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Pontefract soldier died as he did 'sacred duty'
A hero soldier killed in Afghanistan believed it was his "sacred duty" to protect his comrades, an inquest heard.
Rifleman Luke Farmer, 19, from Upton near Pontefract, died in a bomb blast during a night-time patrol in Sangin in Helmand Province on January 15 this year.
The operation was mounted as part of the effort to stop the Taliban from planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs), his inquest was told.
But when Rifleman Farmer and the rest of his section came under small arms fire north of the village of Chardah, they decided to fall back 400 metres to their base.
The former Minsthorpe Community College pupil bravely led the way, using a metal detector to try to steer the patrol away from hidden IEDs.
His courage proved tragically in vain, however, with soldiers from another section hearing a "huge explosion" that hit him with its full blast.
The IED also killed the patrol leader, Corporal Lee Brownson, 30, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham.
Both men were members of 3rd Battalion, The Rifles.
Yesterday's inquest in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, heard tributes to them from Major Tim Harris, their company commander.
The officer described Rifleman Farmer as a "typical Yorkshireman, tough as granite, quietly self-assured and with the strength of 10 men".
Maj Harris said he had thought it his "sacred duty" to be at the front with his metal detector keeping his comrades safe.
The hearing was also told the fatal IED was likely to have been a pressure plate which the men stepped on.
It ignited between three and five 105mm artillery shells packed with homemade explosive that were concealed in a bank.
Wiltshire and Swindon coroner David Ridley recorded verdicts of unlawful killing for both men while on active service.
He said the fact that the explosive was hidden in the bank had made it difficult to find using a metal detector.
Members of Rifleman Farmer's family were present at the hearing.
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