‘FAMILY MEANT EVERYTHING’: Drummer Lee Rigby at his 2007 wedding to Rebecca Metcalfe, with whom he had a son, Jack (above), 2. (ZUMAPRESS.com)
‘FAMILY MEANT EVERYTHING’: Drummer Lee Rigby at his 2007 wedding to Rebecca Metcalfe, with whom he had a son, Jack (right), 2. (
)
The British soldier beheaded in broad daylight was the 25-year-old father of an adorable little boy and a star in his battalion’s corps of drums — who survived the war in Afghanistan only to be slain by extremists at home.
Lee “Riggers” Rigby — described as “cheeky and humorous” and a “loving father” to 2-year-old Jack — joined the army in 2006 and was stationed as a machine gunner in Cyprus.
Being in the army was “all we wanted to do from when he was a little boy,” his family said yesterday.
He signed up to serve as soon he turned 18 — and was a “bubbly character” and “highly popular” member of his platoon.
“He wanted to live life and enjoy himself,” said Rigby’s family, who was guarded by police yesterday as relatives and friends grieved.
“His family meant everything to him. He was a loving son, husband, father, brother and uncle, and a friend to many.”
Rigby, who married Rebecca Metcalfe in 2007, “died in the most horrific way,” her brother said.
“They are all inside still trying to get their heads around what has happened,” the brother, who declined to give his name, told Britain’s Telegraph newspaper. “It’s still not sunk in.”
“She’s absolutely in bits,” he added of his sister, who had been separated from Rigby. “His son is there. It’s shocking.”
Rigby’s new partner is believed to be in the military as well and stationed in Afghanistan, The Times of London reported.
Born in Crumpsall, a suburb of Manchester, Rigby was a passionate fan of the Manchester United soccer club and an “extremely popular and witty soldier,” military officials said.
“An experienced and talented side drummer and machine gunner, he was a true warrior and served with distinction in Afghanistan, Germany and Cyprus,” said Lt. Col. Jim Taylor, commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, to which Lee was assigned.
After Cyprus, Rigby returned to the United Kingdom in 2008 and guarded the Royal Palaces as part of his battalion’s public-duty commitments — a great honor for British soldiers.
He was deployed to Afghanistan’s Helmand province in 2009, where he served as a member of the Fire Support Group during some of the conflict’s bloodiest months.
He had been a recruiter in London since 2011 and assisted at the Tower of London.
Warrant Officer Ned Miller recalled Rigby as “one of the battalion’s great characters” who always smiled and was “always ready to brighten the mood with his fellow fusiliers.”
“He was easily identified whilst on parade by the huge smile on his face and how proud he was to be a member of the drums,” Miller said. “He would always stop for a chat just to tell me Manchester United would win the league again.”
Vicar Guy Jamieson, who performed Rigby’s wedding, called Wednesday’s beheading on a London street an “absolute tragedy.”
“When the news first came through yesterday, I felt sickened,” he said.
“It’s abhorrent,” Jamieson added. “We hear a lot about military tragedies overseas, but the fact that it was in the street in a city makes it more horrific.”