A bench has been unveiled in memory of a Beccles soldier who died in Afghanistan outside the home he once shared with his family.

Lance Corporal George Davey, 23, served with the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment and died as the result of a tragic firearms accident on May 20, 2007.

And on the ninth anniversary of his death, a bench was dedicated in his honour on Black Boy Lane in Beccles.

Among those invited to the ceremony were Lance Corp Davey’s widow Joanna, the couple’s daughters, Millie, 11, and Morgan, 10, serving members of the Royal Anglian Regiment and standard bearers from the Royal British Legion.

Lance Corp Davey’s daughters both spoke ahead of helping to reveal the plaque honouring their father. Millie said: “My dad was a very kind person and even though I don’t have any memories of him, I still love him.”

And Morgan added: “He’ll always have a place in my heart.”

Beccles mayor Graham Catchpole encouraged those present to think about the “individual bravery and courage of every man and woman that puts on a uniform.”

He said: “Each individual life lost is just as sad, just as heart rending and just as tragic for the family and friends left behind.

“So it is correct that we as a town honour Lance Corp George Russell Davey today, and we thank his family for giving us the opportunity of doing so by donating this bench in his honour.

“I also think that this memorial bench is in a suitable location close to one of our schools, so that one day a younger generation can sit on the bench and just possibly think for a moment why it is here and what it symbolises.”