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War hero's medal for 'daddy's princess'
IT'S an honourable keepsake that little Brooke Kirkness can treasure forever.
The three-year-old is believed to be the first in West Yorkshire to be awarded the special silver Elizabeth Cross and Memorial Scroll in memory of her hero father Lance Corporal David Kirkness.
And the 24-year-old lives on through his adorable daughter who has strikingly similar traits and mannerisms.
The soldier's mum Margaret, of Baker Street, Morley, said: "When he was young he always used to play with my ears and yesterday at the funeral she was doing the same thing."
During his funeral on Tuesday, L/Cpl Kirkness, right, was said to adore his daughter, who he called "Daddy's princess".
Little Brooke lives near Edinburgh with mum Steph Galbreith, 20, in the city where he was based.
Steph said: "Brooke doesn't really understand, she's still too young. It was her dad, she would rather have her dad back but this (the Elizabeth Cross) is something for her to always keep."
The soldier, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, died on December 15 as he tried to stop two suicide bombers on a motorbike blowing up a crowded marketplace.
Another soldier, 18-year-old Rifleman James Brown, also died in the attack outside Sangin, in Helmand province.
The new military medals are to honour the next of kin of Armed Forces personnel who have been killed on operations, to recognise the "lifetime of grief" families have to endure.
Not all deaths are included in this scheme, as the Elizabeth Cross is specifically to recognise unique challenges that service personnel face and the burden this places on their families.
Brooke collected her medal along with L/Cpl Kirkness's brother Christopher, 14, who was also presented with a Memorial Scroll for the family.
More than 1,000 members of the public gathered outside Wakefield Cathedral to pay their respects.
His mum Margaret said the turnout was truly touching.
She said:" I couldn't believe how many people came out. We are gutted but so proud – he would have been proud. When we came from Wakefield, two tramps who did not have a penny put two flowers on and that meant so much to us."
During the service, numerous tributes were paid to L/Cpl Kirkness who was universally described as a hero following the manner of his death, saving so many people.
The soldier's girlfriend, Mel Maclean, 31, has revealed how she found out after his death that L/Cpl Kirkness was planning to ask her to marry him when he returned from Afghanistan.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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