THE PREGNANT wife of a Scots soldier killed in a horrific Afghanistan bomb attack yesterday (Wed) paid a heartbreaking tribute to “the love of my life”.
The funeral of Corporal William Savage, 30, was attended by hundreds of mourners at Glencourse Kirk, Penicuick, Midlothian.
His wife Lindsay, 27, said the couple had been looking forward to an “amazing future” with the birth of his first child in just five weeks’ time.
But there was also room for humour among the tears as Cpl Savage’s coffin, borne by fellow soldiers from 2 Scots, was led out of the church to the sound of dance anthem “I’m Sexy and I Know it” by LMFAO.
Cpl Savage, from Irvine, Ayrshire, was one of three soldiers killed when a huge bomb hit their vehicle on 30 April in Helmand province.
Around 400 mourners attended the funeral, so many that a fenced-off area had to be set up outside the church to accommodate those who wanted to pay their respects.
Scores of bouquets were left by mourners and the word ‘Sav’ was spelled out in flowers on the coffin.
In a eulogy written by Lindsay, and ready out by Army friend Corporal James McKenna, she said: “Sav was the love of my life. Its difficult to put into words the love you share with your husband.
“No one can truly know you like your other half. The Sav I knew was a secret romantic.
“The birth of our son, only 5 weeks away would have been the start of our amazing future. Not a day will go by I don’t think of you.
“Sleep tightly babe, all my love, your soulmate, Lindsay.”
Cpl Savage’s sister Toni Savage also paid a tearful tribute to him, calling him her “guardian angel.”
She said: “He was my brother, there from my earliest memories.
“Every brother and sister have fall outs but not me and William. He could do no wrong in my eyes.
“I have always been proud of him and I could talk about him all the time to anyone. He was my teacher, bodyguard and now my guardian angel.”
As the coffin was led out of the church, hit song “I’m Sexy and I Know It” was played.
Corporal William Savage, 30, was one of three soldiers killed in a horrific blast which tore through their armoured vehicle on 30 April.
Fusilier Samuel Flint, 21, also from 2 Scots The Royal Highland Fusiliers, and Private Robert Heatherington, 25, a reservist with 7 Scots, also died in the explosion in Nahr-e Saraj in Helmand province.
A huge roadside bomb struck the soldier’s Mastiff vehicle, which is specially designed to withstand improvised explosive devices.
The three soldiers were the first to have died in a Mastiff, and their vehicle was flipped on to its roof by the force of the explosion.
Six other troops were wounded in the blast, which led to fears the Taliban were designing larger bombs which could overcome the 23-tonne vehicle’s heavy armour.
Cpl Savage, from Irvine in Ayrshire, was a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan and joined the army in 2003.
When his body was repatriated earlier this month, his pregnant widow Lydnsey Savage, 27, kissed the hearse carrying it from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
Lieutenant Colonel Robin Lindsay, Commanding Officer, 2 SCOTS, said at the time: “We will remember Corporal William Savage as an exceptional soldier, a dedicated leader and a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.
“He was a classic example of a Scottish infantryman: robust, committed and blessed with a fine line in banter.
“He had made the battalion proud with his excellent recent performance on the Section Commanders’ Battle Course at the Infantry Battle School and he was rightly proud of his well-earned reputation as a tough combat soldier.
“He had proven his credentials on 2 previous tours of Afghanistan and we considered him a leading light amongst the corporals in the battalion and regiment.
“The loss of Corporal Savage has been a hammer blow to the battalion and the regimental family. We are all immensely proud to have known him and we will miss him dearly.”
