Friends of 18-year-old Private Johnathon Young have publicly thanked the people of Wootton Bassett for turning out in droves to support his family at today's repatriation.

Pte Young, of 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was based in Warminster before his death in Helmand province earlier this month.

Today hundreds of people lined the streets of Wootton Bassett as the body of Hull-born Pte Young and Sergeant Paul McAleese, 29, of 2nd Battalion The Rifles, were returned home.

Family and friends of Pte Young all wore white t-shirts with a picture of him and the words 'John - Hull's Hero' written on them.

Matthew McInsley, 19, was a close friend of Pte Young.

He said: "Today has to be the hardest day of all of our lives - John was a fantastic bloke - a one in a million.

"I think the fact that all these people come out to support his family and friends is a great help for them and goes a little way in making the day more bearable.

"I was taken aback when I arrived here as people were just stopping and waiting to pay their respects.

"John was the best friend anyone could wish for and we are all so proud of him."

As the hearse carrying Pte Young stopped briefly on the High Street his family, including mum Angela, brother Carl, sister, Leah and fiancée Nicola, laid dozens of red roses on top of the vehicle.

Lieutenant Colonel Tom Vallings, Commanding Officer 3 Yorks, said: "For all our troops, whether fighting in Afghanistan or here at home, to know that there is such strong support in Wootton Bassett and back in Yorkshire is of huge comfort and gives soldiers strength.

"A death in any family is really difficult to anyone and one cannot begin to imagine how difficult it is for Private Young's family today.

"It is definitely of some comfort that so many people came out to remember a really smashing young man."

The two deaths, which took the number of UK troops killed in the conflict to 206, came as voters went to the polls in the war torn country.

The MoD said the troops were on a routine patrol not connected with election security.

Pte Young joined the Army in February last year and was deployed to Afghanistan on August 2 as part of reinforcements sent to the country to boost numbers after a wave of casualties.

He is understood to be the first of the extra service personnel to be killed.

Tim Wately, a retired corporal in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, comes to Wootton Bassett from his hometown of Chippenham everytime there is a repatriation.

He said: "People come out in such high numbers because people in this country really care about our boys fighting out there.

"I did not know Private Young but what I do know is that he was a young man who risked his life to make a better world.

"He and Sergeant McAleese deserve our full devotion - what they died doing was totally heroic."