This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7112730.stm

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Family gather for soldier funeral Chief praises soldier's bravery
(about 3 hours later)
Mourners are gathering at Inverness Cathedral for the funeral of an army officer killed in Afghanistan. A soldier's decision to volunteer for operations in Afghanistan shortly after a posting to a UK training academy was praised by his commanding officer.
Captain John McDermid, 43, from Glasgow, served with The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Captain John McDermid was killed while on patrol in the Helmand Province.
He was killed when a blast hit his patrol in Sangin, Helmand Province. The 43-year-old's funeral was held at Inverness Cathedral. During the service his wife Gill was due to read WH Auden's poem Stop all the Clocks.
Meanwhile, at a ceremony across the River Ness six members of the Highland Gunners will be recognised for their services in the same region. Lieutenant Colonel Paul Harkness said it was in Capt McDermid's nature to put himself forward for operations.
Inverness provost Bob Wynd will present the gunners of the 19th Regiment Royal Artillery with the Afghanistan Medal. The soldier, originally from Glasgow, served with The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Capt McDermid died while on patrol on 14 November.
He was posted to The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in early 2007 and while there he volunteered for deployment to Afghanistan where he was attached to the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.He was posted to The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in early 2007 and while there he volunteered for deployment to Afghanistan where he was attached to the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
'Distinguished' career Like all good professional soldiers this is what we do for our country so that others may live in peace and harmony in this country Lt Col Paul Harkness class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7112838.stm">Medal honour for soldiers
An Afghan interpreter who was accompanying Capt McDermid was also badly injured in the explosion and has been receiving treatment, the MoD said. Capt McDermid was killed when a blast hit his patrol in Sangin, Helmand Province on 14 November.
Capt McDermid was born in Glasgow and served 21 years as a soldier and three years as an officer. The MoD described his career as "distinguished". He leaves his wife Gill, a police officer from the Highlands, and three sons.
He leaves his wife Gill, a police officer from the Highlands, and three children. Family, friends and colleagues gathered at St Andrew's Cathedral on the banks of the River Ness in Inverness on Monday.
By coincidence, a ceremony was being held later in the town house in honour of members of the Highland Gunners following their six-month deployment to Helmand.
Before the service, Lt Col Harkness, commanding officer of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, paid tribute to Capt McDermid who had risen through the ranks from a private to a commissioned officer.
Lt Col Harkness said: "We are gathered here today to give honour to one of Scotland's sons, to the husband to Gill, to a father of three boys.
"It is a sad day for all of us, but we do it with dignity and pride to see off in style one of those people who have sacrificed everything for this country.
'Volunteer immediately'
"John was one of the most professional soldiers I had ever come across and one of the best people that the army produce."
Asked what kind of man Capt McDermid had been, Lt Col Harkness said: "A son of Glasgow, a fantastic man, admired and adored by all.
"He started life as a fusilier and 21 years later was a sergeant major. He was then commissioned into the regiment he loved and had worked so hard for.
"It was very much in John's nature to volunteer, a professional soldier like John would volunteer immediately for an operational tour like Afghanistan.
"Like all good professional soldiers this is what we do for our country so that others may live in peace and harmony in this country."