Words of comfort from brave soldier who will never see son

The 20-year-old trooper said it should stay sealed unless he was killed in action, so when girlfriend Tiffany Lound, 18, heard that he had died she had to face the task of reading its contents.

The letter told her to look after their baby, due at the end of August, a baby which her boyfriend had correctly predicted would be a son, despite doctors saying the couple were expecting a girl.

Miss Lound intends to honour her lost love by naming the little boy James, and her mum Julie, 43, said yesterday: "This is her way of making sure that James's memory lives on.

"We're delighted with the decision she's made. We're just hoping now that the baby's a spitting image of his dad when he's born.

"Tiffany was in such a dreadful state when the news came through from Afghanistan, and she really didn't want to go to the hospital for a scan the very next day. It was really difficult for her going there, but she was so pleased when the consultant told us it was going to be a boy after all.

"She said to me: 'I'm really glad mum – because now I can name the baby after James….' and everyone else is really glad too.

"We never really expected that it was going to be a boy. But it's good in a way how things have turned out because it's just what James would have wanted.

"Tiffany's still in pieces, and it's a blessing really that the baby's on the way. It's something to look forward to, and a reason for her to keep going.

"She didn't open the letter from James for three or four days after he died. What he said about not crying and putting all her energy into bringing up the baby up was so wise, and I'm sure it's been a help."

Tiffany's family are taking legal action to ensure that James's paternity is acknowledged once the baby is born.

Dad Anthony, 43, said: "James's name won't appear on the birth certificate automatically so we've had to consult a solicitor about getting a declaration of parenthood put in place.

"It's a complicated business, but we want the baby to know all about James, and we're saving all the reports, plus the letters and cards, so he can learn about his dad when he's old enough to understand."