TRIBUTES have been paid to the two Tidworth-based soldiers killed in an ambush near Basra, in southern Iraq, last week.

Corporal Marc Taylor (27) and Gunner David Lawrence (25) died when dissidents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at their armoured Land Rover and then opened fire with small arms.

Both were members of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and were currently serving with the locally based 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery.

They were deployed in June to Iraq, where they were initially responsible for helping train members of the Basra Police serious crime unit.

More recently, they had been involved in providing escort teams for a group co-ordinating reconstruction projects in and around Basra.

Cpl Taylor, who was married with a two-year-old daughter, joined the army in 1993.

He had already served in the former Yugoslavia and Northern Ireland before his most recent deployment.

Speaking from their home in Tidworth, his wife, Olivia, who is expecting their second child in April, said: "He was an army man through and through.

"He was always very positive about his time in Iraq and serving his country.

"He enjoyed the particular job he was doing, helping the Iraqi people rebuild their lives.

"All his family are proud that he died doing a job he wanted to do.

"He was a hero."

A spokesman for Cpl Taylor's regiment described him as a calm and confident leader, who easily gained the respect of all who had the privilege of knowing him.

"He was a first-class team commander and a devoted husband and father," said the spokesman.

"In the year he had been with the regiment, he made many good friends, and he will be sorely missed."

Gunner Lawrence joined the army in June 2001.

After training at Pirbright and the School of Artillery at Larkhill, he joined B Battery Royal Horse Artillery at Tidworth, operating the AS90 self-propelled gun.

Almost immediately, he was deployed to Bosnia and later helped to provide emergency cover during the firemen's strike.

The MoD has expressed its "deepest sympathy" to Gnr Lawrence's parents and his girlfriend.

A spokesman said: "He was a cheerful soldier who always had a cheeky grin on his face.

"A keen footballer, he was always a team player.

"He was very popular with all who knew him, as he was a good, loyal friend.

"He will be sorely missed by all his regiment."

The deaths bring the tally of British soldiers killed in combat in Iraq to 24.

A further 44 service personnel in the country have died as a result of other incidents, including friendly fire and road traffic accidents.