Lt Col Thorneloe was the Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, which is currently working as Battle Group Centre South in Helmand Province.
The Battle Group was responsible for improving the security situation in the Provincial Capital, Lashkar Gah, and the surrounding areas – a formidable area of responsibility, containing about half the province's population.
As a mark of the challenge faced, the number of soldiers in the Battle Group he was commanding had grown to well over 1000.
His wife Sally, said:
"Rupert was my very best friend and his death is a devastating blow. Our daughters Hannah and Sophie will have to grow up without their beloved Daddy, although I will see a part of him in them every day.
"I could not have asked for a more caring, adoring and loving husband and father. While he was with us our lives were filled with joy and happiness, they will never be the same again. Hannah always said the best bit of Daddy was his coming home and that will never happen again.
"Rupert loved the Army. He was a born soldier - an inspiration. I know he felt privileged to command his Battalion on operations and thought so highly of them and their families left behind. I know he led from the front and would not have had it any other way. He cared deeply about his men as he did about so many.
"His charisma, compassion and enthusiasm for all in life will be so sorely missed by his family and many friends but most of all by me who loved him so much."
