Royal visit honours lost troops

A community gathered to mourn two fallen British soldiers yesterday, ahead of a visit from the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to thank them for their support for the armed forces.

L/Cpl Daniel Cooper, 21, from 3rd Battalion the Rifles, and Rifleman Peter Aldridge, 19, from 4th Battalion the Rifles, died in separate incidents in Afghanistan.

Rifleman Aldridge, from Folkestone, Kent, was the 250th British serviceman to die in Afghanistan when he was caught in an explosion near Sangin, in central Helmand province, on January 22.

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L/Cpl Cooper, from Hereford, was killed in an explosion as he tried to clear a path in an area south of the Sangin district centre, in northern Helmand, on January 24. His death brought the total losses to 251.

Their bodies were flown into RAF Lyneham yesterday morning before a visit from Charles and Camilla to nearby Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, which has become a national focus for honouring those who have died in service of their country.

As has become tradition, the coffins draped in Union flags passed through the market town.

The Prince and Duchess each laid wreaths at the war memorial following a service to dedicate a new flagpole in the market town.

Camilla is colonel-in-chief of Rfn Aldridge's regiment.