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| Soldiers killed by blasts named | Soldiers killed by blasts named |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Two soldiers killed by separate explosions in Afghanistan have been named by the Ministry of Defence. | Two soldiers killed by separate explosions in Afghanistan have been named by the Ministry of Defence. |
| Acting Serjeant Stuart McGrath, 28, from 2nd Battalion The Rifles, was on foot patrol in the Gereshk district of central Helmand province when he died. | |
| Trooper Brett Hall, 21, from 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, also died on Wednesday in a UK hospital after being wounded in Afghanistan on Saturday. | |
| A total of 216 of UK service personnel have died in Afghanistan since 2001. | A total of 216 of UK service personnel have died in Afghanistan since 2001. |
| 'Loved by all' | |
| Trooper Hall, from Dartmouth, Devon, joined the Army in November 2006, aged 18. He leaves behind parents Susan and Peter. | |
| His commanding officer, Lt Col Marcus Simson, said: "Known regimentally as Albert, Trooper Hall's death leaves an indescribable hole in our hearts and it is only some consolation that he died whilst surrounded by his family. | |
| "He was loved by all who knew him as a happy, hard-working young man who was full of fun, was desperately proud of his squadron and their achievements in Afghanistan, and who cared deeply about his mates. | |
| "We are proud to have known him and to have served alongside him." | |
| Acting Serjeant McGrath, a father-of-four, was born in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, and had joined the Army in 1999. | |
| We have lost a star and the hole he leaves behind is huge Lt Col Rob Thomson | |
| His wife said: "Stuart was a loving husband, amazing father, son, brother cousin and a friend to many. | |
| "We are all so very proud of him and what he achieved. He died doing a job he loved. He is our hero and we will never forget him." | |
| Lt Col Rob Thomson, commanding officer of 2nd Battalion The Rifles said Serjeant McGrath had been one of "2 Rifles' rock-hard mortarmen". | |
| "At only 28 he was one of the youngest members of the most prized club in the battalion, the serjeants' mess, and I can still clearly see the visible pride on his face when I had the privilege to promote him earlier this year. | |
| "There was nothing he did not know about mortaring that was worth knowing. It is easy to be good at mortaring but to be brilliant at mortaring is extraordinarily difficult. | |
| "Serjeant McGrath was indubitably brilliant at it - he could run the mortar line or control the mortar fire on the ground equally well and very, very quickly, which is what we have needed out here. | |
| "He often dug us out of scrapes. And Serjeant McGrath was fearless. | |
| "We have lost a star and the hole he leaves behind is huge." | |
| Secretary of State for Defence Bob Ainsworth paid tribute to the men. | |
| He said: "It is clear that both men had carved out excellent reputations in their regiments, and were considered to have even brighter futures ahead of them. | |
| "My thoughts are with their families, friends and colleagues who must be feeling a great sense of loss at this time." |