Shot Marine had been 'bedrock' for siblings after death of their mother

A ROYAL Marine killed in southern Afghanistan had lost his mother just weeks before he deployed on operations.

Lance Corporal Martin Gill, 22, of 42 Commando, was shot dead while on a patrol in the Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand Province on Sunday.

His company commander said the young marine became the "bedrock" for his younger brother and sister after their mother died, a month before the start of his tour in Afghanistan.

L/Cpl Gill, from Nottingham, joined the Royal Marines in April 2008, joining Kilo Company of 42 Commando last September.

The serviceman, known as "Fish" to his friends, was killed during a patrol in the Adensee area of Nahr-e-Saraj where his team were to meet local Afghans and disrupt insurgents in preparation for future operations. L/Cpl Gill was providing cover for a comrade operating a metal detector to look for hidden Taleban roadside bombs when he was fatally gunned down.

Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: "Lance Corporal Gill was a role model to his colleagues and could be relied upon by his seniors to be a highly professional and capable marine. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this tragic time."

The Ministry of Defence also announced that a soldier from 1st Battalion The Rifles was killed by an improvised explosive device while on a patrol in the Haji Kareen area of Nahr-e Saraj yesterday.