Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, one of the two latest casualties in the country, was
commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. He and Trooper Joshua Hammond, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, were killed on Wednesday in Helmand province.

Lt Col Thorneloe was the most senior serviceman killed in Afghanistan since operations began in October 2001. The deaths took the total of British servicemen and women to have died in Afghanistan to 171.

A Clarence House spokesman said the Prince of Wales was deeply saddened by Lt Col Thorneloe's death and would be writing privately both to his family and his regiment.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, said of Lt Col Thorneloe: "At the leading edge of his generation, his loss will be felt deeply not only by his family but also by his soldiers and others who, like me, had the privilege to serve with him. Trooper Hammond was a first class tank crewman."