FAMILY, friends and colleagues are mourning the death of another soldier from Beachley Barracks who was serving with 1 Rifles in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Jonathan James McKinlay, of B Company, The Rifles, was killed in action on September 14.

He had been deployed to Afghanistan as a battle casualty replacement in June, having recently qualified as a Bravo Mortar Fire Controller. He was based in Checkpoint Chaabak in the Nahr-e Saraj (South) district of Helmand province, Afghanistan.

He was killed by a burst of small arms fire last Wednesday while on patrol with his team and members of the Afghan Uniform Police (AUP) in a village near to his checkpoint.

Born in Darlington, County Durham, Lance Corporal McKinlay joined the Army in 1996 and racked up a great degree of experience throughout his career, with previous deployments to Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. He held an impressive array of qualifications on top of this, making him a great asset to his company and the battalion.

He was described as an outgoing and friendly commander, and very much a 'doer'.

He leaves his wife, Lisa, his mother, Valerie, sister, Becca, and his children, Megan, Ollie and Piper.

"The thoughts and prayers of the battlegroup are very much with them at this painful time," said a MoD spokesman.