Private Thornton was deployed to Afghanistan in October of 2011. As a member of the support Company for 1 Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (1 YORKS), which is part of the The Queen’s Royal Hussars Battle Group, Matthew was based at the northern end of Lashkar Gah district in the Babaji area, at Checkpoint Koorashan. On the 9 November 2011 Private Thornton was taking part in a patrol to the north of Checkpoint Loy Mandeh, the aim was to develop a better understanding of the local area and people. During this Patrol his unit was attacked by an enemy using small arms fire and grenades, as Private Thornton was manoeuvring and returning fire an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was detonated and the blast killed him. Poignantly Matthew Thornton’s tragic death came less than a week after his 28th birthday and only 2 days before Remembrance Day (11 November).
Local remembrance day parade which set out from the Royal British Legion in Chapeltown, Sheffield, South Yorkshire marching to the Newton hall for a service of remembrance. From there the parade, led by community constable PC Peter Booth, made its way to the local war memorial in Chapeltown Park where prayers were led by Vicar Rick Stordy of St Johns Church Chapeltown followed by the laying of poppies and wreaths.
Ode of Remembrance
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Kohima Epitaph
When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today
November kicked off as a bit of a celebrity Meadowhall month. Starting, appropriately, on the first of the month with a WH Smith book signing by Leigh Francis. In character as TV JUICE host Keith Lemon he was on a promotional book tour for ‘Keith Lemon: The Rules”. A popular read looking at the queues. So popular in fact the signing started early and finished an hour and half later than scheduled, despite Smiths taking the book off sale to avoid fans being disappointed by not getting their copy signed. Leigh Francis is also known for his character Barry Gibson the music paparazzi and his portrayal of celebrities in Bo’ Selecta!
Two Days later, 3rd of November, that’s right not even bonfire night and the behemoth that is the UK retail sales industry is getting into Christmas mode. The Meadowhall Christmas Lights Switch on Concert, an event that strangely had no switch in sight, or Christmas lights either. The fans didn’t care they were there for the acts, besides the event was raising money for Cash for Kids and Meadowhall’s Charity of the Year, Helen’s Trust and with a 15,000 capacity and entry fee of £2.50 that was going to be a success.
Opening act was Tinchy Strider which seemed surprising for artist with 3 top ten chart places, 2 of which reached the number 1 spot. As he left the audience were informed Tinchy was hopping on a helicopter which would fly him down to London where he had a second gig later that night.
Next up Dance group Rational followed by Bee, Holly, Lizzy and Rianna, the Girl group Vanquish then a quick chat and song from Sam Clark, Australian singer/song-writer/actor from Adelade, probably best known as Ringo Brown in Neighbours. The second Girl group of the night was Girls Next Door.
Listed as one to watch Encore recently supported N Dubz and Jessie J. Encore are Mark Asari, Cairo Benn and Pierre Jermaine. If your looking for more info on them its worth noting their web presence seems to be Want more Encore not just Encore.
Six D had some chart success back in the summer when their début single “Best Damn Night” entered the UK top 10. If you think you have seen them somewhere before check the X-Factor talk talk Ads where they appear as dancers.
Cover Drive all the way from Barbados felt the cold. ” We’re not used to this weather” singer Amanda told the audience, backed by T-Ray, Bar-Man and Jamar. They released their first single “Lick Ya Down” in August, it entered the charts at #9 and the début album is due for release soon.
Next very talented Ronan Parke the 13 year old Britain’s Got Talent runner up. Ronan made the headlines after Simon Cowell went to the police over allegations that his company SyCo had fixed the show so Ronan would win.
Headlining and officially switching on the Meadowhall Christmas lights, Matt Cardle. Winner of X-Factor 2010 he held the Christmas number 1 spot with “When Worlds Collide” and his new album “Letters” has just been released in time Christmas.
Want see more from Meadowhalls Christmas Lights Switch on Concert? Check out my Facebook Fan Page the link is on the left.
Love Letter to New York: Classic LIFE Photos - February 21, 2012 at 13:40 The monuments and the museums, the pulsing crowds on Fifth Avenue, opera at the Met and stickball in Spanish Harlem, sardines on the subway and the romantic urban vistas of Central Park: Over the years LIFE’s photographers explored every corner [...][...]
On the Stump: Classic Photos From the Campaign Trail - February 21, 2012 at 13:10 In the midst of the strangest primary season in memory, LIFE looks at candidates — the revered, the reviled and the long-forgotten — on the campaign trail, and pays fond tribute to the perpetual carnival that is American politics.[...]
Inside Hitler’s Bunker: Unpublished Photos - February 21, 2012 at 13:00 Shortly before Berlin fell in the spring of '45, marking the end of WWII in Europe, LIFE photographer William Vandivert made his way to the German capital -- and to the ruined bunker where Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun spent their last, desperate hours.[...]
Mardi Gras in 1938: Unpublished Photos - February 20, 2012 at 17:57 In 1938, LIFE sent photographer William Vandivert to New Orleans to cover the debauchery, whimsy and unalloyed fun of Mardi Gras. Seven decades later, LIFE.com presents unpublished pictures from the Big Easy.[...]
LIFE Rides With the Hells Angels - February 15, 2012 at 16:14 From Jesse James and Butch Cassidy to Scarface and Tony Soprano, outlaws have always held a singularly ambiguous place in America’s popular imagination: we fear and loathe gangsters’ appetite for violence; we envy and covet their freedom. In early [...]
LIFE on Both Sides of the Camera: Alfred Eisenstaedt’s Surprising Self-Portraits - February 15, 2012 at 01:00 Alfred Eisenstaedt's photographic vision wasn't limited to the intimate pictures he made of the 20th century's most famous faces. Here, a celebration of the great photographer's unexpected and singularly charming self-portraits.[...]
Eve Arnold: Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam - February 14, 2012 at 13:30 On the anniversary of Malcolm X's 1965 assassination, LIFE.com presents Eve Arnold's photographs of the intensely charismatic street thug-turned-devout Muslim and activist, in public and in private.[...]
Steve McQueen: Unpublished Photos - February 14, 2012 at 12:28 In the spring of 1963, Steve McQueen was on the brink of superstardom, already popular from his big-screen breakout as one of The Magnificent Seven and just a couple months away from entering the Badass Hall of Fame with the [...][...]
Miles Davis: Unpublished Photos of a Jazz Giant - February 13, 2012 at 10:36 On a spring night in May 1958, LIFE photographer Robert W. Kelley shot a few rolls of film at an intimate jazz gig in New York City. Those photographs, featuring musical legends-in-the-making, were never published. Until now.[...]
Jimmy Stewart: A Hero Home From the War - February 13, 2012 at 10:12 In September 1945 a beloved movie star — now a decorated WWII hero — returned to his quiet hometown in Pennsylvania. LIFE was there to chronicle the utterly wholesome goings on.[...]
Against this background, the USAAF B17 Flying Fortress Mi Amigo with its 10 crewmen reached the coast of Denmark http://t.co/F5PQEvLm.........10 hours ago
RT @pressgazette: Marie Colvin: 'War reporting is still essentially the same – someone has to go there and see what is happening' http:/ ............16 hours ago
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