Rupert Hamer (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Rupert James Hamer was a British journalist and, at the time of his death, was the defence correspondent for the Sunday Mirror
.
and Gresham's School
in Holt
before joining the Eastern Daily Press
as a trainee reporter in the late 1980s. In 1991 he attended Leeds University where he studied Politics, and edited a satirical column for the university's newspaper, the Leeds Student
, entitled "Rupert Hamer on Friday". After graduating he worked as health correspondent for the Evening Echo in Bournemouth
, where he met his wife Helen, before moving to London
in 1997. After working as a freelance for both the INS
news agency and the Sunday Mirror, he was offered a job by the Sunday Mirror. He was appointed as the newspaper's defence correspondent in 2004. Hamer worked at the Sunday Mirror for twelve years. As defence correspondent he reported from both Afghanistan
and Iraq
.
(IED) near Nawa
, in Afghanistan's Helmand province
. Hamer was killed in the explosion along with a US Marine. Five marines as well as colleague Coburn were seriously injured .
Coburn, who had worked with Hamer in several war zones, suffered severe leg injuries and was evacuated to the British military hospital at Camp Bastion
in Helmand, to be flown back to the UK.
Hamer and Coburn were travelling in a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle
(MRAP), the most advanced of all vehicles designed specifically to protect its passengers against explosions of mines
and IEDs. One of Hamer's last assignments was a special Christmas edition of the Sunday Mirror with messages from loved ones, that was sent to soldiers three weeks before.
The explosion brought the number of journalists who had died in Afghanistan since 2001 at 18. This was the first time that a British
reporter was killed in the conflict and Hamer was the first of them to die in a warzone since the death of ITN’s Terry Lloyd
in Iraq
in 2003.
Hamer was honored by US Marines of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, in a battlefield memorial ceremony at Forward Operating Base Geronimo in Nawa, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on 19 January.
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
.
Career
Hamer was educated at Town Close School in NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
in Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
before joining the Eastern Daily Press
Eastern Daily Press
The Eastern Daily Press, commonly referred to as the EDP, is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, and northern parts of Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is published daily in Norwich, UK....
as a trainee reporter in the late 1980s. In 1991 he attended Leeds University where he studied Politics, and edited a satirical column for the university's newspaper, the Leeds Student
Leeds Student
Leeds Student is a British weekly student newspaper, published free every Friday during term-time and distributed around the University of Leeds, Leeds, England. The only paid position is that of the editor, who is elected yearly by members of Leeds University Union. The articles are written by...
, entitled "Rupert Hamer on Friday". After graduating he worked as health correspondent for the Evening Echo in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, where he met his wife Helen, before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1997. After working as a freelance for both the INS
International News Service
International News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
news agency and the Sunday Mirror, he was offered a job by the Sunday Mirror. He was appointed as the newspaper's defence correspondent in 2004. Hamer worked at the Sunday Mirror for twelve years. As defence correspondent he reported from both Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Death
Hamer and his Mirror colleague, photographer Philip Coburn, flew to Afghanistan on New Year's Eve 2009, where Hamer commenced his fifth assignment reporting from that country. They were to spend a month reporting from the war zone. In January 2010 Hamer and Coburn were embedded with the US Marine Corps in Afghanistan, when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive deviceImprovised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
(IED) near Nawa
Nawa
Nawa may refer to:* Nawa, Rajasthan, a city and Tehsil in Nagaur district in the Indian State of Rajasthan.* Nawa District, a district in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan* Nawa, Tottori, a town in Saihaku District, Tottori, Japan* Nawa, Syria, a city in Syria...
, in Afghanistan's Helmand province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
. Hamer was killed in the explosion along with a US Marine. Five marines as well as colleague Coburn were seriously injured .
Coburn, who had worked with Hamer in several war zones, suffered severe leg injuries and was evacuated to the British military hospital at Camp Bastion
Camp Bastion
Camp Bastion is the main British military base in Afghanistan. Accommodating 21,000 people it is situated northwest of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, and exists to be the logistics hub for operations in Helmand....
in Helmand, to be flown back to the UK.
Hamer and Coburn were travelling in a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle
MRAP (armored vehicle)
A Mine Resistant Ambush Protected is a family of armored fighting vehicles design led by the United States Marine Corps in use by the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces with the goal of surviving IED attacks and ambushes - prompted by US deaths in Iraq...
(MRAP), the most advanced of all vehicles designed specifically to protect its passengers against explosions of mines
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
and IEDs. One of Hamer's last assignments was a special Christmas edition of the Sunday Mirror with messages from loved ones, that was sent to soldiers three weeks before.
The explosion brought the number of journalists who had died in Afghanistan since 2001 at 18. This was the first time that a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
reporter was killed in the conflict and Hamer was the first of them to die in a warzone since the death of ITN’s Terry Lloyd
Terry Lloyd
Terence Ellis Lloyd was a British television journalist well-known for his reporting from the Middle East. He was killed by U.S. troops while covering the 2003 invasion of Iraq for ITN...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in 2003.
Hamer was honored by US Marines of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, in a battlefield memorial ceremony at Forward Operating Base Geronimo in Nawa, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on 19 January.