Sponsored by
Farewell our fallen hero Nathan - SLIDESHOW
GOODBYE our fallen hero. Wearsiders stood shoulder to shoulder to pay tribute to Paratrooper Nathan John Cuthbertson, killed by a suicide bomber while serving his country in Afghanistan.
More than 800 people packed Sunderland Minster, with another 1,000 watching the service on a giant screen outside, to celebrate the life of the brave 19-year-old from Tunstall.
>> Nathan's body flown home - VIDEO
>> Tributes to Nathan
One of the floral tributes simply said: "2 Para hero."
His mother Carla and dad Tom – himself a former member of 2 Para – wept and grasped each other's hand for comfort as Nathan's coffin, draped in the Union Flag, was carried into the church through a guard of honour of past and present members of his regiment.
At the burial at Bishopwearmouth Cemetery, Mrs Cuthbertson cried out: "Nathan John I love you," and had to be supported by her family when she was handed his maroon beret from his coffin, before a bugler sounded The Last Post.
The eulogy at the service was read by the Reverend Stephen Hazlett, a friend of the Cuthbertsons, who used to live on Hylton Road.
He said: "The presence of so many people here in this Minster Church of Sunderland, the hundreds gathered outside the church, and across our city and beyond via the media, does express the esteem in which Nathan John Cuthbertson is held by tens of thousands of people throughout the nation.
"This young man has touched our world, and affected this world – for good."
He told mourners: "Your presence here today is central to the occasion of publicly acclaiming Nathan's work and worth.
"But if the nation pays tribute to a hero, and the Army salutes a brave fallen comrade, then the family also grieves the sudden loss of a 19-year- old boy.
"Everyone said he lit up the company when he came into it.
"But it was his parents who described Nathan in the most memorable way possible.
"They said he died a hero's death, but he was a hero before he joined the Army."
Nathan, who attended Pennywell and St Aidan's schools, was killed along with colleagues Pte Daniel Gamble and Pte David Murray, of 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, when a lone insurgent detonated an explosive device as they were on patrol.
Their deaths brought the total number of British troops killed in Afghanistan up to 100.
At the memorial service, Nathan's friend Lance Corporal Keith Watson said: "Cuthy was an exceptional soldier.
"It is a private's privilege to whinge and moan, but he never did.
"If anyone ever needed a volunteer, his was always the first hand to go up."
Major Sam McGrath, from 2 Para, said: "What can anyone say to quantify the sacrifice Nathan and his family have made for our country?
"So many dreams, so much potential will remain unfulfilled.
"He understood the importance of his job and the threat he faced as he carried it out.
He faced these risks every day with the courage and tenacity for two months of a man twice his age."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sunderland
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
