Photo: Dorothy Hall

Photo: Dorothy Hall

Photo: Dorothy Hall

The headstone reads:-

To
the memory of
Daryn
Michael Roy
14.11.1981 - 03.05.2010
Who died serving his country
A proud and brave soldier of
21 Engineer Regiment
Will always be remembered

Love Never dies
Till we meet again

Heart of a hero

A block in front of the headstone reads:-

25207083 Sapper
Daryn Michael Roy
Corps of Royal Engineers
3rd May 2010 age 28
Loving son and brother
Heaven was needing a hero

The Evening Chronicle 05/05/2010 reports:-

UNITED in grief, friends and family have paid tribute to a North East soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Corporal Daryn Roy from Dipton, near Stanley, County Durham, died in an explosion on Monday morning.

The 28-year-old had been travelling to meet a local Afghan contractor near Patrol Base Pimon, in Nad-e Ali, Helmand province, when he was tragically caught-up in the blast.

Today, his devastated relatives and pals are mourning the loss of a "true hero" who was loved by many.

Daryn was one of two comrades from the 21 Engineer Regiment, based in Ripon, North Yorkshire, to be killed in two separate incidents within hours of each other.

His family had been looking forward to him coming home for a few days in June but are now preparing for his funeral.

And tearful pals in his village have pinned an England flag outside the former Red Lion bearing the message "RIP Daryn – Dipton Hero".

Lieutenant Colonel Bobby Walton-Knight, the commanding officer of 21 Engineer Regiment, paid tribute to Daryn

He said: "Sapper Roy was the most professional of soldiers. He was trained as both a combat engineer and combat signaller and could hold his own with the best at either.

He joined the Army later than most and brought with him a sense of maturity and common sense that few could match.

Sapper Roy had quickly proved himself in the Regiment, his pursuit of the high standards made him stand out and he was about to move on as a Junior Non-commissioned Officer.

He was always keen to get out on the ground where his expertise was needed most.

He never complained, never moaned; he worked hard, looked after his mates and made a difference.

He was the type of soldier you wanted around and the type you wanted to be around. Sapper Roy summed up all that is good about being a Royal Engineer.

He was intelligent, hard working and resilient. He would turn his hand to any task and demand the best from himself.

He was immensely proud to be a Sapper and would do anything to defend his troop. He was like an older brother to the other Sappers; supportive, protective, yet firm when necessary.

Sapper Roy was quick witted, high spirited and always raised morale. He died serving his country and working with his friends."

Corporal Liam Ord, Section Commander, 4 Armoured Engineer Squadron, said Daryn was larger than life and had an unmatched quick wit who would always support his friends and had a can-do attitude.

He said: "As a soldier, he was a privilege to command. He always delivered on time and would strive to achieve the highest standards. He always backed me up and I knew I could totally rely on him. It didn’t matter how cold, wet or tired he was, he always gave his best.

He was a very sociable lad, popular in the Troop and with his mates in Newcastle and Durham. He was excellent company and was always in demand to go out with friends at the weekend. He was a great mate and we will always remember him."

Friends of Daryn have today been leaving tributes to him on the social networking site, Facebook.

Jenna Mack wrote: "Daryn Roy, 1 true hero miss you mate."

Winnie New said: "RIP Daryn you were a hero to all of us."

Cpl Roy had already served in Iraq with the Army before his duty in Afghanistan.

His death means 284 UK military personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001.

Daryn Roy is remembered in Dipton on D46.11