THEY perform one of the most dangerous jobs in Afghanistan and have lost friends and comrades in the line of duty.

The men and women of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal, the Royal Logistic Corps, defuse bombs which account for more than 80 per cent of British deaths.

At 11am yesterday the Didcot-based regiment joined with thousands of people in towns across Oxfordshire for a two-minute silence on Armistice Day.

Moments beforehand the names of the four men from 11 EOD killed in the war-torn country were read out – Warrant Officer Gary ‘Gaz’ O’Donnell, 40, Captain Dan Shepherd, 28, Staff Sergeant Olaf ‘Oz’ Schmid, 30, and Captain Daniel Read, 31.

Capt Richard Gardner, 32, who has served in Afghanistan once and Iraq twice, said: “It is obviously devastating when a comrade dies.

“They can be your closest friend.

“But the pace of life in this regiment is frenetic and never slows down.

“You are constantly on the go.

“Operations don’t stop and you have to remain positive and keep ploughing on at all times.

“That’s why it is so important for all of the guys to stop for two minutes and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives.”

The regiment is based at Vauxhall Barracks and its emblem features Felix, the cat with nine lives.

When a bomb is found in Afghanistan the area is cordoned off and 11 EOD Regiment is called in.

Their job is made more dangerous because they need to dismantle the devices for forensic analysis to see what technology insurgents are using.

In May, thousands of people lined the streets of Didcot to welcome the soldiers home from their tour of duty.

Captain Becky Darke, 27, is waiting for her first deployment to Afghanistan.

She said: “The two-minute silence is always very poignant because we can put faces to those killed in action.

“It is also very current because of continuing operations in Afghanistan.

“But so many people have lost loved ones or comrades in wars across the decades, and there are lots of people out there now who we also need to think about.”

The regiment carries out its missions worldwide, and will be called on if a suspected bomb is found in Britain.

11 EOD Regiment employs around 500 specialist soldiers selected from five individual corps within the army.

Lance Corporal David Taylor, 24, has been to Iraq three times and is waiting to go to Afghanistan.

He said: “Everyone is playing their part out there, many of whom protect us while we do our jobs.”