Remembering Fusilier Lee Rigby 10 years on

22 May 2023 marks the 10th anniversary since Middleton Fusilier Lee Rigby was brutally murdered in a vicious attack when he was off duty.

Fusilier Rigby, 25, was killed in May 2013 outside the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, south London, while he was off duty.

He had been targeted by his killers, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, because he was the soldier they saw first. They were both sentenced to life in prison after their barbaric attack on Fusilier Rigby with knives and meat cleavers after ambushing his car.

Fusilier Rigby’s killers were sentenced to life in prison in December 2013 after they were found guilty of his murder, and had claimed they wanted to be killed by police in the aftermath.

His mum, Lyn, has paid tribute to her son on the 10th anniversary of his death, asking for people to remember her beloved son.

She said: "I can scarcely believe that ten years have passed since my beloved son Lee was taken from us.

"I know from the huge number of supportive messages I receive that so many others feel the same way – people constantly tell me they remember his murder like it was yesterday.

"What’s even more staggering is that I’m still standing. I’m still here fighting every day to keep Lee’s memory alive.

"It’s only down to the love and support of my husband Ian and four beautiful daughters Sara, Chelsea, Courtney and Amy that I made it through at all. They carried me through the darkest of days when Lee was killed, despite bearing their own pain at the loss of a son and adored brother.

"For that, I will always be so grateful.

"It’s been a long and hard journey that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

"But I have also had some exceptional support from thousands of people on that rocky road – some of whom I know and others that are complete strangers who have wished me well and helped me when I needed it most.

"There are too many people to thank individually but for everyone who has been there for me, in whatever shape or form, big or small, I owe you all a huge debt of gratitude. That love and kindness I have been so lucky to receive restored my faith in human nature and showed me how much people cared about Lee and the terrible fate that he met.

"So many people cared for us as a family too and that still means the world to us all today.
 

Read more: Veterans into Logistics pay tribute to Fusilier Lee Rigby at truck namingPublished: 23 July 2021

"Lee’s heartless and brutal murder showed us the very worst of humanity but the outpouring of shock as well as love and compassion from so many good people far outweighed the bad of just a few.

"It doesn’t take the pain away. Nothing ever can. But it carries us through as a family when we hit rock bottom.

"There’s a good reason people cared so much for Lee. He was one of life’s good guys. Not a saint. Not perfect by any means. But as his mum, he was just a wonderful, beautiful son.

"He was so mischievous and full of life, but he was always so kind and thoughtful too. He was like a cheeky angel with a very big twinkle in his eye!

"I never tire of talking about Lee. My memories are all I have left but he still lives within each and every one of his family in our hearts.

"Even though he is no longer with us, he still teaches me every day how to be a better person.

"He always put others first. He was so loving and affectionate, and he lived life to the full in his 25 years.

"That’s why the Lee Rigby Foundation is so vital to us as a family. It’s Lee’s legacy that is there to help other people.

"I want to make Lee proud and to carry on the kindness that he showed to so many people while he was still alive.

"He might have done it with a lot of noise, but he did it with all his heart. And we all miss that crazy noise of his every single day.

"Today I will spend time with my family so we can celebrate Lee’s life and remember him. Talk about him and love him with all our hearts.

"And then I’ll carry on with his legacy, working at his charity to try and bring comfort and hope to others who have also lost loved ones.

"A decade of loss is a lot of pain, but we all owe it to Lee to never forget him and carry through the kindness and love he had in abundance.

"If you have a moment today, ten years since his unthinkable murder, spare a thought for Lee. Raise a glass to him. And cherish knowing that kindness and compassion will always win over dark hearts and violence.

"That’s Lee’s message. It’s our message.

"Here’s to the most beautiful son I miss every minute of every day."

 

 

Lee, of Langley, had wanted to be a soldier from the age of five. A former student at Hopwood Hall College, he joined up in 2006 when he was 19, and had served in Afghanistan with his regiment, for which he was drummer. His unit was based in Cyprus.

Known as ‘Riggers’ to his friends, he was selected to be a member of the Corps of Drums and was posted to the Second Fusiliers Regiment.

Lee’s first posting was as a machine gunner in Cyprus. In 2008 he returned to the UK to Hounslow, West London, where he guarded the Royal Palaces.

In April 2009 he was deployed for the first time to Helmand province, Afghanistan, where he served as a member of the Fire Support Group in Patrol Base Woqab.

On return to the UK, Fusilier Rigby completed a tour of duty in Germany before taking up a recruiting post in London in 2011, where he also assisted with duties at Regimental Headquarters in the Tower of London.

In 2013, Lee’s name was inscribed on the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire which bears the names of all UK soldiers who have died in conflicts or as a result of terrorist attacks since the end of the Second World War.

Memorial plaques in Fusilier Rigby’s memory were installed in Middleton and Woolwich.

Lee married Rebecca Metcalfe in Southowram near Halifax in 2007, and they had a son together, Jack, who was only two-and-a-half when his dad was killed.

Lyn and Lee's stepdad Ian, later set up the Lee Rigby Foundation in his memory, a support network for bereaved military families. In 2015, Lyn wrote a book about the life and death of her son.

Jack, 12, is also taking on the May Marathon – running or walking 26.2 miles throughout the month – for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity which supports bereaved military children and young people.

He has so far raised £41.3k for the charity.

On his fundraiser page, Jack says that “this year feels even harder for some reason.”

Donations can be made via Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

Fusilier’s Rigby memory is kept alive each year with the annual Lee Rigby Memorial Ride, which sees bikers from across the country come together to remember Lee.

In recent years, the ride also honours the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena bombing, and Lance Corporal Scott Hetherington, who was accidentally shot by a fellow soldier.