Funeral of soldier killed in Iraq

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

Hundreds of mourners gathered on Monday at the funeral of an Army medic from West Yorkshire killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Cpl Kris O'Neill, 27, originally from Sowerby, near Halifax, was one of four soldiers who died in the blast in the southern city of Basra on 5 April.

During the service Michael O'Neill said his brother "worshipped" his three-year-old twins, Adam and Connor.

Cpl O'Neill's colleagues carried his coffin into St Peter's Church, Sowerby.

It was draped in the Union flag, with his Army cap and belt, a wreath of coloured flowers and white roses on top.

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

'Utterly dependable'

He was described by colleagues in the Royal Army Medical Corps as "an experienced and confident medic with an unflappable nature".

Based at Catterick in North Yorkshire, he had battled to recover from a knee injury so he could be sent to Iraq in January.

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

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

His commanding officer, 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'.

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

Second Lt Joanna Yorke Dyer, Pte Eleanor Dlugosz and Kingsman Adam James Smith were also killed along with Cpl O'Neill when their Warrior Armoured Vehicle was attacked.