Bodies of servicemen from Kettering and St Neots return to UK
- Published
L/Cpl Ashworth was described as an 'outstanding soldier' and 'quite exceptional man'.
The bodies of two soldiers, from Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire, killed in Afghanistan have been flown back to the UK.
Cpl Alex Guy, from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, and L/Cpl James Ashworth, from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, were flown into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
L/Cpl Ashworth, of Kettering, died on 13 June while on patrol.
Cpl Guy, of St Neots, had been in the Army for 19 years.
Private services for the men's relatives were held before the cortege left Brize Norton on its way to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
The hearses were escorted at walking pace as they approached the memorial garden in Carterton, where the Union Jack was hung at half-mast.
A party of Royal British Legion standard bearers from various regimental associations also lined the street to pay their respects to the soldiers.
Cpl Alex Guy was killed while going to assist Afghan soldiers
Cpl Guy, 37, was killed on June 15 while leading his section to assist a group of Afghan soldiers pinned down by enemy fire during an insurgent ambush in Nad-e Ali District of Helmand province.
His wife Emma said: "Alex was kind. A happy, full-of-life and kind hearted man, with a passion for his work and family."
L/Cpl Ashworth died in the north of Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand.
He was caught in the blast from an enemy grenade and died despite receiving immediate medical treatment.
The family of the 23-year-old from Kettering, Northamptonshire, said: "We are devastated by the loss of our son, brother, uncle and boyfriend.
"He meant the world to everyone and has left an irreplaceable hole in our hearts.
"We ask that we are given time to grieve and we sincerely thank everyone for their condolences."