Mid Wales, after collapsing on the hottest day of the year.
He was on pre-course training for the Platoon Sergeants’ Battle Course – which is described as “both mentally and physically demanding”.
He was just 200 metres from finishing an eight-mile run when he collapsed.
Some MPs have linked his death with the dangers of training in high summer temperatures.
But his father Philip 54, an Iraq veteran and former sergeant major, said earlier this week that he didn’t hold the Army to blame.
He said: “He was doing his job and he knew the risks. Josh wouldn’t have wanted the soldiers that were with him, or the medics, to feel any personal blame.
“The way the MPs are talking, if there were more checks and balances placed on the Army and they were wrapped in cotton wool, the MPs would ultimately be responsible for a lack of duty of care.
“Josh wouldn’t have been happy with the way that people have had a knee-jerk reaction straight away simply because it was the hottest day of the year.”
Cpl Hoole had been due to marry his fiancee, Rachael McKie, next year and was to be best man at his brother Tyrone’s wedding in Edinburgh on Saturday.
Tyrone, 27, a soldier in 3 Rifles, is expected to try and read out the best man’s speech written for the wedding by his dead brother.
A cause of death is yet to be established, but Cpl Hoole’s family suspect an arrhythmia or aneurysm in the heart.
After the funeral at Crichton Memorial Church, a private service for close family and friends was due to be held at Roucan Loch Crematorium in Dumfries.
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