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TA soldier killed in Helmand province named | TA soldier killed in Helmand province named |
(40 minutes later) | |
A British soldier killed by a bomb in southern Afghanistan has been named as Pte Matthew Adam Thornton. | A British soldier killed by a bomb in southern Afghanistan has been named as Pte Matthew Adam Thornton. |
The Territorial Army soldier, 28, from 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, died from the blast on Wednesday at Babaji in Helmand province. | The Territorial Army soldier, 28, from 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, died from the blast on Wednesday at Babaji in Helmand province. |
The factory worker from Barnsley was serving with 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment as a part of a Combined Force in Lashkar Gah. | The factory worker from Barnsley was serving with 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment as a part of a Combined Force in Lashkar Gah. |
His family said his death would leave "a huge hole in all our lives". | His family said his death would leave "a huge hole in all our lives". |
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Pte Thornton was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device during a patrol north of checkpoint Loy Mandeh, following an engagement of small arms fire and grenades. | |
'Yorkshire warrior' | |
He was caught in the blast as he was manoeuvring and returning fire, the MoD added. | |
Pte Thornton had begun his deployment to Afghanistan, based at checkpoint Khoorashan in Babaji, just last month. | |
His family - father Michael, mother Susan, sister Sarah, and brother Nathan - said in a statement: "Matthew was a dedicated soldier and passionate about the job. He loved what he was doing. | |
"He loved life and lived it to the full - in his work, in his role with the Territorial Army and in his leisure time. | |
"Matthew will be greatly missed by his family, his TA colleagues and his friends. His death leaves a huge hole in all our lives." | |
Lt Col Ian Crowley, commanding officer of 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said he showed he had the volunteer ethos "in spades". | |
"He was a fine soldier and an even finer man. 4 Yorks is a family and we have lost one of our own. He was a true Yorkshire Warrior," he added. | |
Lt Col Dan Bradbury, commanding officer of 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said he fitted into his sister battalion immediately, displaying "grit and determination" alongside a "ready wit and smile". | |
A passionate snowboarder, Pte Thornton was born in Barnsley and attended Darton High School - going on to work for Yorkshire firm Premdor, a manufacturer of door and window frames. | |
He had joined the TA in 2004, left briefly in 2007, then re-enlisted two years later to volunteer for deployment to Afghanistan. | |
He was the 385th British military casualty in Afghanistan since 2001. |