Ambush soldier's last letter

Hundreds of mourners attended Mr Hyde's funeral service

A letter written by a young soldier to his parents in case he was killed in action was read out at his funeral on Tuesday.

Lance Corporal Ben Hyde, 23, from Northallerton, was one of six military policemen gunned down in the southern town of Al Majar al-Kabir last month.

At his graveside in All Saints Church, his parents John and Sandra heard their son's poignant message, written before he went to Iraq.

The letter addressed to his "Mum and Dad" starts: "If you're reading this then you will know I'm not coming home.

'I'm up in the stars now looking down on you making sure that you are safe."

It adds: "Thank you for being the best parents anybody could ever have wished for and giving me everything I could have wanted and more.

"You have both got long lives ahead of you yet so make sure you use every second you have, because sitting here writing this now I know just how precious time is."

'Incredibly charming'

Speaking at the service Mr Hyde's cousin Jenny Singh said: "Ben and I grew up together.

The letter was read out at the funeral

"He wasn't just my cousin he was really my big brother and I worshipped him.

"He was fun, cheeky, incredibly charming and brave."

Captain Jim Hibbert, Mr Hyde's platoon commander, also spoke to the congregation of a man "it was impossible not to like".

"He was a guy bursting with character. Someone who didn't just exist but who was bursting with life."

Gun battle

The five other military policemen who died were Sergeant Simon Hamilton-Jewell, 41, of Chessington, Surrey; Corporal Russell Aston, 30, from Swadlincote, Derbyshire; Corporal Paul Long, 24, from South Shields, South Tyneside; Corporal Simon Miller, 21, from Washington, Tyne and Wear and Lance Corporal Thomas Keys, 20, from Llanuwchyllyn, near Bala, Wales.

They were members of the 156 Provost Company, part of the 16th Air Assault Brigade, based in Colchester.

The bodies of the soldiers were found at a police station where they had been training local officers.

The Iraqis had been protesting about weapons searches before embarking on a two-hour gun battle.