A young British soldier killed in a gun battle with insurgents in Afghanistan was soon to become a father, it was revealed.
Fusilier Jonathan Burgess, 20, from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, died after being shot in the Nad-e-Ali area of Helmand Province on Wednesday.
His comrades said he was desperate to return to Britain to support his fiancee, Kelly Forrest, who is pregnant with their daughter, to be called Abigail.
Fusilier Burgess, from Swansea, South Wales, also leaves behind his parents Royston and Susan, sisters Tracy and Suzanne, and brothers David, Christopher and Ashley.
His family and fiancee said in a statement: "Jonathan was a loving and caring man who enjoyed life to full. He had an infectious smile that would brighten up anyone's day. We were all very lucky to have had such a wonderful person in our lives. he was a much loved son, brother, friend and fiance and would have been an amazing father to his baby girl.
"He will be greatly missed by us all. He will always be our hero."
Fusilier Burgess was killed fighting alongside his comrades on a patrol to disrupt insurgents near the town of Showal, which was taken by Nato and Afghan forces in February during a major anti-Taliban offensive known as Operation Moshtarak.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Lock, commanding officer of the 1 Royal Welsh Battle Group, paid tribute to the "Welsh Warrior" and said he would never be forgotten.
He said: "He had come into his own in Afghanistan, growing in confidence throughout our time here rising to the many challenges that operations threw at him. He was a tough and dependable field soldier who would always be there for his mates."
The soldier's death took the number of British servicemen and women who have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 to 281.
