Fallen Peterborough soldier remembered in Salvation Army Remembrance window display

A special tribute has been paid to Peterborough soldier Corporal Lee Fitzsimmons by the Salvation Army with their Remembrance window display.

Every year, volunteers decorate the Salvation Army charity shop window at the Desborough Avenue store in Stanground- to pay special tribute to members of the country’s armed forces during the period of remembrance.

This year, volunteer Helen, with the help of Lee’s mother Jacqui, has used the display to pay tribute to Lee, who died while in active duty in 2007, aged just 26.

As part of the memorial, the tribute reads: “From a very young age, Lee was one of the most driven and focused people, if he set his mind on something, he would achieve it, no matter how hard he had to work to do so.

"His larger than life personality lit up a room whenever he entered while he was also known for his cheekiness, which often filled a room with laughter.

"Nothing was ever too much trouble if he could help somebody out and he would think nothing of driving the length of the country and back in a day just to spend time with his family and friends.”

Prior to joining the forces, Lee was born in Bootle in Liverpool before moving to Stanground as a young child. He became well known in the local community for his footballing ability as well as winning a local half marathon in 2006. He was also a talented artist.

He went to school at Stanground College before joining the Royal Marines 42 Commando at 17-years-old.

During his service, Lee saw action in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and spent time living with the indigenous tribes in Brunei learning survival tactics.

In 2004, he transferred to 45 Commando and once again saw active service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On November 20, 2007, Lee was part of a team from 22 SAS Regiment tasked with a secret mission to find and capture insurgents believed to be responsible for the bombing campaign outside of Baghdad.

The Puma helicopter Lee was in was chasing insurgents at night in low visibility before it landed heavily. The pilot decided to take off again but seconds later, it hit the ground again with flames coming from under the rotary blades.

Corporal Fitzsimmons was sadly trapped unconscious in the wreckage, which caught fire from a leaking fuel valve. Due to the intensity of the heat, the SAS and RAF crew that managed to escape were unable to get back into the wreckage to rescue the two men trapped inside.

Following his death, the MoD was criticised by a coroner for “indefensible procedural and maintenance errors” saying that a lack of equipment contributed to the deaths and that it was “inexplicable” that the fuel valve has not been the subject of any checks for almost 30 years.

Corporal Fitzsimmons’s uniform and medals have been donated to the display by his mother Jacqui.

Helen worked closely with Lee’s family to create the tribute and regularly looks to feature local people who have served in the armed forces in her work.

She would particularly like to feature a member of the RAF but anyone with a family member who would like to be featured has been encouraged to contact the local branch of the Salvation Army.