THE streets of Sheffield city centre slowed to a silent standstill for the final farewell of Rotherham Trooper James Leverett.
Hundreds watched as the 20-year-old’s coffin, draped in a Union Jack, his military hat and a poppy wreath, was carried into Sheffield Cathedral to the sound of P Diddy’s Missing You shortly before midday yesterday.
Earlier, scores more mourners lined the roads in Rawmarsh as the hearse, displaying floral tributes reading “Son” and “Brother,” made its way from the Leverett family home on St Nicolas Road, Rawmarsh.
James, who was part of D (The Green Horse) Squadron, The Viking Group, The Royal Dragoon Guards, was killed when his Viking armoured vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on July 5.
In a tribute, the Rev Edith Dawson revealed that James had set his heart on joining the army during his teens and had begun working on his fitness in preparation to enlist on his 18th birthday.
She said: “James was the kind of young man who was a leader, not a follower, and many of his friends said that he was someone to look up to and admire.”