Mother of friendly fire soldier speaks out

Published on Saturday 17 January 2009 18:32

THE mother of a Royal Marine who died in Afghanistan said yesterday she wanted no "retribution" after it emerged he may have been killed by "friendly fire" from fellow British servicemen.

Carolyn Hughes, 45, said Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials told her her son, Danny Winter, 28, could have died in a so-called "blue on blue" incident involving other British forces. An investigation is underway.

Mrs Hughes, from Marple, Cheshire, said the British serviceman who may be responsible for killing a fellow comrade was now himself a "casualty" of the conflict.

Corporal Winter, a specialist mortar fire controller serving with Zulu company of 45 Commando, Royal Marines, was killed in an explosion along with Captain Tom Sawyer, 26, of the Royal Artillery, while taking part in a joint operation with Danish forces and the Afghan National Army to clear a known Taliban stronghold north-east of Gereshk in central Helmand on Wednesday. Two other members of their patrol were also injured.

Winter had a girlfriend of two years, Amanda, from Arbroath, who he met while 45 Commando was stationed in Scotland. They had been planning to buy a house together.

Yesterday Mrs Hughes who has another son in the forces due to go to Afghanistan this year, said she bore no malice for fellow servicemen involved in the incident.

"It just shouldn't have happened, should it?" she said. "You just don't expect this thing to happen in this day and age do you?

"I don't want it to detract from the fact that I have lost my son; whatever the circumstances it's not going to bring Danny back. It doesn't make it easier, in a way it makes things harder, but he is not coming home, so…"

"I would like them (MoD) to establish how and why it happened and hopefully it never happens again in the future. I'm not in for retribution. That's not going to help anybody."

Winter contacted his mother recently telling her, at 28, how he was "looking after the kids" in his company who were missing their families at Christmas time.

"I'm like the mortars' agony aunt, putting arms around shoulders for their first Christmas away from home," he told her.

In his final e-mail, on January 9, he told his mother he was looking forward to visiting her as he was due to come home in February.