THE body of a North-East solider and his colleague will be flown back to Britain tomorrow (Thursday, November 8)

Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter, 29, who lived with his parents in County Durham, and Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar, from Nepal, were killed in Afghanistan last week.

Both men from 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, were attached to 40 Commando Royal Marines,will be flown to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire They had been attending a meeting with Afghan uniformed policemen inside Checkpoint Prrang in the southern area of Nahr-e Saraj when one of the men opened fire.

Lt Drummond-Baxter, who lived in Consett, was on his first tour of Afghanistan and had only been deployed on September 30. He leaves behind his mother, Helen, father, David and sister, Emily.

Today, Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg paid tribute both men in the House of Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions.

He said: “The whole house will wish to join me in paying tribute to the two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan last week.

“Our heartfelt condolences are with the families and friends of these brave servicemen.

“In a particularly poignant week for us all, with Remembrance Day on Sunday, we are once again reminded of the remarkable job our armed forces do to ensure our safety and security.”

Lt Drummond-Baxter was born in Peterborough, and after university, spent two years working for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office before joining the Army.