'I'll be fine mum...just trust me': Poignant last email of soldier murdered with five comrades by Taliban bomb just weeks into their Afghan tour of duty

Private Anthony Frampton was one of six servicemen killed when their Warrior armoured vehicle struck a huge bomb in Afghanistan

Five of the dead soldiers were aged just 21 or under



'We are very proud of it' say Taliban after claiming responsibility for horrific attack

West Yorkshire in mourning after it emerges two of the victims are from Huddersfield and another is from Dewsbury

The girlfriend of one 20-year-old victim was pregnant



Defence Secretary Philip Hammond today defends level of protection offered by Warrior vehicle



Coroner had raised safety fears about Army's fleet of Warriors



The words to his worried mother will tear at her heart for the rest of her life.

‘I’ll be fine mum, trust me xxxx’, wrote Private Anthony Frampton on the day he was sent to Afghanistan.

Three weeks later, the 20-year-old was killed alongside five of his comrades when their Warrior armoured vehicle was blown to pieces by a Taliban roadside bomb.

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Tragic: The Ministry of Defence has today revealed the identities of the six soldiers killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Pictured are Private Anthony Frampton, 20, left, and Corporal Jake Hartley, 20, right

Victims: Private Daniel Wade, 20, left, and Private Christopher Kershaw, 19, right

Killed: Sergeant Nigel Coupe, 33, left, and Private Daniel Wilford, 21, right



His mother used her Facebook page to express her concerns for her ‘little Afghan hero’, poignantly writing on February 26: ‘Hope my boy stays safe and the rest of the lads out there.’

The death of the six soldiers – five of them no older than 21 – took the number of UK troops who have died in Afghanistan since 2001 to 404.

A tribute left for Private Daniel Wade from his Mum Lisa outside their home in Warrington

The tragedy was the biggest single loss of life for British forces in the country since an RAF Nimrod crash killed 14 in September 2006.

As the six fallen servicemen were named yesterday, their poignant stories began to emerge.

Tributes today poured in for Pte Frampton and his six comrades.



Lt Colonel Zac Stenning, the commanding officer whose company bore the heaviest loss in the incident described the men as 'incredibly brave' adding that 'six of our brothers have fallen '.



THE FALLEN SERGENT AND THE BOY HEROES WHO DIED AT HIS SIDE:

Most of them were children when the Afghan war began 11 years ago, and teenagers when they signed up. Now, their deaths mark the biggest single loss of British life in the region since September 2006 and bring the UK military death toll to 404. Yesterday their poignant stories began to emerge. SERGEANT NIGEL COUPE: The platoon commander was from the Duke of Lancaster regiment and had just moved into a new home in the seaside town of Lytham St Anne’s, Lancashire, with his wife Natalie and their two young children Ella and Jasmine. Neighbours said Sgt Coupe had spent his time on leave before going to Afghanistan working on the semi-detached house just yards from the home of his dad, Alan. Last night his 58-year-old father, a taxi driver, said: ‘Nigel spent all his working life in the Army, it was his life and now it’s his death. ‘You can never prepare for anything like this but the Army is in our family blood.’ PRIVATE CHRISTOPER KERSHAW: The youngest soldier to be killed was from Bradford, West Yorkshire. He had been a former army cadet and was traumatised when his friend, Rifleman Sheldon Steel, was killed in Afghanistan in November. Close friend Natalie Graver, 20, was in the Thornbury detachment Cadets Parachute Regiment with them both. She said: ‘Although Kershaw was shaken up and upset about Sheldon’s death, he still wanted to be in the Army, he said it was his job, he wanted to go. ‘When he rang me last week, he was excited to be out there.’ Monica Kershaw, mother of Private Christopher Kershaw, holds his photograph, left, and right Mother Margaret Charlesworth mourns Private Anthony Frampton's death

PRIVATE ANTHONY FRAMPTON: The Huddersfield man was described as the life and soul of his platoon. His sister Gemma is proudly photographed on her Facebook site wearing a T-shirt before he died saying ‘My Brother’s a Hero’. In an emotional post yesterday she said: ‘Family brief day, the major told us a load of b******t, and that’s the consequence of this!’

PRIVATE DANIEL WILFORD: He was just 16 when he first joined the Army but ‘hated it’ so much that he came out after five weeks and got a job working in a Morrison’s supermarket in Huddersfield. He worked there for 12 months before rejoining the Army last year. A former supermarket colleague said: ‘He didn’t really talk about why he left the Army the first time round. ‘I think he just wanted to do something different but that maybe didn’t work out for him so he went back in.’ Yesterday a relative Alex Wilford wrote on Facebook: ‘And time stood still.’

Family friend Kate Marsden, 22, said: ‘He didn’t want to go but he knew what he had to do.’ Family of Pte Daniel Wilford: Mother Diane Sharples, aunt Susan Clarke and stepfather Paul Sharples CORPORAL JAKE HARTLEY: Another Huddersfield man, he was just 17 when he enlisted and was tipped to become a future Regimental Sergeant Major because of his natural leadership abilities.

It would have been Cpl Hartley’s 21st birthday this Saturday. One of his closest friends was Huddersfield Giants prop forward Keith Mason who paid tribute to him on Twitter.

The 30-year-old rugby player wrote: ‘RIP to my boy an best mate who was killed in the call of duty today in afghan true solidger (sic), RIP jake hartley x’

The corporal’s cousin, Courtney Hartley, wrote: ‘Jake – you were the star of the family, our soldier. We all really love you.

‘You made us all laugh and went red when you got shy, but now you’re with nanna and auntie Lisa. We love you, gorgeous.

‘All my mates have said you’re so fit, lol, bless ‘em. I told them to keep off anyway, Jakey. Night night, love you loads luv ikkle C x’ Cpl Hartley's stepfather Mark Taylor and mother Natalie PRIVATE DANIEL WADE: The Warrington soldier was expecting a baby girl with his fiancée Emma Hickman when he embarked on his first tour of Afghanistan. The young soldier was so thrilled about becoming a father that he had posted a scan of the baby on his Facebook page. Sam Rooney, 20, who was at school with him, said: ‘Dan always wanted to be in the Army, it was his dream ever since he was a boy. ‘It was his first time in Afghanistan, he had only been there a couple of weeks, but he always wanted to go.’ Pte Wade had only joined 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment 12 months ago, but had already qualified to be the driver of the Warrior armoured vehicle.



Sad loss: The sister of Private Daniel Wade, Stacey, left, is hugged by an unidentified woman outside the home of the soldier's mother in Warrington

Emotional: Private Daniel Wade's mother Lisa puts up flowers and balloons outside her home in Warrington today. The 20-year-old's girlfriend Emma was pregnant

Heartfelt: The note left on the flowers by Lisa Billing, mother of Private Daniel Wade, can be seen in this image The soldiers were killed on Tuesday night during a routine patrol on the borders of Helmand and Kandahar provinces. They were killed in a catastrophic double blast when the huge bomb triggered a second explosion of ammunition inside their Warrior armoured vehicle. The Taliban told the BBC they carried out the attack and were 'very proud of it'. It reduced the 40-ton Warrior to a ‘riddled shell’, meaning it was impossible for any of its occupants to survive. The commanding officer of the unit hit hardest by the Afghanistan blast paid a moving tribute to them today.

Lt Colonel Zac Stenning, of 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, read a eulogy to the men outside Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster, Wiltshire. He said: 'Six of our brothers have fallen. It has been a sad day.' 'OUR LOSS IS VERY GREAT' - MOVING TRIBUTE PAID TO FALLEN HEROES

Moving tributes: Lt Colonel Zac Stenning, commanding officer of 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, read a eulogy at the Battlebury Barracks today The commanding officer of the unit hit hardest by the Afghanistan blast paid a moving tribute to the dead soldiers today, saying: 'Six of our brothers have fallen. It has been a sad day.' Lt Colonel Zac Stenning, of 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, read a eulogy to the men outside Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster, Wiltshire. He said: 'Barely 48 hours ago, we heard the terrible news that six soldiers from The 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, were declared missing, believed killed, after their Warrior armoured vehicle was caught in an explosion in southern Afghanistan. 'As their commanding officer of a tight knit family regiment, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to my incredibly brave men, and to offer my deepest condolences to their families, and to their many friends. 'Sergeant Nigel Coupe returned to us from the Armoured Training Centre, Bovington, where he excelled as an Instructor. 'He was proud to be a Lancashire Soldier in a Yorkshire Battalion. His technical prowess was unmatched; he was, quite simply, the best. 'Today we have lost one of our brothers who led and mentored those above and below him with true humility. 'Corporal Jake Joseph Hartley was known as 'JJ' to his friends. Fit, motivated yet always understated, JJ was a top soldier. 'His rise through the ranks had been swift and rightly so; he was a natural leader as exemplified by his top position on the gruelling Infantry Section Commanders Battle Course. He was a selfless, dedicated leader of men and a future Regimental Sergeant Major. 'Private Anthony Frampton was a fit and carefree soldier, and the life and soul of his platoon. A thoroughly likeable young man, 'Framps' could motivate and encourage the entire battalion with his cheekiness and smile. 'Behind his cheeky nature, lay a truly dedicated infantry soldier, who was committed and brave; a true legend among his peers. 'Private Daniel Wade had only recently joined the battalion, but in a very short period, he had made a real mark. Honouring the dead: Soldiers salute after placing pictures among floral tributes at the 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment's barracks in Warminster 'It is to his great credit that he successfully completed his Warrior Driver course so early in his career. In his spare time, Dan loved 'speed on wheels' and he had a real passion for motocross and superbikes. 'Private Christopher Kershaw was one of my fittest soldiers. Chris's natural love of the great outdoors shone through in everything he did. 'It was this passion, coupled with his drive to continuously develop himself, that made him stand out from his peers. A true Yorkshire Warrior, Chris was marked out as a star of the future. 'Last, but certainly not least, I come to Private Daniel Wilford. He was the archetypal Yorkshire Infantry Soldier; quiet, unassuming but with bags of character. 'Wilf, as he was known by all, was happy-go-lucky and confident, and his smile would light up any room. Honest and dedicated, his friends and colleagues trusted and respected him. 'And so, this week, six of our brothers have fallen. It has been a sad day, but as their brothers-in-arms we remain committed in our duty to continue with our mission. They would want nothing less. Our loss is very great, but this is nothing when compared to the deep loss felt by their families and friends. 'Our thoughts and prayers are firmly with them today. Finally, I want to thank the many well-wishers who have shown their support to us at this very difficult time. '



Showing support: A young boy lays flowers outside Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster

He added: 'Barely 48 hours ago, we heard the terrible news that six soldiers from The 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, were declared missing, believed killed, after their Warrior armoured vehicle was caught in an explosion in southern Afghanistan.

'As their commanding officer of a tight knit family regiment, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to my incredibly brave men, and to offer my deepest condolences to their families, and to their many friends.'

Flowers have been piling up outside the barracks of the 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regimen t in Warminster, Wiltshire, after one of the deadliest incidents in a decade of conflict.



The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it did not plan to release further information about the six soldiers until they have been formally identified.

It is understood that this could take several days because experts are having to use DNA techniques to confirm their identities.

According to the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, Pte Frampton went to Royds Hall High School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and signed up to the Army in 2009 at the age of 18.

Thoughtful: Private Anthony Frampton, 20, from Huddersfield, sent heartbreaking messages to his mother on Facebook telling her not to worry

Heroes: Private Daniel Wilford, left, was just 16 when he joined the Army. Private Daniel Wade, right, was looking forward to becoming a father



Pte Wilford was just 16 when he joined the Army and Cpl Hartley, a former student at Earlsheaton High School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was 17 when he enlisted, the paper reported.

Pte Wade's mother, Lisa Billing, along with her daughter, Stacey, hugged each other today as they silently read the floral tributes left by a steady stream of visitors.

Friends of the soldier said he had been 'really excited' at the prospect of becoming a father soon with his girlfriend, Emma, and described him as a 'happy and bubbly' person.

Lewis Dixon, 20, said both had trained as youngsters with the local Army cadets at 75 Engineering Barracks in Warrington.

Mr Dixon said he spoke to Pte Wade a few months ago on a night out in Warrington.

He said: 'Daniel was a cadet, the Army was his dream. I saw him in town about three or four months back. He was talking to me, saying his girlfriend was pregnant. She is having a girl.

'He was really excited. He was happy, really excited about it, it seemed he could not wait to get back.'

Mr Dixon, a former soldier himself before being medically discharged by the Army, added: 'He was a great character.

Top soldier: Corporal Jake Hartley was known as 'JJ' to his friends and attended Earlsheaton High School in Dewsbury

Comrades: Pictured left are Danny Welford, left, and Anthony Frampton, right, who look like they are enjoying a night out. Right, Private Christopher Kershaw was described as 'a true Yorkshire Warrior'



'For any soldier you always feel an attachment. In the Army you are not just a soldier, you are a band of brothers.

'It has hit a lot of people massively. He was popular and lovable - you couldn't speak to him without a smile on your face. He's done his duty.'

Mr Dixon laid flowers outside Pte Wade's home, stood to attention, saluted and walked away in tears.

A Rugby League star today paid a touching tribute on Twitter to 'best mate' Corporal Jake Hartley.



Distraught Huddersfield Giants prop forward Keith Mason tweeted hours after learning of the death of his close friend Cpl Hartley.

The 30-year-old rugby player paid tribute to his 'best mate' who hailed from his hometown in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

Under the name @maso106, he wrote: 'Rip to my boy an best mate who was killed in the call of duty today in afghan true solidger (sic), RIP jake hartley x'



The 6ft-tall former Welsh rugby international, posted a picture of the pair on a night out.

In the picture Mason puts his thumbs-up while both men smile for the camera.



Tragic: The six soldiers were killed when their Warrior armoured vehicle was struck by a Taliban bomb in March. Pictured are Army rescue teams recovering the vehicle

Cpl Hartley, Pte Frampton and Pte Kershaw are all from Huddersfield, Yorkshire, and flew out to Afghanistan on Valentine's Day.

Devastated relatives expressed their sorrow at the loss of their loved-ones on Facebook.

Cpl Hartley's cousin, Courtney Hartley, wrote: 'Jake - you were the star of the family, our soldier. We all really love you.



'You made us all laugh and went red when you got shy, but now you're with nanna and auntie Lisa. We love you, gorgeous.'

The heartbroken teenager added: 'Words can't describe the way I'm feeling and all my family will be feeling he was doing right by our country. He never did anything bad.



'He was a good lad! And always will be. You're always in our hearts! When you lose someone close it's hard and you never forget the good times but they have to be brought to a bad time.'

Dead soldier Sgt Nigel Coupe and wife Natalie had only just moved into a new home.

They lived with their two young children in the quiet seaside resort of Lytham St Annes, Lancashire.

Whilst on leave Sgt Coupe had been busy doing up the semi detached house they bought earlier this year.

Sgt Coupe was platoon commander on the ill-fated mission.



He was career soldier who met his wife when they were fellow pupils at the town's high school.

They bought their house just yards away from the home of Sgt Coupe's father Alan, a taxi driver, and his wife Linda.



Blast: The six soldiers were patrolling the border between Helmand and Kandahar provinces in a Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle similar to this one

The Duke of Lancaster's regiment have had a family officer at the Coupe household since Tuesday night's explosion.

A neighbour said: 'They are closely knit. Alan is a taxi driver and former chef.'

'But he calls his own car the grandchildrens' taxi.They are a patriotic family and always put out Union flags.'

'Where we live is like a community within a community- its not like the posh side of Lytham St Annes we are just ordinary folk with ordinary feelings and today those feelings for Nigel 's family are tearing us up.'

It was the worst single episode for UK troops in Afghanistan since a Nimrod crash killed 14 in 2006, and the biggest-ever loss to insurgent action.

It brought the British death toll in Afghanistan to 404.



Horrified colleagues saw the blasts from a second vehicle but there was nothing they could do to help.

It was less than a month since members of the 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment left for Afghanistan.

With UK troops due to withdraw in 2014, the country remains a lawless shambles run by a corrupt regime, and its future looks bleak.



Safety fears over the Warrior have been raised in the past after soldiers were killed in Iraq in 2007 when a bomb ripped through the unprotected underside of the vehicle.



In June last year, defence firm BAE Systems completed a £40million upgrade on the Warriors in Afghanistan – around £570,000 a vehicle.

Dangerous territory: Two Warrior vehicles were conducting a routine patrol on the border between Helmand and Kandahar provinces when one of the vehicles was involved in an explosion northwest of Durai Junction

Extra armour was added to the undercarriage and sides, the suspension was boosted and more robust seating was introduced to improve protection for soldiers caught in a blast.

A MoD spokesman said: 'Warrior was upgraded in response to emerging threats whilst on operations in Iraq and prior to introduction into operations in Afghanistan in 2007.

'All Warrior vehicles used on operations in Afghanistan were upgraded in June 2011 as part of a £40million urgent operational requirement that provided the vehicles with more than 30 enhancements to deal with the specific threats faced by our troops, including improved armour, enhanced seating design and increased mobility.

'A further £1billion upgrade was announced in October 2011 and this will ensure the vehicles’ suitability for future operations to beyond 2040 by improving the vehicles’ firepower and maneuverability.'

David Cameron said Tuesday's attack was a ‘desperately sad day for our country’.



He added: ‘Every death and every injury reminds us of the human cost paid by our armed forces to keep our country safe.’

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond insisted today that morale among British troops serving in Afghanistan remained 'extremely high' because they know they have an important job to do.



He told ITV's Daybreak programme: 'The people on the ground are acutely conscious of the risks that they are running but they are also incredibly proud of the job that they are doing - and rightly so - and hugely satisfied by the level of public support that they have back home.



'Morale on the ground in Afghanistan is extremely high, and it's high because the servicemen and women there know that they are doing a job and and are doing it well and that is their professional commitment to get that job done.'



Mr Hammond defended the level of protection offered by the vehicle the six soldiers were travelling in when they died.



He said: 'The Warrior is the most heavily armoured vehicle that we have. It has been very heavily upgraded following some criticism that was made of the level of protection by a coroner. That programme of upgrading has been completed.

'In fighting a war you can never be 100 per cent protected. We don't know what happened in this incident - it looks like a massive IED that had a catastrophic impact on the vehicle.



'Obviously we will look at any lessons that can be learnt but talk to soldiers on the ground - they will tell you that there is a trade-off between level of armour and manoeuvrability.



'You can put more armour on a vehicle but then you make it slower and less manoeuvrable and that in itself creates risk.'

General Sir David Richards, the head of the Armed Forces, insisted that Britain's military strategy in Afghanistan would not change despite the deaths, adding: 'We will hold our nerve.'



British and Afghan troops are said to have been involved in a fire fight with insurgents as they recovered the bodies of the dead men following Tuesday's attack.

Significantly, intelligence officers in southern Afghanistan have been warning for the past six weeks that insurgents were seeking to mount a ‘spectacular’ attack in the troubled Helmand province.



In the past week insurgent attacks against convoys, driven by local employed personnel, have soared and military sources in Helmand suggest that the attack was planned to hit a convoy but took the opportunity to hit a high-value target.

The main 601 route is known as the Highway of Hell after a catalogue of roadside bomb attacks.



In parts the tarmac road is littered with the remains of burnt out vehicles and craters.



Culvert drains under the road are commonly used by insurgents to hide bombs.

THE CAT AND MOUSE BATTLE BETWEEN THE ARMY AND TALIBAN

The battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan is a constant game of cat and mouse. Despite the British army spending billions on state-of-the-art equipment to protect troops, the Taliban are just as adept at changing their own tactics. One of their most effective weapons is the dreaded improvised explosive device, otherwise known as an IED. Many of the bombs are detonated by the weight of the victim who accidentally stands on them. About 70 per cent of NATO casualties have been due to IEDs and last year there were a record number of the makeshift bombs. According to the Guardian, in the regional command where Helmand is situated, the number of IEDs jumped by 13 per cent between 2010 and 2011. Doug Czarnecki, deputy commander of Task Force Paladin, which counters the IED threat, told the newspaper: 'It's a great device to use against a conventional force. 'When we come up with measures to defeat their tactics, they change them. When we introduce new counter-measures they change again.' It is estimated that 300 troops have had amputations in the past decade, and 3,000 more need help with serious long-term injuries after falling victim to IEDs.

The scale of the deaths – the number of casualties among the British had been steadily falling with four soldiers killed in the first two months of 2012 – is certain to lead to renewed calls for an early pull-out of UK forces.



Most of the 9,500 UK troops in Afghanistan are expected to be withdrawn by the end of 2014, when 13 years of combat operations in the country are set to cease.



Some will remain as mentors, trainers and advisers.



Yesterday the father of a soldier killed by a Taliban sniper said he hoped Britain would not pull out too soon.



Private Conrad Lewis, 22, of 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, was shot in Helmand province in February 2011.



His father Tony told BBC News: ‘The tragedy for me would be if we left them before the state had its own level of security so if the police and the Afghanistan army were not in the position to make sure they’d got an element of control on that country, I’d start to think that there had been a tragic waste of life.’

The Prime Minister will discuss Afghanistan with President Obama on his visit to the U.S. next week to ensure they are ‘in lock step’ about the importance of training the Afghan army and police, and making sure all Nato partners had a properly co-ordinated process for transition.



The Defence Secretary stressed the timetable for withdrawal remained on track.



‘This will not shake our resolve to see through the mission,’ said Mr Hammond.



‘I believe we owe that to all the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives and put themselves at risk over the last few years.’



At Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster, a card tucked inside a floral tribute read: ‘Dear 3 Yorks, Tragic news. Warminster is proud and will always consider you “our boys”. J x.’



A card attached to another bunch of flowers read: ‘Six soldiers reporting for duty at St Peter’s Gate. My prayers and thoughts are with family and friends.’

COMMUNITY RALLIES AROUND BARRACKS AFTER LOSS OF FIVE OF ITS MEN

The loss of one soldier is hard to take for close-knit garrison towns.

But the community of Warminster is having to come to terms with the deaths of five of its men.

All but one of the victims of Tuesday's horrific blast in Afghanistan were from the 3rd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment , an armoured infantry battalion equipped with the Warrior armoured vehicle. The battalion, which also uses Bulldog vehicles, is based at Battlesbury Barracks, Warminster, Wiltshire, as part of 12 Mechanized Brigade.

Worrying time: Five of the soldiers involved in the Afghanistan explosion are from the 3rd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment. It is based at Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster, Wiltshire Floral tributes have been left at the barracks since the news of Tuesday's explosion emerged. More than a dozen children from the local school, St George's Catholic Primary, walked with their teacher to the barracks entrance. One girl placed a bunch of flowers next to the other tributes and then rejoined her classmates as they stood quietly and prayed. The children's tribute read: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. God bless. From the staff and pupils of St George's Catholic Primary School, Warminster.' Earlier, 13 civilian staff, who work at the barracks as cleaners, paid their respects to the dead soldiers. They each left flowers and then held hands in a semi-circle as they stood in reflection for a minute's silence. One woman fought back tears and was comforted by a colleague. Floral tributes were being left by both service families and those with no connection to military life but who were touched by the tragic loss. One bouquet said: 'From one regimental family to another. Our thoughts are with you at this sad time. Rest in peace. The Warminster branch of the Royal Irish Rangers.' Another card said: 'RIP to the soldiers. Our sympathy is with you. Miss you guys.' Another said: 'We do not come from an Armed Forces family and are just local residents. However, we consider each and everyone of you as family and see you as "our boys". 'Deepest sympathy to your family and friends at this very sad time. RIP. Love always Bryers and Dancer family, Westbury xxxxxx.' Another tribute said simply: 'Stand easy - your duty is done. The world is safer.' The regiment is also known as The Duke of Wellington's Regiment or The Dukes - named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who both served in and commanded the regiment. Its motto is 'fortune favours the brave' and its Colonel in Chief is the Duke of York.



Grim task: The group was on a mounted patrol on the border between Helmand and Kandahar provinces when their vehicle was struck at 7pm last night. Troops are pictured recovering the vehicle

VIDEO: Moving tributes from the commanding officer of 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment