Major’s tribute to ‘fine soldier’ killed in Taliban blast

Corporal Jake Hartley, 20, of 3rd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, was killed on March 6 alongside Privates Anthony Frampton, 20, Christopher Kershaw, 19, Daniel Wade, 20, and Daniel Wilford, 21, all also of 3 Yorks, and Sergeant Nigel Coupe, 33, of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment.

Cpl Hartley’s coffin was carried into Christ Church, New Mill, West Yorkshire, today with full military honours.

Hundreds of people packed into the church as the horse-drawn hearse arrived with white flowers spelling out “Jake” and “Hero”.

Jake’s mother and stepfather, Nathalie and Mark Taylor, brother Ethan, 12, and uncle and best friend, Luke, also 20, followed the coffin into church.

Earlier, Major Malcolm Birkett, said: “Cpl Hartley was an infantryman to his core – tough, proud, hard-working and honest. He used his own qualities to inspire those he led. The battalion has lost a fine soldier and an outstanding leader.”

The soldiers, who had only been in Afghanistan for a few weeks, were killed when their Warrior armoured vehicle was blown up by a massive improvised explosive device about 25 miles north of the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah.

It was the deadliest single attack on British forces in Afghanistan since 2001.

The funeral of Sgt Coupe took place last week and the funerals of the other four killed in the explosion will follow this month.