THE first woman bomb disposal expert to be killed in Afghanistan is set to be remembered on a memorial wall at the Didcot barracks where she was based.

Captain Lisa Head, right, of 11 Explosive Ordnance Regiment at Vauxhall Barracks, was critically injured by an improvised explosive device on Monday in Helmand province.

The 29-year-old was clearing bombs in the Nahr-e-Saraj district and defused one device before the second exploded.

She was flown back to the UK but died from her wounds at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on Tuesday. Capt Richard Gardner, adjutant at the barracks in Foxhall Road, said a flag was flown at half-mast on Wednesday.

He added: “The regiment has lost a very dear friend. Lisa was an amazingly vibrant and social women with a fantastic sense of humour.

“We all dearly hoped this would not be the outcome of her injuries and the death has hit us all extremely hard.

“Our focus lies with Lisa’s family, who have our deepest sympathies.”

Didcot mayor John Flood said: “It is even more poignant when a woman soldier dies and everyone in the town will be thinking of soldiers at the base at this difficult time.

“You can tell from the tributes that have been paid by her fellow soldiers that she was very good at her job, and it takes an extraordinary amount of bravery to be defusing these devices on a daily basis.”

Mr Flood added that he expected a plaque in memory of Capt Head to be placed on a memorial wall at the barracks, unviled during a visit by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in February.