Tears as Leeds soldier’s body repatriated

Rifleman Sheldon Steel, from 5th Battalion The Rifles, was killed by an explosion in Helmand province while on foot patrol.

The body of the 20-year-old was flown to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

Following a private ceremony for his family at a purpose-built repatriation centre on the air base, the cortege left via the Britannia Gate on its way to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

The cortege was escorted at walking pace as it approached the memorial garden in Carterton, past Royal British Legion standards, where Rifleman Steel’s mother, Victoria, his two sisters, Carys and Cody, and brother, Kameron, had gathered.

Stood next to the Union Flag, hung at half-mast, they clutched white roses which they then placed on top of the hearse.

Several friends and extended family members also approached the hearse, placing their hands against the glass and bowing their heads.

As the hearse pulled away there was a spontaneous round of applause by over a hundred members of the public who came to pay their respects.

Rifleman Steel was caught in the blast from an improvised explosive device in Babaji, in the Lashkar Gah district, on November 27.

He was described as a skilled marksman and had proven to be “one of the stars of his company”, the Ministry of Defence said.

In a statement, his family, from Leeds, said: “Sheldon was loving, caring and affectionate with his family and we all heard from him regularly.

“He loved being in the Army from when he was in the Army Cadets to joining 5 Rifles.

“He was a big lad - all six foot four inches of him - with a big heart.

“Words cannot explain how much he will be missed by us all.”

The Rifleman had recently won the coveted title Top Dog for winning a contest in his battalion.

Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Tom Copinger-Symes said: “Rifleman Steel was the essence of a Delta Dog, as the members of D Company 5 Rifles are known.

“As a club within a club, the Delta Dogs have a particularly special identity in our battalion and Rifleman Steel was immensely proud of that identity.

“And so he should have been, because he was, and will remain until next year, the Top Dog - which is to say the winner of D Company’s annual competition to find their best rifleman.”

He won the accolade in the last few weeks before deploying to Helmand.

“None of us will ever forget his humble and self-effacing delight that night, mingled with a touch of embarrassment, at finding himself at the centre of such attention,” Lt Col Copinger-Symes added.

Rifleman Steel joined the Army in November 2009 and underwent his combat training at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick, North Yorkshire, before he passed out in April 2010 and shortly afterwards joined 5 Rifles.

His death takes the number of British troops who have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001 to 390.