Tributes paid to Iraq bomb victim

Cpl O'Neill with wife Tina and twin sons Adam and Connor

One of the four soldiers killed in a roadside bomb had battled to recover from a knee injury so he could be deployed to Iraq, it has emerged.

Cpl Kris O'Neill, 27, of Sowerby, West Yorkshire, died with Second Lt Joanna Yorke Dyer, Pte Eleanor Dlugosz and Kingsman Adam James Smith in the blast.

He leaves a wife Tina and twin three-year-old sons, Adam and Connor.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said he was "an experienced and confident medic with an unflappable nature".

The statement said: "Cpl O'Neill was a committed soldier who had worked hard to recover from a knee injury in order to deploy to Iraq.

Cpl O'Neill was a reflective and utterly dependable soldier Lt Col Martin Toney, commanding officer

"As a future senior NCO, he made great efforts to mentor those who were junior to him, taking time to teach and develop their skills, whilst also ensuring their welfare needs were always met.

"A committed family man with two small boys, those who knew him were always struck by his kind and gentle nature."

His commanding officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps, Lt Col Martin Toney, said: "Cpl O'Neill was a reflective and utterly dependable soldier who used his maturity and common sense to great effect, becoming the squadron's 'safe pair of hands'.

"He would turn his hand to all sorts of things, including helping to rebuild Iraq by training the police service, and was a key player in the unit.

"My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, especially his wife and children, at this hugely difficult time."

Cpl O'Neill was a former pupil of Ryburn Valley High School, Sowerby, West Yorkshire and grew up in the Sowerby area with his brothers, Ian and Michael.

Based at Catterick, North Yorkshire, he arrived in Iraq in January to serve with the Close Support Medical Squadron in Basra, southern Iraq.