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| Soldiers' bodies flown back to UK | Soldiers' bodies flown back to UK |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A private ceremony has been held to mark the repatriation of the bodies of four UK soldiers killed in Iraq. | A private ceremony has been held to mark the repatriation of the bodies of four UK soldiers killed in Iraq. |
| A sunset ceremony was held at a base in Basra, southern Iraq, on Wednesday before their bodies were flown to RAF Lyneham, in Wiltshire. | A sunset ceremony was held at a base in Basra, southern Iraq, on Wednesday before their bodies were flown to RAF Lyneham, in Wiltshire. |
| Second Lt Joanna Yorke Dyer, 24, Cpl Kris O'Neill, 27, Pte Eleanor Dlugosz, 19, and Kingsman Adam James Smith, 19, were attacked on 5 April near Basra. | Second Lt Joanna Yorke Dyer, 24, Cpl Kris O'Neill, 27, Pte Eleanor Dlugosz, 19, and Kingsman Adam James Smith, 19, were attacked on 5 April near Basra. |
| Their deaths marked the bloodiest day for UK troops in Iraq since November. | Their deaths marked the bloodiest day for UK troops in Iraq since November. |
| The coffins, draped in union jack flags, were flown to RAF Lyneham overnight and arrived on Thursday. | The coffins, draped in union jack flags, were flown to RAF Lyneham overnight and arrived on Thursday. |
| They were taken off a C-17 aircraft by pallbearers, before being carried slowly past the watching families to hearses waiting to transfer the bodies into the care of the Wiltshire coroner. | They were taken off a C-17 aircraft by pallbearers, before being carried slowly past the watching families to hearses waiting to transfer the bodies into the care of the Wiltshire coroner. |
| All four died when a Warrior armoured vehicle returning from patrol near Basra was attacked. | All four died when a Warrior armoured vehicle returning from patrol near Basra was attacked. |
| A Kuwaiti interpreter was also killed in the blast, which seriously injured a fifth soldier and left a 3ft-deep crater in the road. | A Kuwaiti interpreter was also killed in the blast, which seriously injured a fifth soldier and left a 3ft-deep crater in the road. |
| The ceremony in Basra was attended by troops from the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, the Intelligence Corps and the UK Medical Group amongst others. | The ceremony in Basra was attended by troops from the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, the Intelligence Corps and the UK Medical Group amongst others. |
| Prince William, a friend of 2nd Lt Yorke Dyer, expressed his sadness | Prince William, a friend of 2nd Lt Yorke Dyer, expressed his sadness |
| Second Lt Dyer, from Yeovil, Somerset, had trained at Sandhurst military academy with Prince William, who described her as a "close friend". | Second Lt Dyer, from Yeovil, Somerset, had trained at Sandhurst military academy with Prince William, who described her as a "close friend". |
| The prince has expressed his deep sadness at her death. | The prince has expressed his deep sadness at her death. |
| The pair were both commissioned as officers on the same day in December during a parade at the academy, which was attended by the Queen. | The pair were both commissioned as officers on the same day in December during a parade at the academy, which was attended by the Queen. |
| Kingsman Smith, from Liverpool, served in 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, alongside 2nd Lt Dyer. | Kingsman Smith, from Liverpool, served in 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, alongside 2nd Lt Dyer. |
| Cpl O'Neill, who was from Catterick, North Yorkshire, and Pte Dlugosz, from Southampton, were both in the Royal Army Medical Corps. | |
| The deaths brought the number of UK service personnel who have died since the hostilities in Iraq to 140, of whom 108 died in action. | The deaths brought the number of UK service personnel who have died since the hostilities in Iraq to 140, of whom 108 died in action. |