Funeral of Kent Based Soldier

The funeral takes places today of a Kent based soldier killed by a rogue Afghan soldier

The funeral of Major James Bowman from the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles is taking place today.

Major Josh Bowman was shot dead last month in Helmand Province  - the gunman then managed to flee.

Friends and family will attend the service at Salisbury Cathedral, which is followed by a private cremation.

Major James Bowman, Lieutenant Neal Turkington and Corporal Arjun Purja Pun, all based at Shorncliffe Barracks in Folkestone, were killed at their base in Helmand Province.

Maj Bowman, 34, from Salisbury, Wiltshire, was shot in his sleeping quarters in Patrol Base 3 in Nahr-e Saraj district, near Helmand's capital, Lashkar Gah.

He also fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the base's command centre, killing Lt Turkington, 26, from Craigavon, Northern Ireland, and Corporal Pun, 33, from Nepal, and wounding four other UK soldiers.

Maj Bowman was the most senior member of British forces to die in Afghanistan since Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed by a roadside bomb last July.

In a statement his family said: ``He was the best possible son and brother who will be sadly missed by his family and many friends. He loved the Army and was very proud of the selfless work that he and his Company were doing.''