THE bodies of two North-East soldiers killed in Afghanistan were brought back to the UK yesterday.

The town of Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, fell silent as the coffins of Rifleman Mark Turner, 21, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, and Guardsman Michael Sweeney, 19, of 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards came home.

Rifleman Turner, from Gateshead, was killed by a roadside bomb in the Kajaki area of Helmand on Sunday.

The devoted Newcastle United fan, nicknamed Turtle, worked as a panel beater before joining the Army four years ago.

His senior officers recalled how he saved many of his comrades by risking his life to clear routes of insurgent improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, Commanding Officer of 3 Rifles, said: “Daily, he took responsibility for the lives of his friends by putting himself out in front and clearing the ground of the deadly devices left by insurgents, with nothing to call on but a metal detector and his own instincts.

“His conduct and talents were nothing short of exemplary and he was blessed with a smile and a joke for every occasion.”

Rifleman Turner left his fiancee, Liesha, mother Anne, stepfather Joe, brother Dave and sisters Lisa, Joanne and Julie.

Guardsman Sweeney, from Blyth, Northumberland, died after stepping on a bomb in the Babaji district of central Helmand on April 1.

He leaves behind his parents, Michael and Kim, brother Sean and fiancee Michelle.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Toby Gray, paid tribute to a “true son of the north country, proud Northumbrian, true Coldstreamer and outstanding soldier”.

The bodies of Rifleman Turner and Guardsman Sweeney were flown into RAF Lyneham, where their families attended a private ceremony at the base’s chapel.

The soldiers’ Union flagdraped coffins were then driven through the high street of nearby Wootton Bassett.

Crowds have lined the route to pay their respects since the bodies of British service personnel began being brought to RAF Lyneham in April 2007.

Hundreds of people, including serving troops, veterans and local residents, watched in solemn silence as the cortege stopped and distraught relatives and friends placed red and white roses on the two hearses.

A total of 281 British servicemen and women have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001.