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| Funeral of 200th soldier to die | Funeral of 200th soldier to die |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| The funeral has taken place in south Wales of the 200th UK soldier killed in the Afghanistan conflict. | |
| Pte Richard Hunt, 21, of 2nd Battalion the Royal Welsh was honoured at a service with full military honours in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. | |
| Pte Hunt died in hospital in the UK two days after an explosion in Helmand Province while on vehicle patrol. | Pte Hunt died in hospital in the UK two days after an explosion in Helmand Province while on vehicle patrol. |
| Up to 3,000 mourners, many lining the streets, listened to the tributes to a "true Welsh warrior". | |
| Pte Hunt died in hospital in Birmingham earlier this month after his patrol from A Company the 2nd Battalion the Royal Welsh was hit by an explosive device. | |
| Lt Col Mark Wheeler told the congregation Pte Hunt made "an immediate impact" when he joined the battalion. | |
| Richard Hunt died two days after he was wounded on patrol | Richard Hunt died two days after he was wounded on patrol |
| "His enthusiasm was clear to us all and he was quickly identified by his platoon staff as a bright, enthusiastic soldier with plenty of potential for the future. | |
| "Richard was brimming with excitement when it was finally announced that A Company would be deploying to Afghanistan. | |
| "He immediately volunteered to undertake a sniper course rather than pursue a possible career promotion course believing that he could best serve the company and his friends as a trained sniper." | |
| Phillip and Hazel Hunt described their son as "selfless to the end" | |
| Pte Hunt's brother Alun Hunt also paid tribute. | |
| He said: "Who would have thought this beautiful little blue-eyed boy would grow up to be such a brave and courageous young man. | |
| "He was a true Welsh warrior, an honour I know he would be delighted has been bestowed upon him. | |
| "As a family we have paid the highest price for him serving his country. He and others like him have risked everything in order to protect us all. And for that we are grateful to him. | |
| "And we request his all too short life not be in vain." | |
| Losing you will leave the biggest and blackest of holes which will last a lifetime Jonathan Cholakian | |
| Jonathan Cholakian, the soldier's best friend, said the memories of the life they shared would stay in his heart forever. | |
| "Rich you are like a brother to me and I love you," he said. | |
| "I will always cherish being in the band with you, making music with you was a privilege, even though you hit the drums so hard the rest of us could barely hear ourselves play. | |
| "Losing you will leave the biggest and blackest of holes which will last a lifetime." | |
| Last Sunday hundreds joined in a minute's silence at the cenotaph in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, on what would have been the soldier's 22nd birthday. | |
| Soldiers from 2nd and 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh were present at the memorial which brought the market town centre to a standstill. | Soldiers from 2nd and 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh were present at the memorial which brought the market town centre to a standstill. |
| His parents, Hazel and Phillip Hunt, described their son as "selfless to the end", with his bravado masking "a natural shyness". | |
| Mrs Hunt has also criticised the treatment of troops in Afghanistan, and said politicians needed to listen to and understand their demands for more and better help and equipment. | Mrs Hunt has also criticised the treatment of troops in Afghanistan, and said politicians needed to listen to and understand their demands for more and better help and equipment. |