THE HEARTBROKEN fiancée of a Plymouth soldier killed by a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan has revealed he promised her he would "come home safe".

Emma Green, aged 19, said she last spoke to her childhood sweetheart, Trooper Joshua Hammond, on June 22 – the second anniversary of them getting together.

He died on Wednesday afternoon, just over three weeks before he was due to return on leave to Plymouth to start planning his wedding to Emma next year.

Fighting back the tears Emma, a bank clerk from Plymstock, said: "We were planning to get married next year – that is what we were holding on to to get us through the six months.

"He was glad to be away in many ways so that he could save as much money as possible for the wedding.

"That was his focus. I last spoke to him on our two-year anniversary.

"He said he loved me and that he wished he could be there with me.

"He couldn't wait to see me. The last thing he said was that he loved me, and he promised he would come home safe."

Plymouth-born Josh, who was in the same year as Emma at Plymstock School, died in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion while on a convoy along the Shamalan Canal, near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan.

When he was at home he lived with his grandparents in Plymstock. The 18-year-old was serving with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.

It was the young soldier's first major deployment and he had only been in Afghanistan for 30 days.

Affectionately known as 'Hammy' by his colleagues, he was due to celebrate his 19th birthday in the desert on Thursday.

The Viking armoured vehicle he was travelling in on Wednesday afternoon was also carrying Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe MBE, Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.

He also died in the explosion, becoming the most senior officer to be killed in conflict since the Falklands war in 1982.

Flags in Plymouth were flown yesterday at half mast as a mark of respect to the young soldier.

As details of the incident emerged yesterday morning, hundreds of school friends, colleagues and loved ones began leaving heart-felt messages on The Herald's website.

Others set up groups on social networking websites. Emma added: "Josh was not only my brave soldier. He was a true family man who was well loved by everyone who met him.

"He was, and still is, my childhood sweetheart, my best friend and my soul mate.

"He deployed to Afghanistan excited to come home and start planning our wedding.

"I have never been more proud of my fiance. His memory will never fade."

Speaking from the family home in Beacon Park, Joshua's distraught father, Pete, described Josh as a "hero" and said the family has been "ripped apart".

"We will always see him as a hero," the 39-year-old plasterer said.

"He gave his life to this country – you cannot be more of a hero for doing that.

"He made the ultimate sacrifice and we are just so proud of him. The family has been ripped apart."

His 41-year-old uncle, Garry, from Stonehouse, said: "We will always be really proud of him."

Joshua's step-mother, Leigh, said: "God gave me the biggest beautiful stepson anyone could ever have.

"My heart will always be filled with your laughter and memories I will treasure.

"Until we meet again, my love for you will never die."

His cousins also described him as being the most "amazing" cousin a person could have.

Joshua leaves behind three brothers, aged between one and four, and four sisters, aged between four and 10.

Lt Col Marcus Simson, Commanding Officer of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, said: "Trooper Joshua Hammond enlisted in the Army aged 16 and-a-half and attended the Army Foundation College in Harrogate to complete his initial training.

"From Harrogate, having been accepted into the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, Trooper Hammond moved to Bovington to learn his trade as a Challenger 2 tank driver.

"He arrived with the Regiment in Tidworth in May 2008, shortly before his 18th birthday and within months had deployed with his Squadron to Canada where he spent a happy and fulfilling three months training on the Prairie.

"He quickly established himself as a professional and capable young soldier, full of potential and with a future full of promise."

General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, said the deaths of Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe MBE and Tpr Joshua Hammond had been a "devastating blow" to the Welsh Guards Battle Group and to the Army as a whole.

"Tpr Hammond was a first-class tank crewman who epitomised the spirited and determined approach to operations expected of Royal Armoured Corps soldiers," Sir Richard said.

"Lt Col Thorneloe was an outstanding Commanding Officer and a born leader, who I knew well."

Read the original Josh Hammond article, with more than 100 comments, here