Benedict Cumberbatch reads 19-year-old Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher’s letter

On 2nd June 2009, whilst on patrol in Helmand Province, 19-year-old Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher became one of the youngest soldiers to die in the Afghanistan war when killed by an explosion. He had left the following letter at his home in Reading, to be read in the event of his death. Benedict Cumberbatch read Cyrus’ moving letter at Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2021.