100th Afghanistan victim flown home today

The 100th British serviceman to die in the Afghanistan conflict this year will be returned to the UK today.

Lance Corporal Adam Drane, 23, from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, was shot by insurgents while guarding a check point in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand province on December 7.

His body will be flown into RAF Lyneham this morning.

After a private ceremony for the soldier's family, a hearse carrying his Union Jack-draped coffin will pass along the high street in Wootton Bassett.

The market town has become the focus for the nation's mourning of the deaths of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Crowds have appeared along the route to pay their respects since the bodies of British service personnel began being brought home through RAF Lyneham in April 2007.

L/Cpl Drane, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, had been in Afghanistan for about two months as commander of a four-man fire team attached to the Grenadier Guards Battle Group.

The soldier's parents, Desmond and Jackie Drane, said no words could adequately describe their loss but spoke of their "tremendous pride" in their son's achievements.

They said in a statement: "We wish also to honour his chosen profession, which taught him the true meaning of courage and self-sacrifice.

"In the course of his duties, Lance Corporal Adam Drane died at his post, protecting his Company, in the service of his country."

L/Cpl Drane also left his younger brother Christopher and his fiancee Sian Goodenough.

His comrades described a popular and intelligent soldier known for his love of music and his family.

Private Jason Field, a fellow member of C (Essex) Company of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, said: "Lance Corporal Drane was the kindest, most loving man I knew.

"This was most apparent when he talked about his fiancee. He loved her so much. She was the first and last person on his mind and I have never met anyone who loved someone as much as he did."

Lieutenant Colonel James Woodham, commanding officer of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, added: "Adam was a highly respected and professional non-commissioned officer whose death has left a huge hole in the hearts of those with whom he served.

"He will be remembered as a quiet, confident and effective young man with a bright future ahead of him."

A total of 237 British troops have died since the mission in Afghanistan began in October 2001.