Remembering Cornwall's fallen

Samuel Bassett was well known in Torpoint

A British soldier killed in Afghanistan on Sunday 8 November has been named by the Ministry of Defence as Rifleman Samuel Bassett.

He died in an explosion on Remembrance Sunday. Sam Bassett came from near Torpoint.

His death comes just days after Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, from Truro, was killed defusing a roadside bomb.

Acting Cpl Richard "Robbo" Robinson, L/Cpl Paul Upton, and Flt Lt Gareth Nicholas have died in Afghanistan.

All these men were from Cornwall.

The south east Cornwall town of Torpoint is mourning the death of Rifleman Samuel Bassett, of 1 Platoon, 4th Battalion The Rifles.

The 20-year-old was serving as part of the 3 Rifles Battle Group.

L/Cpl Paul Upton (centre) died when a bomb struck his Land Rover

The mayor of Torpoint, Mike Pearn, says it's a very sad time. The town council will fly its flag at half mast from this morning.

Tributes have been paid on internet sites by friends. One reads: 'You'll never be forgotten by those who loved you'. Another says: 'It makes me feel sick that someone so close to all of us in Torpoint has died.'

The news of the young soldiers death comes after the news that Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid was killed in Helmand on 31 October.

The 30-year-old from Truro, was a bomb disposal expert. He was part of the 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, based in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

Acting Cpl Richard "Robbo" Robinson was from Saltash

Olaf Schmid was responsible for making safe 64 roadside bombs since his tour in Afghanistan began in June but was killed as he tried to defuse his 65th.

Earlier in 2009 a soldier from Looe was killed in Afghanistan. L/Cpl Paul Upton, 31, from Looe, was one of three members of First Battalion The Rifles killed in Helmand Province.

The three soldiers were on patrol in central Helmand when the vehicle they were travelling in was blown up by a makeshift explosive device.

One month earlier in January 2009 Acting Cpl Richard "Robbo" Robinson of 1st Battalion The Rifles was killed in enemy fire.

The 21-year-old was from Saltash.

Cpl Robinson was working as a mentor to the Afghan National Army, when his patrol was ambushed.

Back in 2006 Flt Lt Gareth Nicholas was born in Redruth and grew up in Newquay. He was among the 14 British servicemen killed when a Nimrod plane crashed in Afghanistan.

Flt Lt Nicholas had been posted to RAF St Mawgan after training before he was posted to RAF Kinloss as an air electronics officer.

If you would like to pay tribute to the men mentioned above, click here to email your thoughts.

Your tributes

Phil Ellery from St Columb says:

I will remember Gareth as a man of great humour and ambition. A man who loved his family and his work in the RAF.

He also loved Cornwall and he always made the most out of life. He was a man who could be relied on and is greatly missed by all that knew him.

What always makes me smile is remembering the nights out we had out in Newquay in our younger days, the parties round at his house, being taught by Gareth how to snowboard at Aviemore in Scotland and the times we went surfing at Porth and Fistral. So many good times!