Funeral held of marine killed in Afghanistan

Lance Corporal Martin Gill's mother had died shortly before he was deployed to Afghanistan

A military funeral for a Nottingham soldier killed while on duty in Afghanistan has taken place.

L/Cpl Martin Gill, who was 22, was fatally wounded by small arms fire while on a foot patrol in the Nahr-e-Saraj (South) district of Helmand.

He was an hour into his patrol on 5 June when it was fired upon from a nearby compound. He served in 42 Commando.

The funeral took place at The Church of the Good Shepherd, in Woodthorpe.

About 600 people attended the service with another 50 people lining the streets around the church.

It was followed by a private cremation.

'Utterly loyal'

Speaking before the service, Major Erik Nielsen, Royal Marines, said L/Cpl Gill was an outstanding soldier.

"He was a superb soldier, he was a charismatic individual and he made his mark and his stamp immediately on the unit," he said.

Major Nielsen said that the young marine was quickly promoted to his position of Lance Corporal, something that was testament to the type of soldier he was.

He said: "Totally professional, utterly loyal, totally selfless in every act that he did - these were the traits and the characteristics that stood out, amongst others, with lots of other things that he did."

Major Nielsen said that L/Cpl Gill had a great sense of humour and a quick wit and added: "He was almost the epitome of a Royal Marine."

He lived in Nottingham with his brother, John, and his sister, Rebecca.

His mother died only weeks before the start of his tour of duty.