'Cheeky smile' soldier honoured at funeral

Police community support officer Rifleman Mark Marshall, of 6th Battalion The Rifles, was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated while he was on a routine foot patrol to the north east of Sangin in Helmand Province.

Rifleman Marshall's mother Lynn, his girlfriend Hayley, and his brother and sister Alex and Jo issued a statement read by Sergeant Tom Cunningham of Devon and Cornwall Police at his funeral yesterday.

"Mark always gave so much, in all he did and achieved, in the short time he was with us. Today is testimony to that."

The family thanked his police colleagues and fellow servicemen for their "tremendous efforts" in organising "such a special day to say goodbye to him". The statement added: "Always think of Mark with his cheeky smile and remember we never lose the ones we love, they stay in our hearts forever."

Thirty standard-bearers from the Royal British Legion attended the funeral at Belmont Chapel in Exeter, Devon.

The Last Post was played, followed by three volleys of shots by an honour guard made up of B Company 6 Rifles. A private crematorium service followed, at which a flock of 12 white doves were released.

Rifleman Marshall, 29, born in Exeter, Devon, served in Kajaki for two months before his platoon was sent to occupy a patrol base in the northern part of the town of Sangin. He was "point man" in his patrol, charged with clearing the ground of improvised explosive devices. He died on Valentine's Day.

Meanwhile, Baroness Thatcher said yesterday that Britain has a duty to care for the mental health of veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The former prime minister urged people to back a 30m appeal by the charity Combat Stress, which cares for ex-servicemen and women with psychological problems,

Writing in a national newspaper, Lady Thatcher said: "Our duty is to match the skills shown on the battlefield with the quality of care we provide for the casualties of war once they return home. That is why the work of Combat Stress is so vital."

Taliban may be changing tactics

British commanders in Afghanistan are watching to see if the Taliban are changing tactics after troops in a militant hotspot reported that insurgents' shooting is becoming more accurate.

Six UK soldiers died in Sangin in northern Helmand Province in the space of a week at the start of this month, four of them from gunshot wounds. Defence chiefs are monitoring whether this represents a shift by militants away from the use of roadside bombs.

Major General Gordon Messenger said soldiers in Sangin confirmed the accuracy of some Taliban firing was improving but stressed it was too soon to draw conclusions.