He wasn’t a celebrity, an Oscar winner or the highest paid actor or footballer on the planet. He was a soldier in the British army. A soldier doing his duty so the rest of us could live in a democratic world, free from Al Qaeda terrorists.

Doubtless, Benjamin Whatley’s death in Afghanistan will hardly be remembered in 2 weeks time. But for his parents, who delayed their Christmas as the days to their son’s homecoming drew closer, they will never forget the son who died for his country.

Their 20-year-old son was killed as he heroically led his comrades in a ferocious battle against Afghan insurgents on Christmas Eve and became the 136^th serving Briton to die in Afghanistan since 2001. Ben had returned to the region for his second deployment.

Ben, a Lance Corporal, had dreamed of being a Marine since he was a young boy and had joined the army as soon as he was old enough and excelled in his training before he was sent to Afghanistan for the first time. But Ben had also known the sadness of losing a comrade when in January 2007 his best friend Tom Curry was also shot dead by Taliban fighters only days after he proposed to his girlfriend over the phone on Christmas Day.

His company’s commander, Major Rich Cantrill spoke about Ben and how he had seen him under fire during the Battle for Zarghun Kalay, saying, ‘This is what Ben was doing when he was killed, fighting from the front for his friends, for his team, for his Company. I will remember him as an ever-young Commando; a fighter, a man’s man, a Royal Marine to the core.’