HUNDREDS of people lined the streets to pay their respects to a “lovable rascal” fallen soldier.
Scores of family members, friends and servicemen gathered last Thursday at St Martin of Tours church in Eynsford for the full military honours funeral of Sapper Mark Smith.
The 26-year-old had been serving as part of a Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Task Force in the Sangin area of Helmand district, Afghanistan, when he died on July 26.
His team had requested a smokescreen to enable them to move into position and it is thought one of the smoke shells may have fallen short of its intended target, killing Sapper Smith.
Hilary Payne, who lived next door to Sapper Smith’s family in Saddlers Park, Eynsford, before they moved to Swanley, attended the funeral.
The 78-year-old said: “He was a lovable rascal, it’s very sad.”
Other condolences poured in for his mother Helen, including one from Harry Redknapp, who had heard of his love for football.
Sapper Smith enlisted into the Corps of Royal Engineers in June 2001 and trained as a combat engineer and communications and information systems operator before being posted to 36 Engineer Regiment in December 2002.
He was sent to Iraq in 2003 and deployed on his first tour of Afghanistan in 2007, and then volunteered for a second tour of duty in Afghanistan in April this year.
Sapper Smith’s colleague, Sapper Daniel King, paid tribute to him saying: “He was an amazing guy, always happy and never let anything get him down.
“He will be missed but never forgotten.
“God bless you Mark.”
A flag was flown in memory of him, with a sign below it reading: ‘The flag is flying today in honour of Sapper Mark Smith who laid down his life for his country in Afghanistan.’
Sapper Smith’s coffin was carried into the church to the hymn ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’, where Padre Patrick Aldridge, Chaplain to the Royal Engineers, conducted the service.
A public address system transmitted the service to people outside.
Among readings and tributes, Jerusalem was sung and dance tune ‘Sambuca’ ended the service in memory of his fun-loving nature, before mourners moved to The Plough, where Mark worked as a teenager.
Speaking after the funeral, one of his best friends from Hextable School, Kevin Dove, 26 of Selah Drive, Swanley, said: “It was a very good send off.
“It was obviously a very emotional time but everybody was very touched and moved by the service. “
Tributes to Sapper Smith
Neil Miller, Sapper Smith’s form tutor at Hextable School, said: “He was my class clown.
“He was cheeky and cheery and great fun, but there was also a gentle side to him.
“I’m ex-army and I used to talk to him about going in. It’s just sad.”
Adam Knapp, of Cherry Avenue, Swanley, played football with Sapper Smith in the Hextable Harriers.
The 26-year-old said: “He was a great lad.
“You knew you could rely on him and that he’d back you up with anything.”
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