FRIENDS of Biggleswade motorcyclist Mike Brown put up a monument to his memory hours after his tragic death. A large wooden cross topped with a crash helmet with his name on was taken to the scene of his fatal accident by members of the Biggleswade biker

FRIENDS of Biggleswade motorcyclist Mike Brown put up a monument to his memory hours after his tragic death.

A large wooden cross topped with a crash helmet with his name on was taken to the scene of his fatal accident by members of the Biggleswade biker group he rode with.

And the commander of the Army barracks where Mr Brown worked ordered the Union Jack to be lowered to half mast in his memory.

Mr Brown, 21, of Beech Avenue, died on Tuesday last week after his motorcycle was in collision with a car on the A1198 between Whaddon and Wendy-cum-Shingay in Cambridgeshire.

A well-known guitarist with Biggleswade group Attaka, Mr Brown was on his way to work at the Army's Bassingbourn Barracks where he was a civilian armourer.

This week one of his closest friends who knew the former Stratton Upper School pupil well, David Peers, who is the band's leader, said his friend's death has been felt not just in Biggleswade but across a much wider area because he was so well known.

"He was such a fantastic guy. We cannot believe he has died. He was so young," said Mr Peers who lives in The Paddocks, Potton.

"Without him the band is silent at the moment. We have cancelled a lot of the gigs because we are all so shocked.

"A few of us motorcyclists who knew Mike went down to where he died and held a few minutes' silence. I made a cross which we erected with his name on. He loved his bike and playing for the group.

"He was Attaka's bass player and a great guitarist and a great mate.

"I just don't know when the group will play again. Other members of the group have taken it pretty badly. But one day we will play again because Mike would have wanted that."

Mike lived with his mother in Beech Close and had a long-term girlfriend who also lives in Biggleswade.

This week the Army paid tribute to Mr Brown who had been working at Bassingbourn Barracks for six months as one of three civilian staff in the armoury department, issuing and returning weapons.

Cpl Chris Munday said: "Michael was a great guy. He was very committed to his job and got on well with everyone.

"He was a funny fun-loving normal 21-year-old who liked his music. It was a huge shock when we heard what had happened. We are still stunned by it and it's still subdued here at the moment. He will be sorely missed. He was a top guy."

Mr Brown's funeral will be at Harwood Park Crematorium in Stevenage next Tuesday at 2pm and his family say all friends, especially those who went to Stratton Upper School with him, are welcome.