'B' Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, Helmand, Afghanistan, 2010

Digital photograph by Sergeant Rupert Frere, Royal Logistic Corps, 2010.

A member of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment wearing Osprey body armour and holding a Sig Sauer pistol, beneath a camouflage net. The Royal Irish shamrock drop zone flash badge can be seen on his helmet cover and a paintbrush is tucked into a pouch or pocket on his chest. Paintbrushes could be used for cleaning kit or for revealing concealed improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The photograph was taken while 'B' Company 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment was deployed in the Nad-e-Ali area in Helmand Province, supporting Afghan National Army security operations. The Royal Irish Regiment was deployed to Helmand province for the third time from 2 October 2010 to 26 March 2011, as part Operation HERRICK 13. This was a challenging tour which saw some intense fighting but also brought some significant successes. The commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Colin Weir, later wrote 'Few of us will easily forget those first few days and weeks in Nad-e'Ali in October and November 2010 when we were in constant and bloody contact with a determined enemy or the sense in December and January that the tide was turning and that something really significant and positive was happening'.