Tributes were today paid to two British soldiers killed when a roadside bomb destroyed their armoured Land Rovers in southern Iraq.

Private Lee Ellis, 23, and Captain Richard Holmes, 28, of the Second Battalion The Parachute Regimen were on a routine patrol in the town of Amarah, when an improvised device planted in an abandoned car exploded as they passed.

Private Ellis, of Wythenshawe, Manchester, was described as "bright, enthusiastic and immensely popular". He leaves a fiancee Sarah and a daughter Courtney.

Captain Holmes, of Winchester, Hampshire, leaves a wife Kate, who he married shortly before leaving for Iraq in October 2005.

A third soldier was wounded and had to be rescued by reinforcements who came under attack from a mob of around 30 locals hurling bricks. He was taken by helicopter to the Shaibah field hospital where his injuries were described as non-life threatening.

The deaths of the two men bring the total number of British personnel killed in Operation Telic, the British military campaign in Iraq, to 103.

Private Ellis, was described by his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Chiswell, as “an outstanding soldier”. He had been in Iraq since October 2005 with D Company and operated in Maysaan Province as part of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Battle Group.

He joined the Army in September 2003 and had served with the regiment since April 2004 after completing his basic training at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick, North Yorkshire.

Lieutenant Colonel Chiswell said: “Bright, enthusiastic and immensely popular, Private Ellis displayed all the qualities of a first class Paratrooper. His strength of character and dedication were reflected in his determination to overcome injury and to join his friends and comrades on operations in southern Iraq.

“He was a natural team player who always looked out for others and who was always upbeat and focused. Above all else he was a total professional, dedicated to his task. He made a genuine difference in Iraq.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said that Private Ellis had been a keen sportsman and had given up an apprenticeship with Wigan Athletic Football Club to join the Army. He was also a boxer and had been due to represent his company and battalion on its return to Colchester.

The spokesman said: “Private Lee Ellis was not only a comrade but a close friend to many. He will be sorely missed by all those who were privileged to serve with and know him. Our thoughts are with his family and young daughter.”

In a poignant final entry on the Friends Reunited website, Private Ellis said that he hoped to make it back from Iraq “in one piece”. The message, posted on the site on January 24, says: “Over in Iraq now and it’s very hot not much to say at the mo.”

Relations between the Army and regional leaders in al-Amarah were strained by the release of film taken in 2004 showing members of the First Battalion of The Light Infantry beating local youths.

Soldiers have since been targeted by an increasingly sophisticated terrorist campaign using high-tech bombs triggered by infra-red tripwires. Amarah lies on the River Tigris, close to the Iranian border.

Video film taken afterwards showed locals hurling rocks at troops arriving on the scene. A blazing vehicle, thought to be that carrying the bomb, and two Land Rovers, one of which was badly damaged, were also visible.

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