THE body of Lance-Corporal Graham Shaw will return home today.
The 27-year-old, from Golcar, was killed on Monday in an explosion in Helmand – the first Huddersfield soldier to be killed in the war in Afghanistan.
Soon after 11am his body, along with that of comrade, Corporal Liam Riley who was killed in the same incident, will land by Hercules aircraft at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire where there will be a private repatriation service for families.
Lance-Cpl Shaw’s father Russ, a former serviceman himself, will be present with his wife Karen.
A statement from the family read: “He was proud to be a member of the British Army like his father before him.
“He knew the danger that he was to face in Afghanistan.
“We are all very proud of our hero.”
The bodies will later be taken to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, where the coroner is based.
Post mortem examinations are completed before the men are returned to their families.
Previously families had waited years for inquests to be completed but more usually the process takes months, although no precise dates have yet been decided.
A funeral service will be held in Huddersfield at a later date.
A ceremonial flypast will mark their return to the UK.
Many from Huddersfield are expected to make the journey to Wootton Bassett, where residents and shoppers join the local British Legion to line the streets and pay their respects.
The small market town is now the focus for the public’s show of appreciation for the sacrifice of the Armed Forces in Afghanistan.
The town’s impromptu ceremonies only started however in April 2007 when renovations began at RAF Brize Norton.
Repatriations moved to RAF Lyneham, placing the town in between the aircraft base and the M4 leading to the Oxford hospital.
Lance-Cpl Shaw was killed instantly when an improvised explosive device was detonated at the roadside as the unit were carrying out checks in Malgir, Helmand.
The family of Corporal Riley were advised he rushed to help, but was himself caught in a second blast and died of his injuries later.
