Funeral for Gosport soldier killed in Afghanistan

The funeral has taken place of a British soldier shot dead in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Sapper William Blanchard, of 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment, was killed in the Nahr-e Saraj North area in southern Afghanistan on 30 October.

Sapper Blanchard, 39, from Gosport in Hampshire, was part of the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Task Force.

His funeral, with full military honours, took place at Portsmouth Cathedral at 1300 GMT.

Members of the regiment lined up outside the Anglican cathedral as the coffin was carried inside, followed by Sapper Blanchard's widow Suzanne and his son and daughter, Tom and Lucy.

Mourners at the funeral wore orange items because it was Sapper Blanchard's favourite colour.

The sermon was delivered by his father, the Reverend Canon Laurie Blanchard, who is the canon of Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire.

Outside the cathedral, Giles Cowling, a colleague at Sapper Blanchard's workplace, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, said: "He was an incredibly big-hearted person, respected and liked by those he worked with.

"He loved life and had an incredible drive and enthusiasm for what he took on."

Lt Col Mark Budden, commanding officer of 101 Regiment, who flew in from Afghanistan for the funeral, said: "He was an exceptional person.

"He was more mature than the usual sapper but he brought a host of experience with him from his civilian employment.

"Energetic, enthusiastic, dedicated, committed, selfless - that's Will."

His widow Suzanne Blanchard said: "Will was a wonderful husband, son, brother, father, brother-in-law, son-in-law and friend.

"Sorely missed; always in our hearts, never forgotten by his devastated family, friends and colleagues and his beloved wife."

Sapper Blanchard, who had been deployed to Afghanistan in September, was shot while trying to defuse an explosive device.

A total of 345 British personnel have died in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001.