Fallen: Cpl Alex Guy was killed in Helmand

A soldier from Barking and Dagenham’s adopted regiment was killed in action in Afghanistan on Friday.

Cpl Alex Guy, 37, from Cambridgeshire, served in 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, which was given the Freedom of the Borough in 2010.

Barking and Dagenham Council leader Cllr Liam Smith said: “On behalf of the council and the residents of the borough of Barking and Dagenham, I wish to express our deep sorrow at this sad news.

“This soldier died in the service of his country. I offer deep condolences to his family – our thoughts are very much with them at this time.”

Lt Colonel Michael Aston MC, commanding officer of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, said: “Fiercely proud of his battalion and intensely devoted to his wife Emma and his family, his loss will be felt deeply across the battlegroup.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this impossibly difficult time.”

Pte Tony Rawson, 27, of Dagenham, also served in the regiment before being killed when his patrol came under fire in Helmand province in 2007.

The 1st Battalion marched through Barking to mark their return from Afghanistan in 2010 and a street was named after Pte Rawson, Tony Rawson Way in Dagenham, last year.