By Phil Coleman

Last updated 11:49, Thursday, 19 June 2008

Sarah Bryant followed her dream to become a soldier.

Sarah Braynt, nee Feely, dressed in a bridesmaids dress dancing with her father Des at a family wedding

• Images: more photos of Sarah Bryant

Beautiful, intelligent and courageous, the 26-year-old from Carlisle routinely faced danger in her work as an Army Intelligence Officer in Afghanistan, gathering information on the Taliban.

On Tuesday she and three SAS reservists paid the ultimate price – killed as their Land Rover was shattered by a roadside bomb.

Her heartbroken father Des Feely, 55, today spoke emotionally about his daughter – the first British female soldier to die in Afghanistan’s increasingly bloody conflict.

Mr Feely, from Cotehill, near Carlisle, said he and Sarah’s mother Maureen were “absolutely devastated” at the loss of the beautiful daughter they adored.

“She was due to fly back next month,” said Mr Feely.

“But now she’ll be coming back to be buried with military honours at the church in Wetheral where she was married two years ago.”

Sarah was with four reservist SAS soldiers in the Lashkar Gah region of Helmand Province at 3.40pm on Tuesday when the bomb detonated.

In a remote area, they were travelling in a lightly armoured ‘snatch’ Land Rover, originally designed to protect its passengers from bullets and fire-bombs in Northern Ireland.

Three soldiers died at the scene and the fourth was pronounced dead on arrival at an Army medical base in Camp Bastion.

A fifth soldier was injured and is said to be in a stable condition in hospital, said Army sources.

Recently promoted to Sergeant and fluent in the local Pashtu language, Sarah had been working on a secret counter-terrorism mission in an operation supporting the National Afghan Police.

Despite her age, Sarah was already a veteran of two six-month tours of Iraq.

Her recent work involved monitoring Taliban phone calls and walkie-talkie communications.

The tragedy takes the UK death toll in the country over the last 10 days to nine.

The news of Sarah’s death was broken to her parents Maureen and Des Feely in the early hours of yesterday, her father receiving a visit to his home from Army officials at 1am yesterday.

Mr Feely said: “I know that at least Sarah died doing the job she loved and for a cause she believed in.”

Mr Feely said his daughter, married to fellow soldier Carl Bryant, loved her job.

He said: “Right now, I don’t know how we’ll cope.

“It’s truly devastating, an absolutely massive shock. Ever since she was a schoolgirl, it was her dream to be a soldier. I cannot believe she will not come home.”

Terri Cartner, who knew Sarah, paid to the former Caldew School pupil, whose was a talented horse rider.

She joined the Army after passing her A-levels, achieving good passes in Sociology, General Studies, and Environmental Science.

In the Army, her commitment and intelligence shone through, marking her out as a star recruit.

Senior officers selected her for the Intelligence Corps because they recognised her exceptional abilities, said Mrs Cartner, who manages the Conservative Club in Brampton.

“She just had a lot of courage,” she said. “I was quite surprised that such a family person had chosen such a tough career.

“But when Sarah joined the Army, she was a star pupil: She did everything just as well as the men – they were so impressed with her.

“She was aware of the risks in what she was doing but she enjoyed the challenge.

“She excelled at what she did.

“She was very pretty, very female but also totally unassuming, and very intelligent. You always felt better for spending time with her.

“She was a lovely girl and a credit to her family. It was a pleasure to have known her.

“Sarah loved horses and riding. Her father Des sent me a text at 2.30am yesterday.

“He said there had been a knock on his door at 1.30am – it was the Army. It’s absolutely devastating news.”

In Brampton last night locals who knew Sarah were visibly shocked, hardly able to take in the fact of her death.

Family friend David Shepherd, 59, spoke emotionally of Mrs Bryant.

He said: “She was such a sociable, lovely girl. Very pretty, very intelligent and somebody who knew what she wanted.

“She was somebody who was so special. Sarah chose to go out there and to fight for her country.

“It was typical of her. She knew the dangers.

“She could have chosen any other path in life and have been successful.

“When she was trying to get into the Special Services she had to go through tough selection, carrying heavy weights, doing long walks, which left blisters on her feet.

“She didn’t make it the first time but they were so impressed with her that they asked her to apply again and that time she passed.

“Her father absolutely worshipped the ground she walked on. Both Desmond and Maureen will be absolutely devastated.

“She was very career minded and always wanted to be in the Army and was driven towards it. She was destined for the top.”

Last week five soldiers from the Parachute Regiment were killed in two separate incidents in Afghanistan.

The victims included Carlisle man Charles David Murray, 19, who was killed along with two comrades.

They all died as a suicide bomber detonated his device next to them in Helmand Province.

The SAS soldiers who died in the latest incident were all members of the 23rd SAS Regiment, based in Manchester.

The dead are thought to included a civilian male nurse, the father of two young children.

Another of the victims was a firefighter in civilian life. They were among dozens of special forces reservists who have been deployed in Afghanistan to help train local police.

In the Commons Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday offered his “profound condolences” to the families and friends of the four killed on Tuesday and those who died last week.

He said the troops were undertaking “difficult missions in the most dangerous of countries” and said Britain’s armed forces were “second to none and the best in the world.”

He added: “They are on the noblest of missions.

“They are fighting for freedom for the Afghans, in their own country, and for the world in protecting us from terrorism. This House and this country is proud of them all.”

Speaking on television earlier, Foreign Secretary David Miliband was asked if he thought British efforts in Afghanistan are worth the bloodshed and said it was the “only way this can be done”.

Since the start of British Army operations in Afghanistan in November 2001, 106 British service personnel have died.

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