THE widow of a soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, as he went to the aid of an injured comrade, described him yesterday as “the greatest man there ever was” as mourners gathered at his funeral.
Sergeant Paul McAleese, the son of SAS hero John McAleese, died in Helmand province as voters went to the polls on August 20.
Sgt McAleese, a member of 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, was on foot patrol in the Sangin district when the fatal blast struck.
The 29-year-old, from Hereford, had previously served in Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Kosovo.
He leaves his wife Joanne, 26, and a five-month-old son, Charley, who was born just a week before his deployment to Afghanistan.
Around 1,000 mourners packed Hereford Cathedral and hundreds more filled the surrounding lawns outside to pay tribute to Sgt McAleese – known as Mac to friends and family.
Joanne, who entered the cathedral with the couple’s son in her arms, told the congregation that some had worried when they first got together, because both had such strong personalities.
