'Brightest star lost in the line of duty'
A BRITISH officer who died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan was named yesterday as Captain Ben Babington-Browne, 27, from 22 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers.
In a moving tribute his mother, Nina, said: “Ben will be so missed by his family and friends, who are all heartbroken by his untimely death.
“One of the brightest stars in the firmament has been lost in the line of a duty.” She said his family was “immensely proud” of his achievements.
Captain Babington-Browne died with two Canadian troops when their helicopter crashed about 50 miles from the city of Kandahar on Monday.
Lt Col Andrew Noble, commanding officer of the Royal Engineers, said he was “an outstanding officer” with “an extremely bright future”.