02/11/2024
Absolutely devastating news of our fellow Welsh Warrior Jack Wilkes. The whole team sends our deepest condolences to his family and friends at these devastating times.
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Fusilier, Jack Wilkes, 1 Royal Welsh.
Fus Jack Wilkes was a member of 5 Platoon, B (Rorke’s Drift) Company, the 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh.
Though through tragedy his time at the Royal Welsh was short, Fus Wilkes fully immersed himself in all that the Battalion had to offer, achieving more memories in his short time than many would in a lifetime. Fus Wilkes loved every minute of being an Infantry soldier and part of the Royal Welsh. More importantly, through the Royal Welsh Fus Wilkes was able to establish a brotherhood and friendship whilst being away from his close family network in North Wales. Having initially completed his basic training at the Army Prep College Harrogate, Fus Wilkes then learned his core infantry skills at the Infantry Training Center (Catterick). Fus Wilkes was posted into 1 Royal Welsh, Tidworth on 06 Dec 2021. The Royal Welsh seemed like a natural fit for Fus Wilkes given his great grandfather and great great grandfather served in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. This along with his grandfather’s 22 years in the Army Medical Corp and Fus Wilkes Father’s 6 years in the Royal Engineers (33 Eng Regt EOD), meant that Fus Wilkes was destined for military service.
Fus Wilkes’ time at battalion saw him partake in numerous overseas exercises and range packages, a highlight being his time on Op CABRIT 10. Fus Wilkes enjoyed the fundamentals of Soldiering; given he had grown up shooting and loving the outdoors, this was very much not a surprise. Fus Wilkes was a competent soldier within the field, confident, influential and intelligent, he very much thrived in this environment. An aggressive and hard infanteer Fus Wilkes would certainly be a soldier one would want in their platoon during a time of war.
In Camp, as his Platoon Commander, Fus Wilkes made my life difficult with his wit, mischief and cheeky nature, but deep down I would find it hard to discipline him simply because I admired his attitude of never taking himself or life too seriously. Fus Wilkes was certainly selfless be that on deployments or through acts of self-deprivation; with him around you knew you would never stop laughing. Those in the Army know a lot of a soldier’s life is spent in the joy of “waiting around”, you could guarantee when this was the case the platoon and wider company would be surrounding Fus Wilkes to see what form of mischief he would come up with to pass the time away. Life with Fus Wilkes was never boring. Fus Wilkes also had a serious side, as he progressed as a soldier, he eventually found himself in the drivers hatch of the Warrior 510 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, a job he did not enjoy but one that did develop him. In his year before being diagnosed with the tragic news, Fus Wilkes’ matured massively; his leadership skills were truly flourishing, and he was due to attend his pre-Junior Non-Commissioned Officer cadre, a course he would have certainly passed and eventually progressed to the rank of Lance Corporal. Tragically, however, he was too unwell to do the course and weeks later he was told about the battle that he would be facing.
Outside of Soldiering Fus Wilkes was a keen Football player, having played at Academy level from the age of 11 through to 16 for Bala Academy, along with juggling commitments to his local side. When not playing Football, Fus Wilkes also enjoyed watching it, being a keen Manchester United supporter. Away from the football pitch and when not socialising in Tidworth as the ringleader of his friendship group, Fus Wilkes also dabbled in boxing, hunting and shooting, he massively enjoyed the outdoors. Along with this, Fus Wilkes often returned home to his dogs Fergie and Willow. One was even there in his final moments, Roxy who comforted him on his hospital bed.
This last year and Fus Wilkes’ battle was a testament to his character, having demonstrated immense strength, bravery and loyalty in the most adverse conditions. Whilst on treatment Fus Wilkes went through set back, after set back, but his mental resilience was continually tested and just like his forebears at Rorke’s Drift he never gave up but sadly lost his battle.
Throughout his battle with cancer, Fus Wilkes remained his best self, by always keeping a smile on his face and maintained his dignity. He did everything within his power to remain strong in front of his family and friends, and despite his deteriorating condition he was a role model in his source of strength to us all. Fus Wilkes unfortunately lost his fight at 1905 on the 29 of October 2024, but true to his character he left this world with the club classic Basshunter playing in the background and a dab of Kopperburg on his lips.
There is universal agreement that Fus Wilkes was an instrumental and popular member of the battalion, the support he received on following his diagnosis is a reflection of this. Words cannot begin to describe some of the funniest of stories that Fus Wilkes was a part of, nor would they be appropriate given the audience but Fus Wilkes infectious enthusiasm, outgoing nature, cheekiness and mischief made him a joy to be around. Ultimately, he was a loyal and brave soldier, friend, partner, nephew, brother, and son.
The loss of such a beloved individual is significant blow to the Platoon, Company, Battalion and Wider Army. To lose Fus Wilkes in such difficult circumstances is extremely hard to take, his death will affect everyone that knew him for the rest of their lives but his memory will forever be honoured in Royal Welsh Legacy much like his family before him. Jack will be sadly missed, but incredibly well remembered.
