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| Killed British servicemen named | Killed British servicemen named |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Two British servicemen who died after being wounded in separate incidents in Afghanistan have been named by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). | Two British servicemen who died after being wounded in separate incidents in Afghanistan have been named by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). |
| L/Cpl Robert Richards, 24, of the Royal Marine Armoured Support Group died at Selly Oak Hospital on Wednesday. | L/Cpl Robert Richards, 24, of the Royal Marine Armoured Support Group died at Selly Oak Hospital on Wednesday. |
| He was injured near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province last week. | He was injured near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province last week. |
| L/Cpl Kieron Hill, 20, of 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment was killed in an explosion near Garmsir in Helmand in southern Afghanistan on Thursday. | L/Cpl Kieron Hill, 20, of 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment was killed in an explosion near Garmsir in Helmand in southern Afghanistan on Thursday. |
| L/Cpl Richards, who was from Betws-y-Coed in Conwy, was treated at the scene before returning to the UK for specialist care. | L/Cpl Richards, who was from Betws-y-Coed in Conwy, was treated at the scene before returning to the UK for specialist care. |
| 'Charming and funny' | 'Charming and funny' |
| Unmarried and with no children, he was known to his family as Martin, and by his comrades as the "alpha male amongst the pack". | |
| They described him as the epitome of a marine, one adding: "Like a stick of rock, if you snapped him in half he would have Royal Marines Commando written the whole way through." | They described him as the epitome of a marine, one adding: "Like a stick of rock, if you snapped him in half he would have Royal Marines Commando written the whole way through." |
| L/Cpl Hill was born in Nottingham where he grew up. He was single with no children. | L/Cpl Hill was born in Nottingham where he grew up. He was single with no children. |
| Despite a hard fought tour in 2007 he went forward again with a smile on his face and a hand extended to help his brothers Lt Col Simon Banton | Despite a hard fought tour in 2007 he went forward again with a smile on his face and a hand extended to help his brothers Lt Col Simon Banton |
| His family said in a statement: "We are fully supportive of Kieron being in the Army; fulfilling his ambitions since 13 years of age. He confidently thrived on the military environment, hitting his first promotion target as a 20-year-old. | His family said in a statement: "We are fully supportive of Kieron being in the Army; fulfilling his ambitions since 13 years of age. He confidently thrived on the military environment, hitting his first promotion target as a 20-year-old. |
| "He was also very proud of his three brothers; Aaron at Nottingham Forest FC, Liam at Notts County, and his younger brother Joshua. Kieron will be terribly missed by his whole family, relatives and friends." | "He was also very proud of his three brothers; Aaron at Nottingham Forest FC, Liam at Notts County, and his younger brother Joshua. Kieron will be terribly missed by his whole family, relatives and friends." |
| L/Cpl Hill's commanding officer, Lt Col Simon Banton, described him as not only being "charming and funny", but also "exceptionally fit, strong and capable and destined for a life in uniform". | L/Cpl Hill's commanding officer, Lt Col Simon Banton, described him as not only being "charming and funny", but also "exceptionally fit, strong and capable and destined for a life in uniform". |
| Lt Col Banton added: "Whenever someone needed help Kieron would be there to lend a hand, he was a team player and thought of others before himself. | Lt Col Banton added: "Whenever someone needed help Kieron would be there to lend a hand, he was a team player and thought of others before himself. |
| "This was his second tour of Afghanistan and it is a measure of the man that despite a hard fought tour in 2007 he went forward again with a smile on his face and a hand extended to help his brothers. He is sorely missed." | "This was his second tour of Afghanistan and it is a measure of the man that despite a hard fought tour in 2007 he went forward again with a smile on his face and a hand extended to help his brothers. He is sorely missed." |
| The men's deaths, which came within hours of each other, brought the number of UK troops killed on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 to 163. | The men's deaths, which came within hours of each other, brought the number of UK troops killed on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 to 163. |