THE body of heroic York soldier Ashley David Smith is due to be flown back to Britain tomorrow, as tributes continued to pour in.

Trooper Smith, 21, of Acomb, died last Friday while guarding comrades at a checkpoint in Afghanistan.

The tank driver was only three weeks into his first six-month tour of duty in Helmand Province with The Royal Dragoon Guards, Viking Group, D (The Green Horse) Squadron. Trooper Smith’s body is to be repatriated tomorrow to RAF Lyneham, in Wiltshire, where a private ceremony will be held.

Repatriation was originally due to take place today, but has now been re-arranged.

A funeral service will be held at York Minster at a later date, yet to be announced.

More than 1,400 people have joined a special group set up on the Facebook website, leaving tributes to the former Hob Moor Junior and Oaklands School pupil.

Messages have also been left in a special online book of condolence on The Press website, thepress.co.uk One reader wrote: “There is so little to say, except I pray his loss is not in vain.

“I hope in the years to come the pain his family must be feeling is slowly replaced by pride and when we win the war on terror – which we surely must – his name will be up there with those that made the ultimate sacrifice to keep all the rest of us safe.”

• A Royal Marine was shot dead in a gun battle with insurgents in southern Afghanistan yesterday, the Ministry of Defence said.

The marine, from 40 Commando, was killed in the Sangin district of Helmand province. The serviceman was the third from 40 Commando to have died in three days. The death takes the total number of UK service personnel killed as a result of the Afghanistan conflict since 2001 to 302. The marine’s family has been told.