Family's tears for Sarah – daughter, wife and soldier

Published on Thursday 19 June 2008 22:12

THE husband of the first British servicewoman to be killed in action in Afghanistan yesterday paid tribute to the "awesome" soldier who died doing the job she loved.

Sarah Bryant, 26, a corporal in the Intelligence Corps, was killed along with three SAS soldiers when a roadside bomb tore through their vehicle on Tuesday.

Last night, her husband paid tribute to his late wife's bravery, saying she died a hero.

Corporal Carl Bryant, who was also in the Intelligence Corps, said he was devastated beyond words at the death of his wife, but added: "I am so incredibly proud of her. She was an awesome soldier who died doing the job that she loved.

"My wife knew the risks; she was there because she wanted to be and she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"She was funny, kind and the most amazing person to be around. I will never stop being thankful for the time I spent as her husband. I love her now and always with all my heart, as do her proud parents, friends and family. My wife was a truly special person who died a hero. Sarah, as with all our fallen, must never be forgotten."

Cpl Bryant's body will now be flown back to be buried at the church where she was married two years ago.

Her father, Des Feely, said yesterday: "The last time I spoke to her was on Father's Day. We said the usual stuff you say on a day like that. She said it was the first time I had had a Father's Day call from Afghanistan and it turned out it was the last.

"I then received an e-mail from her a couple of days ago. It was to tell me that she and her husband were about to be promoted to sergeant." Cpl Bryant and her husband met in the early days of their army careers, but her latest tour of Afghanistan was the first time the couple had not been posted together.

"I think that was a blessing in disguise," Mr Feely said from the family home in Cumbria.

He added that his daughter was a keen horsewoman and the Cumbrian countryside had been the perfect location for her passion. "From an early age, Sarah was devoted to her horse, Monty, who sadly died of a stroke in his prime. Sarah actually held him when he went and he is now buried at the top of the road here."

Mr Feely said that his daughter had planned her career path from the start. He had been worried at first about her deployment, but she had filled him with confidence after coming back from an Afghan "induction" session, as she was so confident about the professionalism of the mission.

Her main role had been to search and interrogate female prisoners, he said, "eliminating any danger to them".

Mr Feely added: "The children there all knew her and called her by her first name on a daily basis." Referring to the bombers who took her life, he said: "I really hope these people are proud of what they have done. They have blown her to smithereens."

Cpl Bryant had been nearing the end of her five-month tour of Afghanistan and was due to come home next month.

Mr Feely added: "Now she'll be coming back to be buried with military honours at the church in Wetheral where she was married two years ago."

He had been forced to break the news to his mother, that her only granddaughter had been killed, after receiving a phone call at 1am on Tuesday.

"We are absolutely devastated to have lost the beautiful daughter we adored and, right now, I don't know how we will cope," he said. "But I know that at least Sarah died doing the job she loved and for a cause she believed in."

Born in Liverpool, Cpl Bryant possessed the valuable skill of being a Pashtu speaker.

The Ministry of Defence has a desperate shortage of Pashtu speakers on the ground in Afghanistan and her job had been to intercept and interpret Taleban telephone and walkie-talkie telecommunications.

Warm tributes were also paid to Cpl Bryant by comrades and friends.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jim Suggit, her commanding officer, said: "Sarah had the brightest future ahead of her, both in her career – where she had been pre-selected for promotion – and her personal life.

"She was a beautiful young woman and also an utterly professional, extremely adept operator with the Psychological Operations Group, who was highly regarded by all who knew her."

Troops who died were travelling in 'death trap'

THE four British troops killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan were travelling in a lightly armoured vehicle with a reputation as a "death trap", MPs were told last night.

Concerns were raised about the suitability of the vehicle as the Ministry of Defence released the names of the latest casualties. Corporal Sarah Bryant, Corporal Sean Robert Reeve, Lance-Corporal Richard Larkin and Paul Stout were killed when their Snatch Land Rover hit a roadside bomb on Tuesday. They had been taking part in a planned operation east of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province.

Controversy erupted in the Commons when the Snatch was labelled a "death trap" by Patrick Mercer, a defence expert and Conservative MP.

It has been heavily criticised because of its lack of protection against roadside bombs, but Bob Ainsworth, the armed forces minister, said other vehicles, such as the more heavily armoured Mastiff, "would not have been suitable for the task they were doing in the area in which they were required to work".

But Mr Mercer said the Snatch was "entirely unsuitable" for operations in Afghanistan and called for the vehicles to be withdrawn from service.

It had originally been designed as a vehicle to transport troops in Northern Ireland, said Mr Mercer, a former colonel who was involved in its adoption by the military. He went on: "They are entirely unsuitable for operations in Afghanistan. The reason they are there is because that's all the military, or the army in particular, have got."

He claimed troops in Afghanistan were "cursing" the Snatch, which was a "death trap for so many men and women".

Mr Ainsworth told MPs: "Obviously, Snatch has suffered some considerable setbacks and we have lost lives in Snatch Land Rovers.

"But all that I am being told by commanders on the ground, is that they still need Land Rover-based platforms…and they will do for the foreseeable future."

Few details were available about the three male SAS soldiers who died alongside Cpl Bryant, due to the sensitive nature of their work.

The parents of Corporal Sean Robert Reeve, who was 28, from the Royal Signals, paid tribute to their son as an "honourable, selfless and gentle" man. "A pillar of strength that all could turn to, Sean's professionalism and determination for all that he did was an inspiration to all that were fortunate to have known him," they said.

Relatives of L-Cpl Larkin, 39, described him as a beloved husband, father, son and brother, whose "tragic and untimely death will be deeply mourned" by family and friends.

Paul Stout, 31, whose rank was not given, was a "loving father and devoted husband", his family said, adding: "Our lives will be changed forever by this loss."

Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said all four had been immensely dedicated and professional personnel. He went on: "They have made the ultimate sacrifice, laying down their lives, alongside those of their comrades, in pursuit of the aim of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. We will ensure their losses will not be in vain."