THE body of a North-East soldier who died on patrol in Afghanistan is being flown back to Britain today.

Father-of-two Corporal Lee Brownson, 30, from Bishop Auckland, was killed in a bomb blast near Sangin, in Helmand province, on Friday. The blast also claimed the life of Rifleman Luke Farmer, 19, from West Yorkshire.

Cpl Brownson’s widow, Leeanne, who is expecting the couple’s third child in the summer, has travelled to Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, for the repatriation ceremony, due to take place this afternoon.

Meanwhile, tributes to Cpl Brownson, who served with the 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, continued to be paid yesterday, by family members, friends, and strangers wishing to express their sympathy.

More than 1,500 people have joined memorial groups to Cpl Brownson on social networking site Facebook, and his death has shocked the close-knit community on the Henknowle Estate, where he lived with his wife and daughters, Ginalee and Morgan.

Steve Rodchester, headteacher at King James 1 School, in Bishop Auckland, who taught Cpl Brownson, said: “Lee was a very popular young man among his peers.

“He was lively, bright, and determined in what he wanted to achieve, which he applied to his studies at school.

“He achieved that goal by joining the Army, and progressing in his career.

“The news of his death is devastating for the local community, especially his wife, children, parents and family. Our thoughts go out to them.”

Councillor Brian Myers, chairman of Durham County Council, expressed the authority’s sadness at Cpl Brownson’s death.

He said: “This serves as yet another reminder of the brave sacrifice our troops in Afghanistan are prepared to make.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with Corporal Brownson’s family and his colleagues at this sad time.”

The deaths of the two men take the number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001 to 249.

Sedgefield Village Veterans will hold a service to mark the return of Cpl Brownson’s body on the village green, near St Edmund’s Church, at 10.45am, this morning.