I will miss him beyond measure
Mum’s tribute to aid worker killed in Gaza
LARGE crowds turned out yesterday to pay tribute to a British aid worker killed in Gaza.
Friends and family of James Kirby, 47, who was one of seven World Central Kitchen workers killed in the attack on April 1, commemorated his life at St Mary Redcliffe Church, Bristol, yesterday.
James, who had fought in Bosnia and Afghanistan, was part of WCK’s security team travelling with a convoy that had just unloaded more than 100 tons of vital food aid brought from
‘I thought this guy was bullet-proof, that he was invincible’
overseas. He was killed in an Israeli air strike alongside two other Britons.
Family and close friends carried his coffin draped in the Union Flag down the churchyard. His mum Jacqui said: “I cannot express more deeply my gratitude for the outpouring of love I have seen over the weeks since his tragic death in Gaza.
“James was a remarkable man, a true friend to so many people and above all, he was my son. I will miss him beyond measure and cannot comprehend a future without his presence.
“But I take great comfort from knowing he died doing something that really mattered to him, and the knowledge that he was loved by so many people from all walks of life.”
The parade was followed by uniformed representatives of the Armed Forces. Among them was friend Brendan Forbes, 46. He said: “I knew James from the age of 13 and we joined the army cadets together. He had a passion for being outdoors.
“It was wonderful being friends for so many years. Absolutely perfect at working a crowded room and making you think you were the only person in that room. James had a wicked sense of humour. We had a mischievous friendship that was about making other people laugh.”
Protecting
Brendan, who runs a construction firm in Edinburgh, added: “I was selfish. I thought he was my best friend, but he’s everyone’s best friend.”
Veiner Gaston, 36, another friend now living in Edinburgh, added: “We went to Afghanistan together serving with the rifles. He was my cover. He was the one physically protecting me.
“He would always treat everyone the same. Always would make them laugh, make them smile. He would drop everything else to help them.
“In Afghanistan he would call a kid over and give them a chocolate bar. I thought this guy was bullet-proof. I thought he was invincible.”
Meanwhile, a man aged 47 has been arrested in south-west London on suspicion of supporting a terrorist organisation after a police investigation into online posts about Hamas. He has been released on bail until August.