Comrades of a teenage British soldier killed in southern Afghanistan have described him as a "ray of sunshine".
Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher, 19, of 2nd Battalion The Rifles, died in an explosion while on patrol near Gereshk in Helmand Province on Tuesday morning.
His family said they would never recover from their loss.
Rifleman Thatcher, from Caversham in Reading, Berkshire, joined 2 Rifles in December 2007 and went to Kosovo on his first operational tour in the summer of last year.
In April he was deployed to Afghanistan as a machine gunner, and had already been marked as a strong candidate for promotion.
His senior officers paid tribute to an outstanding soldier who "simmered with potential" and always kept up his mates' spirits with his infectious sense of humour.
Rifleman Thatcher's parents, Robin and Helena, and brothers, Zac and Steely, said in a statement: "Cyrus was a much-loved son and brother whose loss we will never recover from. He loved his job and was proud to serve his country. We will always be immensely proud of him. He will forever be in our hearts and minds."
2 Rifles commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Rob Thomson said the young soldier had a "rucksack full of potential".
Serjeant Leon Smith, platoon serjeant of 10 Platoon, said: "Rifleman Thatcher was a ray of sunshine within 10 Platoon. Always giggling and joking, making the blokes smile."
Rifleman Thatcher's death took the number of British troops who have died in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001 to 166.
