Corporal Lee Brownson, 30, was killed in Afghanistan last Friday

HE was a loving husband, devoted daddy – and hero.

Corporal Lee Brownson, 30, poses proudly with his wife, Leeanne, and daughters, Ginalee, ten, and Morgan, four.

But soon after the happy family portrait was taken, Cpl Brownson, of Bishop Auckland, flew out to Afghanistan. He was killed by a bomb blast while on patrol last Friday.

Yesterday, his heartbroken widow, who is pregnant with their third child, paid an emotional tribute to her childhood sweetheart.

His popularity is highlighted on internet site Facebook, where more than 5,000 people have flooded memorial sites with messages of condolence.

“Everybody loved him – he always put everyone else first,” said Leeanne. “The girls are being so brave.”

'You never think you'll hear that knock'

IT is the chilling knock on the door that no soldier’s family ever wants to hear. The one that delivers heartbreaking, life-changing news – that their loved-one has made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country.

That nightmare became a devastating reality for Leeanne Brownson at the weekend.

Her beloved husband of ten years, Lee, had been killed in a bomb explosion while on patrol in Afghanistan. The blast also claimed the life of Rifleman Luke Farmer, 19, from West Yorkshire.

Surrounded by dozens of sympathy cards and flowers at the family’s home on the close-knit Henknowle estate, in Bishop Auckland, yesterday, Mrs Brownson, 30, said: “You never, ever think that you will get that knock at the door.

“It is impossible to describe how it feels, but you just know what it is about.”

The couple, who have two daughters, Ginalee, ten, Morgan, four, and another baby due in June, met at primary school in Bishop Auckland.

Their friendship blossomed into a relationship when they were 15 and pupils at the town’s King James 1 School. They became engaged a year later.

Poignantly, Corporal Brownson, then aged 16, proposed to his teenage sweetheart the day before he joined the Army, and the young couple were married at Bishop Auckland Methodist Church on April 3, 1999.

His passion for the military began in his childhood. As a cadet at Bishop Auckland TA Centre, his nickname was Sniper.

Following his passing out parade in 1997, Cpl Brownson’s 12-year Army career saw him posted all over the world, including deployments in Cyprus, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, and Kenya – where The Northern Echo interviewed him during a training exercise last year.

Mrs Brownson said: “Lee always said to me when we were kids that he was going to join the Army. He loved his job, and loved Army life.

“Sometimes if he’d had a bad day, he would say he was going to leave, but I knew fine well that he never would. He was in the Army for life.”

After spending an entire year training for the deployment, the 30-year-old was posted to Afghanistan in early October last year, where he served with the 3rd Battalion, The Rifles.

At the time, the family were in the process of moving back to their native Bishop Auckland, after spending six months living in Edinburgh.

“It never gets any easier seeing them off, but you adapt to it because that was the way of life we had chosen,” said Mrs Brownson.

“I was a bit more apprehensive about Lee going to Afghanistan, because there is a lot of hype about it, and it is often in the media.

“But he was so excited to be going – it was what he worked for all his Army life.

“He could not wait to get out there, and was keen as mustard, as they say.”

Mrs Brownson described her husband as a popular “Jack The Lad”, loved by all who knew him.

“He was a character to say the least, and you could see the cheekiness in his face,” she said.

“He was always thinking of ways to make money.

Loveable rogue describes him to a tee, and everybody loved him. He always put everyone else first, and was so easy-going.”

MRS Brownson praised her two young daughters for the courage they have shown since their father’s death.

“The girls are being so brave. Morgan’s only four, but Ginalee is just remarkable.

“Because she is a bit older, she understands a bit more.

She has read the newspapers and seen the news, so she knew where her dad was going out to.

“The girls have completely different personalities, but I think they will help each other through this. I am doing as well as can be expected.”

Mrs Brownson made the heartbreaking journey to Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, on Monday, to attend her husband’s repatriation ceremony on Tuesday.

The bodies of Rfn Farmer, and bomb disposal expert, Captain Daniel Read, 31, from Cornwall, who died in Afghanistan on January 11, were repatriated at the same ceremony.

Mrs Brownson praised the Army for the hospitality and respect shown to the grieving families during the event, and the hundreds of Wootton Bassett residents who silently lined the streets as the fallen servicemen’s coffins passed through their town.

“I never thought I would be waiting for my husband’s body to be coming through Wootton Bassett,” she said.

“It was such a sad day, but the Army could not have done it any better. I am just glad he is home now, and that he came home so quickly.”

Mrs Brownson encouraged people to demonstrate support for the troops in Afghanistan by donating towards an appeal organised by 3 Rifles.

So far, the online appeal has raised almost £30,000 to provide immediate support to wounded service personnel, their families, and the relatives of soldiers who have died in combat.

Visit swiftandbold.org Friends can leave messages of condolence at The Northern Echo’s website. Go to thenorthernecho.co.uk and click on the link to leave your tribute.