Corporal Bryan James Budd, 29, who was expecting the birth of his second child next month, died when he came under fire in the south of the country on Sunday.

This week the union flag was flown at half-mast at Ripon Cathedral and County Hall as a mark of respect.

Cpl Budd and his family were also remembered in prayers at the cathedral where Canon Keith Punshon, a former Army chaplain, described the death of the soldier as “desperately sad”. He added: “It is a reminder to us that struggles for a better world are ongoing and involve us all.”

Cpl Budd, who was serving with the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, was on a routine patrol when he and his colleagues came under fire from Taliban forces. Three other British soldiers were also injured.

Originally from Scunthorpe, Cpl Budd lived in Ripon with his wife Lorena, a corporal in the Adjutant General’s Corps, based at Marne Barracks, 5 Regiment Royal Artillery, Catterick. They have a two year old daughter, Isabelle, and were looking forward to the birth of their second child next month.

Cpl Budd had been in the Army for 10 years, enlisting into the Parachute Regiment, then passing the rigorous selection process for 16 Air Assault Brigade’s Pathfinder Platoon, an elite unit specially trained for long range reconnaissance missions.

While part of that platoon, Cpl Budd – who was a qualified Army Combat Survival Instructor, rock climber and freefall parachutist – served in many operational theatres, including Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 2004, he was posted to the Army Foundation College in Harrogate where it was his responsibility to help train young future soldiers, before rejoining the Parachute Regiment in June.

Paying tribute, his Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Tootal, said: "Cpl Bryan Budd was an outstanding young man who had quickly risen through the ranks in the regiment.

“Extremely popular, he had a calm and professional manner that inspired confidence in all that worked with him; a natural leader.

“Bryan died doing the job he loved, leading his men from the front, where he always was.

"He was proud to call himself a paratrooper and we were proud to stand beside him.

“One of the very best in all respects, he will be sadly missed by all his comrades in 3 Para and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time."

Cpl Budd’s body is due to be flown back to Britain today.