Rifleman James Brown was one of two soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, killed near Sangin, in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.

He died aged 18 on 15 December, 2009, after just two weeks in Afghanistan, alongside Lance Corporal David Kirkness as they sacrificed their lives to stop bombs going off in a packed marketplace.

The Brown family said in a statement released through the MoD: "James Stephen Brown, a Son, Brother, Uncle, boyfriend and a friend.

"You were a true hero and will be dearly missed. We all love you so much.

"You died a hero living your dream and you will always be in our thoughts.

"Your actions will always speak louder than words ever could."

Their commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, said their comrades took comfort and pride from the fact that they averted a "much larger tragedy".

He said: "Their sacrifice prevented two suicide bombers from reaching their intended target, the bustling and ever more prosperous Sangin bazaar, packed with local Afghans going about their daily business."

"Rifleman Brown was a young man only just embarking on his chosen career with the Army and The Rifles. He had been with the Battalion for a desperately short time but was showing the promising signs of a soldier with a bright future. He had already made a lasting impression on his fellow Riflemen with his immense courage, infectious confidence and talent for making people laugh.

"What he lacked in experience he made up for in enthusiasm, young yet keen to please and with a voracious appetite for work and fun in equal measure. It is all the more difficult to come to terms with the loss of one so young and we are all deprived of the joy of watching his promise unfold.

"Few will ever rival his commitment and sacrifice. We remain fiercely proud of his all too brief but lasting contribution to our current challenge."

Rifleman Brown was born in Farnborough, Hampshire, on 9 January 1991. He joined the army in 2009, training at Catterick before passing out to join 3rd Battalion, The Rifles in October that year.

He attended the Individual Reinforcement course for Operation HERRICK and deployed as a Battle Casualty Replacement in late November where he joined B Company Group.

Major James Richardson, Officer Commanding B Company 3 RIFLES said: "The death of Rifleman Brown is, in many ways, particularly cruel. He had arrived with the Company less than two weeks ago and had been very quickly integrated into his platoon and deployed to one of the patrol bases.

"He had made a really good first impression, typical of the high quality Riflemen that are coming to us from training and that I am so lucky to command. He was already making his mark, and not just for his insistence that he should be known by his rather unflattering moniker of 'Fat Head'.

"He was beginning to show all of the hallmarks expected of the thinking Rifleman and was testimony to the generation of guys who are willing to take on the challenges that we face out here."

Lance Corporal Kirkness was killed following a suicide improvised explosive device blast on a route into central Sangin, northern Helmand, Afghanistan. Rifleman Brown died on his way to hospital in Camp Bastion from injuries sustained in the incident.

At the time their platoon was manning a vehicle checkpoint alongside an Afghan National Army section in order to provide reassurance and security to the local population.