Truck carries coffin of soldier

Cpl Dean John's coffin was escorted to the crematorium by his army colleagues

A soldier from south Wales with a life-long love of engines and trucks was driven to his funeral service on the back of a brand new lorry.

Cpl Dean John, 25, of Port Talbot, was killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand province in Afghanistan on 15 March.

Hundreds of people lined both sides of the streets as the married father of three was driven to Margam Crematorium.

Fellow soldier Cpl Graeme Stiff, 24, from Grimsby, lost his life in the same blast.

The men had been conducting a vehicle move west of Garmsir in an all-terrain armoured Jackal patrol vehicle when it was struck by an explosive device.

The truck carrying the coffin of Cpl John, who was a vehicle mechanic, slowly travelled the 10 miles to the crematorium from the Port Talbot home of his grandparents.

It's very important to know that your efforts are appreciated and something like this shows you the respect the public have Capt Christopher Rees

A long cortege of vehicles carrying family, friends, serving colleagues and even leather-clad motorcyclists from a local biking club followed behind.

Many of the people watching the procession clutched single daffodils as a mark of respect.

Six pall bearers in military uniform, chosen from serving colleagues of Cpl John, carried the coffin slowly over the final 100m distance to the crematorium hall.

Floral tributes, spelling out in daffodils the word "DEANO" - the soldier's nickname - were carried inside.

Around 2,000 people turned out to pay their respects despite the funeral service being planned as a low key affair.

The truck carrying Cpl John's coffin was provided by Owens Road Services, a firm for which the dead soldier's father is a driver.

The six pall bearers were colleagues of Cpl John

A fellow soldier, who did not want to be named, said Cpl John was well known at the firm.

"He would go out with his dad in the cab as a boy and still did the same when he was home as a soldier," he said.

"It wasn't actually his last wish that he should be laid to rest in this way, he was a father of three and was too young to talk about death.

"But I think he said in jest once that when he died this is how he would like it to happen."

L/Cpl Chris Harkett, 22, of neighbouring Pontardawe, was laid to rest on Wednesday with full military honours in a service in his native town.

Cpl John's family chose not to have a funeral with full military honours.

Cpl John's widow Wendy was comforted during the service

Capt Christopher Rees, an officer in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in which Cpl John had enlisted, said it meant a lot when people turned out in large numbers to pay their respects.

"Something like this is very important," he said.

"When you are on an operation you are very much isolated from what is going on at home.

"It's very important to know that your efforts are appreciated and something like this shows you the respect the public have."

In tribute to Cpl John he said: "Ultimately he was a larger than life character who worked extremely hard and whatever the request, he was always the first to volunteer for anything.

"He was an absolutely fantastic vehicle maintenance soldier. That was his task and he was always the first person you went to."