Royal Yorkshire Regiment: Soldier, 20, found dead in Chester barracks

Pte Heaney was one of the youngest soldiers who took part in rescues from airports in Afghanistan

Tributes have been paid to a 20-year-old Royal Yorkshire Regiment soldier found dead at his barracks.

Described as "brave and resilient" by colleagues, Pte Kieran Heaney, from the 2nd Battalion, died at Dale Barracks in Chester on 4 January.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has not released any further details regarding the circumstances of the soldier's death.

Headquartered in York, the regiment recruits across Yorkshire and Teesside.

The 1st battalion is based at Catterick, North Yorkshire, and the 2nd battalion in Chester.

The regiment said Pte Heaney had joined the Army in September 2019 and served in Cyprus.

He was deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2021.

"As an 18-year-old he was one of the youngest soldiers deployed," the regiment said.

Pte Heaney (not pictured) was among UK service personnel deployed to evacuate Afghan nationals from Kabul

"In adverse, austere, and demanding conditions he assisted thousands of Afghan nationals in escaping to safe locations."

Lt Col Mike Wade-Smith, who was Pte Heaney's commanding officer, described him as "dependable, the one you could trust to get the task done, without fuss or fanfare".

"He was reliable and respected by his peers and seniors alike, brave, resilient, disciplined, friendly, fun and courageous," he added.

An MoD spokesperson said their thoughts were with Pte Heaney's family and friends and asked that their privacy was respected.