A SCHOOL has paid a poignant tribute to a former pupil killed in Afghanistan by unveiling a bench in his honour.

About 40 Hamsterley Primary School pupils assembled in memory of Captain Richard Holloway during a special Remembrance Day service this morning.

The 29-year-old, of Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland, was killed in action on December 23 last year, after being hit by enemy fire while on operations east of Kabul with the Royal Engineers.

He was the ninth British soldier to die in 2013 in Afghanistan and the 447th since the war began in 2001.

His parents Jaquie and Neil attended the school’s annual visit to the village’s cenotaph before watching the pupils create a poppy garden and recite their own tribute to Cpt Holloway in the school’s private garden.

The bench, made by Cpt Holloway’s school friend, Steven Bainbridge, was then presented to Mr and Mrs Holloway who thanked everyone involved.

Mrs Holloway said she first brought Cpt Holloway to the school in 1988, when he was just four years old, before watching him complete his education with a degree in Marine Geography at Cardiff University.

Talking about her son she said: “I think that’s what he’s remembered for, his zest for life.

“We are very moved by Steven’s suggestion. This memorial is very special and it means a great deal to us that the school has taken the time to talk to the children about Richard.

“However hard it is, it is very heart-warming.”

Mr Bainbridge, a builder and stone maker, said he decided to build the bench to make sure his former school friend would never be forgotten.

“I grew up with Richard so I thought I would like to do something to keep his memory alive,” he said.

“We went to separate secondary schools but we always kept in touch and he was a great lad.”

Deputy headteacher, Damian Hassam, said the bench would be used by teachers, pupils and parents alike.

“This stone bench which has been deliberately cited here amongst the trees which Richard loved and it’s somewhere to sit and reflect and enjoy being outside,” he said.

The family, including Cpt Holloway’s brother, Luke, also attended a service at his former base in Poole, at the weekend, where his colleagues remembered him.

“We were very torn about whether we should be in Hamsterley or Poole because this is the first year without him but we went to Poole because his colleagues were his family too,” Mrs Holloway added.