Private Lee O'Callaghan (All rights reserved.)
Private Lee O'Callaghan

He was aged 20, and came from London. Unmarried, he was serving with the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment based at Tidworth.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Maer, the Commanding Officer of 1PWRR, said:

Pte Lee O’Callaghan joined my Battalion in December 2003, and was quickly assimilated into the regimental family. He was highly regarded and known as a hard working, diligent member of the team who could be trusted to finish any task with characteristic good humour. He was an avid football fan and keen supporter of Millwall. As a midfielder player himself he took every opportunity he could to play football, bringing his love for the game from Tidworth to Iraq.
Lee came from Bermondsey, London. He joined the army for the excitement and challenge it offered, he excelled in the training and preparations for Iraq and looked forward to deploying on operations and to do the job for which he had trained. Pte O’Callaghan showed the highest standards of professionalism and courage, in a highly volatile situation.
The loss of Pte O’Callaghan is deeply felt by all those in the Battalion, but especially so by his friends in B Company. Our heartfelt thoughts go out to his family and loved ones from all those in his Army family.
The Above was fromhttps://www.gov.uk/government/fatalities/private-lee-ocallaghan
LEE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN’ – FAMILY’S PRIDE AS WALWORTH STREET NAMED AFTER IRAQ WAR HERO
NEWS DESK (28 September, 2017)

Young Millwall fan was fatally shot by Shia militiamen in Basra in 2004

19201

Shirley and Danny O'Callaghan (left); Lee O'Callaghan (right)

A new street in Walworth has been named after Iraq War hero Private Lee O’Callaghan, who was killed in combat in 2004.

Brave Lee was fatally shot in the chest on August 9 during clashes with Shia militiamen in the city of Basra.

The 20-year-old had been on duty for five months, with one week left before he was due to fly home on leave and be reunited with his family.

Last Friday, the O’Callaghan Way street sign was unveiled in the nearly-completed section of Elephant Park, and will link Heygate Street with Wansey Street. It is also located around the corner from where younger brother Danny, and proud mum Shirley O’Callaghan, both work at F A Albin & Sons funeral directors.

“He was a funny brother. I looked up to him and he was my inspiration,” said Danny, 29. “Now it’s going to be there forever. He’s really left his mark on the area.

“That spot is exactly where our first home was. A lot of our family lived on the Heygate. My dad [Eugene] came here from Ireland and we had aunties and cousins in the blocks.”

Shirley, 58, from Tatum Street, said: “People always come up with these ideas, but you never think they’re going to be put into practice. It went through so many stages, but now we can actually see it.”

“Lee will never be forgotten. All of his friends who were in the army with Lee come and meet us at the cemetery and come for dinner with us. The army is like a family. They always get in touch without fail.”

_

RHQ PWRR on Twitter: "@1pwrr FALLEN HERO LEE O'CALLAGHAN TO GET ROAD NAMED AFTER HIM - Southwark News https://t.co/J7RUgYwtFw"

The last time one of Lee’s family heard his voice was when the young soldier called home a few days earlier to speak to dad Eugene, on his birthday. The whole family, including sisters Gemma and Kerry, had been looking forward to him coming home on leave the following week. Instead, they got a visit from two army officers saying Lee had given his life helping his comrades to safety, after two Land Rovers were destroyed by rockets.

Danny and Shirley gave thanks to fellow Millwall fans, Lee Evans and John Davies, who led the campaign with the News to cement Lee’s name in the area where he was born and bred.

Lee’s name was put forward with more than 130 suggestions to name new streets and blocks in the borough over the next fifteen years. Th