Bodies of servicemen flown home

Friends, family and colleagues have paid tribute to the servicemen

The bodies of two British servicemen killed in Afghanistan's Helmand Province have been flown home.

L/Cpl Kenneth Rowe, 24, from Newcastle, and Cpl Jason Barnes, 25, from Exeter, Devon, were repatriated at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.

A private service attended by the two men's families was held at the airbase.

Cpl Barnes was helping evacuate fellow soldiers when an explosive device detonated, while L/Cpl Rowe, a dog handler, died after coming under fire.

He and explosives sniffer dog Sasha, also killed, were attached to the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment.

Love you Ken, watch over Hannah for me, she will learn all about her daddy the hero L/Cpl Rowe's partner Helen Bell

He was due to leave front-line duties with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps on Wednesday - the day before he died - but had requested to stay on.

Cpl Barnes served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

He had been assisting with the evacuation of an injured serviceman wounded in a mine blast in the Kajaki area on 22 July.

He was driving a Vector army ambulance back to base when it was hit by a suspected insurgent explosive device.

Despite medics' efforts, he died a few minutes later.

Family, friends and Army colleagues have paid tribute to both men.

'Truly missed'

In a posting on the social networking site Facebook, L/Cpl Rowe's partner Helen Bell, 23, with whom he had a daughter Hannah, wrote: "Love you Ken, watch over Hannah for me, she will learn all about her daddy the hero."

She adds: "The thing I am most proud of is having his baby, he had it all planned for when he came home, where he was going to take her, we were going to be very busy for two weeks."

Senior officers described Cpl Barnes as a hard-working soldier who always went out of his way to help.

Major Grant Haywood said: "He died as he lived, placing others first and doing what he wanted to do, so well, without fear or complaint.

"He will be truly missed by all here and our thoughts are with his wife, family and friends."

Their deaths bring the total number of British service personnel who have died in Afghanistan to 112.