A soldier from Rhymney has been killed in Afghanistan after his armoured vehicle was struck by a bomb.
Lance Corporal Richard Scanlon, 31, was killed alongside colleague Lt David Boyce.
The 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards were providing security in Helmand province at the time.
The soldiers had been serving with the Formation Reconnaissance Squadron and were caught in the explosion while in the Yakchal region of Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand.
Lance Corporal Scanlon joined the Army in November 1998. He passed out of training in October 1999 and joined his Regiment, 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards in Catterick..
He was deployed to Bosnia in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 and 2005 before deciding to leave the Army in July 2006. After being dissatisfied in a number of civilian jobs he rejoined the Army and the Regiment in September 2009 and was promoted to Lance Corporal in October 2010.
He leaves behind his mother Cherry, step-father Robert, father Raymond and sisters Lisa and Emma.
His family has paid the following tribute.
“Richard was a fun loving young man who enjoyed life to the full. He had a great love for his family – always helping them out whenever he could when needed.
“Richard was a great character and he will be sorely missed by his family and all who knew him. There will never be anyone else like our Richard.”
Lieutenant Colonel Jasper de Quincey Adams, Commanding Officer, 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards said: “Lance Corporal Richard Scanlon was one of life’s great characters, always with an infectious smile and a tangible love of life. An experienced soldier, calm under pressure, he was hand picked as the Troop Leader’s gunner on a demanding operational tour. He was a fighting soldier, cracking in the field or on operations, and in camp, his flamboyant character meant he could find fun in any situation. His appetite for the finer things in life was prodigious and had earned him one of the more memorable nicknames – nothing was ever half hearted for Lance Corporal Scanlon.”
“We will miss him terribly, barracks life will have lost some of its sheen, but our tragic loss is insignificant compared to that of his family; his mother, stepfather, father and sisters Lisa and Emma, all of whom he loved so much. Lance Corporal Scanlon will never be forgotten and our memories of him will forever be cherished.”