Killed Soldier Leaves Behind Pregnant Wife

A British soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan was due to become a father for the second time.

Corporal Mark Anthony Palin, from 1st Battalion The Rifles, was in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on an operation to recover bomb components when he died in the blast on Monday.

The 32-year-old had been in Afghanistan since April and leaves wife Carla - who is expecting a baby girl - and son Lennon.

An MoD spokesman said: "He was on an operation to clear and exploit a cache of nearly-complete improvised explosive device components that had been discovered late the night before."

Cpl Palin, from Plymouth, enlisted in the Army in 1996, joining the 1st Battalion the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment in Paderborn, with whom he served in Northern Ireland and Iraq.

His family said in a statement: "Mark was unique, one in a million.

"He was loved deeply by all his family and friends.

"He was a devoted family man who adored his son and was so looking forward to the birth of his daughter.

"He will be deeply missed by all his family, friends and everyone who knew him."

Cpl Palin, who was nicknamed "Maldoon" by his friends, went to Afghanistan as part of a Rifle Company, following a posting training recruits at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.

Lieutenant Colonel James de Labilliere, commanding officer of the First Battalion, The Rifles, said: "Cpl Mark Palin was a battalion personality through and through.

"He thrived on the friendship of many, and was generous to a fault in the friendship he gave in return.

"Indeed this was the very essence of the man: always putting others first, and taking huge enjoyment in making others smile and laugh, no matter how difficult the circumstances.

"He died leading from the very front, as was his way."

Defence Secretary Liam Fox said: "The tributes paid by his colleagues and commanders speak volumes about the kind of soldier he was - a valued comrade and a trusted friend to many."

The total number of British service personnel who have died in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001 is 378.