A YOUNG soldier died when the armoured vehicle he was commanding overturned.

Lance Corporal Tony Carr, 21, died when he was thrown from a Saxon armoured personnel carrier near Salisbury Plain.

His parents, Brian and Patsy, of Grangetown, Sunderland, spoke of their shock at the death of their only son.

Mr Carr, 54, said: "He was our hero and he died doing what he loved doing. A big light has gone out in our life for ever."

Lance Corporal Carr, a former pupil of St Aidan's School, in Sunderland, had been a member of the Coldstream Guards for four years.

Only weeks ago, his proud parents watched as their son provided the official guard for the Queen at the opening of Parliament.

The vehicle overturned while returning to his Aldershot base after a training exercise.

The Ministry of Defence is investigating the incident.

A full military funeral is expected to take place.