Teenage victims of Hants-Wilts border crash were engaged soldiers
Two people died after a vehicle hit a tree near army barracks
Last updated 4th Nov 2021
18 year old Courtney Jennings and her fiancé Jack Paolucci, 19, were pronounced dead at the scene on Perham Down Road at Tidworth west of Andover on Friday night (29th October).
The pair, both serving soldiers, were two of six occupants in a Renault Clio which collided with a tree.
Two men remain in hospital, with one, a 27 year old man, in a stable but critical condition.
Heartbroken by loss
Courtney Jennings was serving with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) based at Tidworth with her family home in Staffordshire.
Jack Paolucci was based with 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, also in Tidworth and was from Birmingham.
The family of Courtney Jennings have described her as having an infectious laugh and had made everyone proud by following her aspirations of joining the army.
“Courtney lost her life far too soon. No parent should ever find themselves in this situation, but through all our heartache we have the memories of our daughter that will forever keep our hearts bright.
“Courtney was 14 when she decided she was going to join the Army, and through her own aspersion and determination she succeeded and left home at 16 to join Harrogate Foundation college to achieve her dreams.
“She made herself proud, and all around her as proud of her as they could be. She has the brightest smile and infectious laugh. Once she started you could not help joining in. She was selfless with the kindest heart and was extremely close to her family. She always showed her love to everyone.
“Courtney was determined and sometimes stubborn, but always saw the bigger picture. When she met Jack she was the happiest that we’d ever seen her. Jack truly looked after her, and that was reassuring to us as parents.
Family spoke to her hours before fatal crash
Courtney's family have also revealed the tragedy happened when the pair were on the way to a nightclub to celebrate Halloween.
“Speaking to her on FaceTime on Friday she was beaming about them going out to a nightclub together to celebrate Halloween. Her costume took weeks to prepare.
“Unfortunately, she never made it and that breaks our hearts. We were really looking forward to her sending us pictures of the night.
“She sent us pictures before they left and she looked so beautiful. We will forever hold that in our thoughts. We cannot believe that we will never get to hear her voice or hug her again.
“It is absolutely tragic, and we will forever miss our angel.”
Investigation continues
The circumstances of the collision remain part of an ongoing investigation and anyone with any information is asked to call Wiltshire Police on 101 and quote reference number 54210105760.
The force say "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the victims and ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time."