ONE of the people missing from the funeral of Trooper Brad Tinnion was the grieving mother of one of his SAS colleagues who died just weeks earlier.

Mary Powell of Cardiff, who had buried her son, Trooper Adrian Powell at St Martin's Churchyard on September 1 said it was 'just too soon'.

He and his colleague, Corporal Martin Halls, died together in a road accident while they were on Army exercises in Kenya and there was a double military funeral at St Martin's.

Trooper Tinnion was in the same SAS D squadron, was taking part in the same exercises and was at the accident scene.

He and other SAS men returned to Hereford for the funeral where he met Mrs Powell, there with 100 relatives and friends from Cardiff, and they chatted together.

"He promised to send me the latest photographs taken of my son,'' said Mrs Powell.

She was deeply shocked to hear that a week later he had been shot and killed while on active service.

Although invited to the funeral she was unable to accept.

"It was just too soon,'' she said.

Instead she was represented by her daughter Jeana, who had sung a musical tribute to her brother at his funeral in the church only weeks earlier.

Thinking of others

But Mrs Powell had time to think of others.

"My heart and all my sympathy go out to Brad's mother and his family. As a mother I know how they feel, and what is ahead of them.

"It does not stop at the funeral. Until then there is a lot going on. It is afterwards that it really hits you,'' she said.

The grieving mother is still trying to come to terms with the death of her son who had been in the Army since he was aged 17.

"He was full of fun. He loved dancing and music and I keep expecting him to come bouncing through the door. But, of course, he does not,'' she said.

Mrs Powell thanked the people of Hereford for their sympathy and all those who helped keep the SAS area of the churchyard in a tidy state.

She also praised The Hereford Times for the way it had reported the death, and funeral, of her son.

"All the family are so proud of Ade, we want to shout his name to the skies,'' she said.