We just heard the tragic news that Daniel Hume was one of eight soldiers killed during a 24-hour period last week in Afghanistan. Daniel was a familiar face on the mountainbike race scene before he left for a career in the army.
All our thoughts here at Dirt are with Daniels family and friends.

Rifleman Daniel Hume, aged 22, of The 4th Battalion The Rifles, was killed by an explosion while on patrolnear Nad e-Ali, Helmand province, in Afghanistan on 9 July 2009.

Born in Slough, he moved to Maidenhead where he was educated at Furze Platt Senior School and then at Reading College.

He started mountain bike racing at the age of 12 joining the Mountain Bike UK / SCOTT bikes squad in 2002. By the end of the season he was 3rd in the national rankings, with six wins to his name. It was clear even at this stage that he was a genuine star in the making. More success followed and in 2004 he came 42nd in the Downhill World Cup.

But he accepted that he could not make a career in bike racing, despite his passion for it, and a career in the military beckoned.

Initially he headed towards the Royal Marines, attending the Commando Course in 2007. Displaying his typical determination and physical ability, he was nearing the end of the course when he took himself off for personal reasons. Over the next year he worked for a courier company before the call of the bugle drew him to the Army.

His Commanding Officer, Lt Col Rupert Jones MBE, said: “The Royal Marines’ loss was the Rifles’ gain. In training he was nothing short of a star; always first in everything, immaculately turned out, but always there for his mates and up for a laugh. When his friends were struggling, he was there for them with a kind and encouraging word and assistance. He was a natural prankster and up for a challenge, but despite this mischievous streak, like the very best Riflemen, he was never caught.”

He only arrived in 4 Rifles at the end of April 2009 having just passed out from ITC Catterick where he was the top student.

Lt Col Jones added:”Rifleman Daniel Hume always said that he wanted one day to be RSM of the Battalion. This may at first appear to be an arrogant boast from a young soldier, but in his case it was anything but this. He was an exceptionally gifted young man who wanted to genuinely do something with his life and it would have been a brave man to bet against him to achieve his ambitions.”

He added: “Rifleman Hume was the epitome of the Thinking Rifleman. Early promotion beckoned and he had his eye on a move to the Sniper Platoon to join some of our very finest Riflemen. The Snipers sit at the heart of the Rifles tradition and he would have excelled with them. Mature and perceptive, his aspiration for the year was to complete the tour safely. Cruel fate has denied him this”
Taken from LastingTribute.co.uk

We just heard the tragic news that Daniel Hume was one of eight soldiers killed during a 24-hour period last week in Afghanistan