Wife in tribute to soldier blown up by Afghan bomb

Lyndsey Savage, the partner of Corporal William Savage, said the birth of their first child was to have been the start of an “amazing future” for the couple.

Cpl Savage, 30, from The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment Of Scotland (2 Scots), was remembered at a service at Glencorse Kirk in Penicuik, Midlothian, near the regiment’s home of Glencorse Barracks.

The solider, from Irvine, Ayrshire, was one of three servicemen killed when their Mastiff armoured vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) on a routine patrol in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand province, on April 30.

Fusilier Samuel Flint and Private Robert Hetherington also died in the blast.

A speech written by Cpl Savage’s wife was read to the hundreds of mourners.

“Sav is the love of my life, it’s difficult to put it into words,” she wrote.

“What we had was so special. The gap that’s been left can never be filled.

“Everybody knows Sav as the joker, the soldier and the happy face, but the Sav I knew was a secret romantic, he had a sensitive side.

“We had so much to look forward to with the birth of our son only weeks away. It was just the start of what would have been our amazing future.

“I always carry Sav in my heart and he will live on through our son, but not a day will go by where I won’t miss or think about him.

“Sleep tight, babe, all my love forever, your soulmate, Lyndsey.”

The soldier’s sister Toni spoke through tears as she paid tribute to her elder brother at the service.

She said: “He meant a lot of things to many people but to me he was my big brother.

“Every brother and sister have their fall-outs, but not me and William, he always stuck up for me and fought my battles, even against my older brother.

“Life’s so cruel and it always takes the best of people, and William was certainly one of the best. I’ve always been proud of William, I’d talk about him to anyone who would listen.

“To the country he was a hero but he was also my hero even before he became a soldier. None of our lives will be the same without him.

“He was my brother, my friend, my bodyguard and now he’s my guardian angel.

“Sleep tight, brother, I’ll never stop talking and thinking about you, and your niece Ruby will always hear your name and see your face.”

Cpl Savage’s brother Robert, father Tony, mother Isobel and her partner Jim Clark attended the service along with military colleagues.

The 400-seater church was packed, with some mourners sitting outside in specially-erected marquees.

Cpl Savage joined the army in April 2003 and had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan previously. The latest tour of duty saw him deployed to Afghanistan in March.

His colleagues in the Army called him “an exceptional soldier” and described his death as a “hammer blow”.

A regimental eulogy was read with tributes from fellow servicemen, who joked that Cpl Savage spent most of his time styling his hair and managed to come out of training exercises cleaner than everyone else.

Major Tim Petransky said: “Cpl Savage can be best described in two words: gentleman and brother.

“The qualities synonymous with these two words - decency, comradeship, selfless commitment and unbridled commitment to everything - are ones that sit well with Sav.

“Everyone that came into contact with Sav is better for the experience. He formed strong and lasting friendships, and was happy to go the extra mile for those he cared for.

“To his friends he was a gregarious, fun-loving character and liked a joke. Everything he did was to the full, he always gave his all. Giving of himself was something he did in his professional life too.

“He had completed numerous tours and he happily went back for more, and that says a great deal about him.

“But Sav was not just a great soldier and brother in arms, he was a dedicated and loving son, husband and brother. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and regiment.”

The death of Cpl Savage, with Fusilier Flint and Private Hetherington, takes to 444 the number of UK service members to have lost their lives since operations began in Afghanistan in October 2001.