Shoreham: 'Lion-Hearted' Soldier Repatriated

22 October 2013, 09:27 | Updated: 22 October 2013, 13:07

A soldier from West Sussex, shot dead on patrol in Afghanistan, is to be repatriated.

The body of Lance Corporal James Brynin of the Intelligence Corps will be flown back to the UK today (Tue 22 Oct).

He will return via RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and his funeral cortege will pass by a special memorial garden on the way to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

The 22 year old, who worked as an intelligence analyst, had already been selected for promotion but was shot dead on October 15 when his patrol was attacked in the area of Kakaran, north east of Lashkar Gah.

Despite receiving immediate medical attention, L/Cpl Brynin, known as Jay, died from his injuries at the scene.

His death took to 445 the number of UK service members who have lost their lives since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001.

It was the first UK death in Afghanistan since Corporal William Savage, Fusilier Samuel Flint, and Private Robert Hetherington died when their Mastiff armoured vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) on April 30.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said when L/Cpl  Brynin was killed that he had excelled in the army, had already been selected for promotion to corporal and had ''grand ambitions''.

He was born in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, and joined the army in February 2011.

He was working for a light electronic warfare team within the Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF) of 7th Armoured Brigade.

In a tribute issued through the MoD, his family said: ''Heart of a lion, we will always stand strong for you. We will never forget. Rest in peace - dad Efrem, mum Sharon, sister Yasmin and girlfriend Olivia.''