Mercian Regiment in Afghanistan

Pte Robert Laws, from Bromsgrove, was killed when the vehicle he was travelling in was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

He'd gone to serve in Afghanistan only a year after starting his basic training, and just a few days after his 18th birthday.

His father, Steven, says his son had always wanted to be a soldier:

Private Robert Laws

"It was what he wanted to do - he knew what the consequences were.

"Hopefully he thought he was coming back, but, there you go - his day was not to be."

He says the family still only have very basic details about how Robert was killed:

"All I know was that he was blown up in a Land Rover - I understand there were only two of them in it, and to me, they are both heroes."

He also paid tribute to the help and support they'd had from friends and from the army:

"The army have been absolutely beautiful – they were here for seven hours yesterday, they've been here again today, and they are coming back tomorrow."

Tributes

Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester, Major Bob Prophet, from the Mercian Regiment paid tribute to Pte Laws, who he says had the potential to be an outstanding soldier:

"He started his career at the Army Foundation College at Harrogate, which is where they teach these youngsters, straight from school, not only military training but a great deal of academic training - it's generally speaking for the brighter soldiers who are going to go far.

"After that he went on to Catterick, where he did his infantry training, and he showed great promise, and achieved the award of best shot on the light machine gun."

He says that the tragic death of a colleague will make the other soldiers in the Regiment more determined:

"Although the regiment will be shocked, and all his mates will be shocked, they will be all the more determined to fight on as professionals, not so much to avenge Robert's death, which is not the way we operate, but in memory of a good, promising soldier, who had a great future ahead of him."