SAS soldier was killed just days before he left Territorial Army to be with his wife and three young children

Lance Corporal Richard Larkin wanted to be at home with his wife watching his three children grow up after sacrificing years away from them while serving, friends said yesterday.

But with days left of his final deployment, the 39-year-old nurse was killed with fellow SAS reservists Corporal Robert Reeve and Paul Stout and Intelligence Officer Corporal Sarah Bryant.

Lance Corporal Richard Larkin (left) had been only days away from leaving the TA but was killed along with Paul Stout (right)

Their Snatch Land Rover was blown up by a Taliban bomb in Helmand Province on
Tuesday.

Last night as their families and friends were comforted and tributes poured in, the controversy over whether they should have been travelling in the lightly protected vehicle  -  a frequent target of the Taliban  -  continued.

Cpl Bryant, 26, was the only fulltime soldier among those killed and was said to have an outstanding future in the Army. Her family had been notified that she had been promoted to sergeant.

Cpl Sarah Bryant, left, was the only full-time soldier among those killed while Corporal Robert Reeve was described as 'a pillar of strength'

Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Suggit, said: 'We mourn her, we
salute her and we will remember the sparkle she brought to us all.'

L/Cpl Larkin, the oldest of those to die, worked for the past four years as a night charge nurse at Evesham Community Hospital, Worcestershire.

A friend, from 23 SAS Regiment, told how he had been looking forward to repaying his family's support by spending more time with his wife and children following the Afghan deployment.

'He had a son who is a toddler and twins a few years older and he wanted to spend time at home and see them grow up  -  now that won't happen,' the friend said.

'Rich loved his family and talked about them a lot, but he missed out a lot of quality time with them because of his dedication to the regiment.'

Sarah Bryant on her wedding day two years ago

His family described him as 'a beloved husband, father, son and brother whose tragic and untimely death will be deeply mourned'.

The family of Cpl Reeve, 28, of the Royal Signals, called him 'a dearly loved son, brother, godparent, uncle, grandson and friend, who was loving, loyal, honourable, selfless and gentle, a pillar of strength that all could turn to'.

And 31-year-old Mr Stout's relatives said he was a 'wonderful son and brother and will be greatly missed by all his family and friends'.

The incident took the British death toll over a bloody ten-day period to nine. The bodies are due to be flown home on Monday.

Last night the row continued to rage over whether the soldiers should have been in a Snatch Land Rover, which offers no protection against the roadside bomb which has become the Taliban's main method of attack.

Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said other vehicles, such as the more heavily armoured Mastiff, 'would not have been suitable for the task they were doing in the area in which they were required to work'.

He said the vehicle was fitted with electronic counter-measures designed to jam mobile phone signals used to trigger improvised explosive devices.

He added: 'All that I am being told by commanders on the ground is that they still need Land Rover-based platforms. . . and they will do for the foreseeable future.'

But Tory defence expert Patrick Mercer, a former colonel, called for the Snatch vehicles to be withdrawn from service.

He added: 'They are entirely unsuitable for operations in Afghanistan. The reason they are there is because that's all the Army has got.'