Thank you for bringing my son home, were the words of an emotional Vereimi Vasu during the final rites of his son, Corporal Ifereimi Vasu, at the Suvavou Methodist Church yesterday.
The Fijian British Army soldier died on November 23 after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a van along the Salisbury Plain in the south-western part of central southern England.
In a packed church, members of his Yorkshire regiment, family members and friends gathered to pay their last respects.
Fijian British Army Soldiers carry the casket of late Ifereimi Custine Tui Vasu as the wife, Marian Vasu and daughter, Kiti Vasu (both with photos) at Suvavou Village on December 17, 2019. Photo: Ronald Kumar.
His daughter, Kiti Vasu, in her eulogy said: “I love you Dad. We had our ups and downs but I love you so much.”
Major Lee Wildey of the British Army said he had known Mr Vasu for more than a decade.
“He was very reliable, honest and above all hardworking. I had the privilege to be his commanding officer. I had left him in charge in Estonia for nine months,” he said.
“And I can say no one would have done a better job.”
Friend and fellow soldier Sergeant Solomoni Qaranivalu said Mr Vasu was a role model.
“Above all, he was a good family man and a great father.”
Mr Vasu had been in the British Army for 13 years. Although he hails from Suvavou, he grew up in Naimasimasi, Tailevu.
And as the trumpet faded at the Commonwealth War Graves in Suva, a soldier, husband, father, son, and brother was laid to rest.
Late British Army Soldiers Ifereimi Custine Tui Vasu’s family, wife Marian Vasu and daughter, Kiti Vasu and son, Jiuta Vasu at Suvavou Village on December 17, 2019. Photo: Ronald Kumar.
Photo Feature:
Fijian British Army Soldier Laid To Rest
The Fijian British Army soldier, Corporal Ifereimi Vasu died on November 23 after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a van along the Salisbury Plain in the south-western part of central southern England. In a packed church, members of his Yorkshire regiment, family members and friends gathered to pay their last respects….
Edited by Ivamere Nataro
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