An Army cadet killed when he stuck his head through a coach skylight and hit a bridge would have been promoted at work today, his shocked boss told the Evening Press.

Stephen Adair, 18, died in Holland as he returned with a 40-strong party of army cadets from a visit to the Green Howards' headquarters in Osnabruck, Germany, at the weekend. An army investigation was under way today.

Stephen, of Burton Fields Road, Stamford Bridge, put his head out of the skylight as the coach, travelling on the A27 in Hoogleand, Holland, passed under a viaduct with less than a foot's clearance. He was killed instantly and his body slumped back into the coach next to his horrified companions, some of whom were just 15.

A Dutch police spokesman said: "You can imagine what was happening. About 50 boys aged about 15 to 20 were confronted with such a terrible accident. It was very emotional."

A friend of Stephen's, Andrew Sykes, said his dream was to one day serve either in the army or the police.

Stephen, who workedat McKechnie Plastics in Stamford Bridge for contractors White Rose Industrial Cleaning, was due to start a new role as yard manager from today.

His boss, Rob Stannard, said: "He was an absolutely smashing lad, one of the best.

"The whole village is in gloom and everyone at the factory is completely devastated. There are 1,000 people there and he seemed to have been friends with just about everybody.

"He was being promoted today and was due to start at 8am. We wanted him to start last week but he decided to take a week's holiday first. I wish he hadn't.

"I've no doubt he would have made an excellent career for himself in the army when he had finished with us. He had what it takes.

"My son, Carl, was a good friend of his and when we told him the news yesterday he just burst into tears. It was awful."

As Stephen's mother, father and younger brother were coming to terms with the horrific incident, a local vicar said the community would do all it could to help them.

The Rev John Harrison, Rector of Stamford Bridge, visited the family shortly after they learned of Saturday's tragedy.

He said: "I've seen the family and obviously they are very shocked, as is everybody around here.

"The family will be needing a lot of help and support over the next few days and in a community like ours I have no doubt that they will get it.

"All our sympathy goes out to Stephen's family."

A work colleague, Shereen Roe, 22, of Tang Hall, York, said: "He was very well liked and a lot of people are very upset at the news."

An army spokesman said: "The army would like to express its deep regret at this fatality."

The week-long trip had been organised by the army's schools liaison officer.

The mother of one of the boys on the coach said her son had been sitting just in front of Stephen when the accident happened.

She said: "Suddenly he slumped back down and everybody was in complete shock. My son rushed downstairs to tell the driver to stop.

He then went into a garage and managed to explain that they needed an ambulance urgently.''

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