Army officer killed in training sought to serve ‘common good’, funeral told

By Claudia Savage, Press Association

A British Army officer killed in a training incident took up his call “to serve the common good of humanity”, mourners have been told at his funeral service in Ireland.

Captain Philip Gilbert Muldowney, 25, died on Sunday, January 25th, following an incident at Otterburn Training Area in Northumberland, one of the UK’s largest army training ranges.

The officer, who grew up in Co Roscommon, served as a fire support commander within 129 (Dragon) Battery of the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery.

The UK ministry of defence said Capt Muldowney was an “immensely enthusiastic officer who embraced life with a vigour that inspired those around him”.

Known locally as Gilbert, Capt Muldowney grew up in Ballinameen, near Boyle, after his family moved there from Dublin when he was a child.

His father, David, is a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Elphin.

At St Attracta’s Church, Ballinameen Bishop Kevin Doran told those gathered Capt Muldowney brought “joy and hope” to those around him.

His colleagues and friends from the Army who Bishop Doran said “were closest to him at the time of his death” were at the service on Saturday.

Reverend Captain Henry Afful was in attendance alongside Colonel Sean Grant, defence attache to the British embassy, Colonel Harry Waller, commanding officer in the Fourth Regiment Royal Artillery and Colonel William Tulloch, First Battalion Scots Guards Commander.

Mr Muldowney’s coffin was carried into the chapel by uniformed officers.

There were also representatives from the Irish Defence Forces and Mr Muldowney’s local GAA club.

Bishop Doran who carried out the service said the community were sharing stories about Captain Muldowney as they mourned his loss.

He said: “Stories are told.

“Many stories have been told about Gilbert over cups of tea and coffee, and many more will be told before the day is out, stories of his escapades and of his commitment, his interest in archery and brewing, to mention but a few.”

He added: “I heard the story of Gilbert’s mobile phone.

“Tucked away in the cover of his phone, which was with him, was a tiny laminated card on it was a short passage from the Gospel according to Matthew, which has since been traced back to a clipping taken from his pocket Bible at home.”

Bishop Doran continued: “We do live, as Jesus said, in a time when there are wars and rumours of wars.

“It’s an anxious time, not least for soldiers and for the families of soldiers.

“I suppose soldiers train for war in the hope that it will never come.

“They prepare so that others may live in peace.

“Jesus encourages us not to lose hope in the face of all that is wrong in the world.

“‘The end is not yet’ was a central part of that Gospel passage which Gilbert had underlined.

“I take this to refer to the fact that Jesus has a mission for each of us, and that all of us, women and men, soldiers and civilians alike, are called to serve the common good of humanity.

“He who endures to the end will be saved with these words, Jesus reminds us that our ultimate good is achieved not by seeking our own glory, but by laying down our lives for one another.”

Among the items brought to the altar during the service were walking boots as a symbol of his love of the mountains, a longbow handmade by Capt Muldowney, his favourite book The Count Of Monte Cristo, and his St Christopher’s medal as a “symbol of his love of jewellery, his faith and his delight in travelling”.

Bishop Doran added: “We’re called to give our hearts to Jesus, who said to live by his word, it can take a whole lifetime, but as we have seen in Gilbert’s case, a lifetime sometimes has to be fitted into a few short years.

“We give thanks today for all that Gilbert achieved in such a short space of time, for all the joy and hope he brought to his family and friends.”

Capt Muldowney joined the Army on January 5 2020, commissioning into the Royal Artillery on December 11 2020 after attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

He graduated from Elphin Community College in 2019 and the school’s principal Anne Gilleran said Captain Muldowney “is spoken of with enormous respect and affection by staff who knew him well”.

“In a small school, those memories endure, and Gilbert’s contribution to Elphin Community College is remembered with great pride,” she said.

“Elphin Community College has a long-standing tradition of displaying photographs of its head students.

“Gilbert’s photograph hangs above the main entrance to the school, where it stands as a quiet reminder of the standards, character and generosity of spirit he brought to our community.”