By Phil Coleman and Kelly Eve

Last updated at 05:27, Friday, 27 June 2008

SARAH Bryant realised a cherished childhood dream when she joined the Army.

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Bubbly, intelligent, and beautiful, she carved out a brilliant career in just six years, landing a job in the secretive world of military intelligence, gathering information on the Taliban in Afghanistan.

But on a sun-baked road in that country’s notorious Helmand province on Tuesday afternoon, Sarah and three SAS soldiers paid for their dedication with their lives – blown up by a roadside bomb.

It was a brutal end to her young life – a life that could have come straight from the pages of an Alistair MacLean spy novel.

A former pupil at Dalston’s Caldew School, Sarah was working on a counter-terrorism operation in the Lashkar Gah region of southern Afghanistan when the Land Rover she was in was shattered by a booby-trap bomb.

As the dust settled in the afternoon heat, three of the soldiers caught by the blast had already died, and a third lay fatally injured. A fifth soldier was injured and is now in a stable condition in hospital, said Army sources.

Within a few hours, Sarah’s adoring parents Des and Maureen Feely, who still live in the Carlisle area, had been given the dreadful news.

Heartbroken Des, 55, of Cotehill, spoke of a daughter who believed in her mission and faced danger with courage and professionalism.

Only a handful of people in Sarah’s family, including her husband Carl, also 26, and a fellow Intelligence Officer, knew about her sensitive work in the Army, where her exceptional abilities earned her a place in the Army’s Psychological Operations Support Element (PSE).

Just how perilous that role was became clear yesterday as fresh details of her work at the time of her death emerged.

It was 3.40pm on Tuesday as Sarah and a group of soldiers from the 23rd SAS Regiment were travelling through the remote area in Helmand province in a lightly armoured “snatch” Land Rover, a vehicle originally designed for use in Northern Ireland.

Though the Army has officially revealed few details of the operation, sources say Sarah and her comrades were attempting to pinpoint Taliban insurgents.

Fluent in the local Pashtu, her work included searching and interrogating female prisoners – a hugely sensitive task in Afghanistan’s complex and dangerous society.

She will have monitored Taliban phone calls and their walkie-talkie communications, gleaning vital information for Army operations. Already a corporal, and a veteran of two tours of duty in Iraq, Sarah was selected for promotion to sergeant.

The roadside bomb that killed her and her colleagues exploded as they headed back from a vehicle checkpoint operation 10 miles east of Lashkar Gar, the capital of Helmand and the current HQ for British forces in the region.

The injured soldier – in agony with a serious back injury – radioed for a helicopter as he gave first aid to his dying comrades.

For Sarah, it was tragic end to a remarkable career that began on January 21, 2002, when she formally signed up to become a soldier.

Though her Army life remains largely shrouded in secrecy, her family and friends in Cumbria have given a fascinating glimpse of the qualities that marked her out for rapid promotion.

At school, she had achieved good A-level passes in Sociology, General Studies, and Environmental Science.

Recalling her early life, her father Des said: “Ever since she was a schoolgirl, it was her dream to be a soldier.”

Despite his grief, he spoke proudly of his daughter’s achievements. Close to tears, he said: “I know that at least Sarah died doing the job she loved and for a cause she believed in. She didn’t speak of the dangers because it was intelligence work – she couldn’t talk about it. But she told us how interesting and exciting it was and she loved every minute.”

Sarah – their only child – was a true angel of the north, he said. She had been due to return to the UK next month. Sarah last saw her family in Cumbria around two weeks ago when she was on a week-long period of leave.

Some family friends were surprised that Sarah – devoted to her family – had chosen such a dangerous job. But her Army bosses soon realised they had struck gold: once she had joined up, Sarah’s 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 Terri Cartner, a family friend, 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.

“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.”

Another family friend, Brampton man David Shepherd, 59, who knew Sarah, recalled her as a bright-eyed, intelligent, and caring schoolgirl who knew exactly what she wanted from life.

He said: “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.

“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. She was very career-minded and always wanted to be in the Army.”

Army colleagues paid glowing tributes to Sarah. Her Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Suggit, said: “She was a beautiful young woman and also an utterly professional, extremely adept PSYOPS operator. She had courage, passion and flair.”

The SAS soldiers who died in Tuesday’s incident were named as Corporal Sean Robert Reeve, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin and Paul Stout.

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

First published at 05:31, Friday, 20 June 2008
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk