On 12 May 2009 Lieutenant Mark Evison of 1st Battalion Welsh
Guards died after being shot in the shoulder while leading a patrol in Helmand
Province. Mark was hailed a hero and one of the best of his generation of young
officers, now his grave is one of the many in identical ordered rows in a
military cemetery.
In Death of a Soldier: A Mother’s Story, Mark’s mother Margaret writes about her experience, from the moment she heard that Mark was injured, his death and the terrible sense of loss that followed, to finally arriving at some understanding and acceptance of his death. She tells us about Mark and includes his diary from Afghanistan, with its powerful account of the platoon’s time there. She describes her growing awareness of the sacrifices we expect of our young soldiers and their families, and also the attitude of the establishment.
The book is an incredibly powerful read, and is currently available for a special price of £12.99 (RRP £16.99), with all royalties from sales of the book going to the Mark Evison Foundation. Margaret appeared on BBC Breakfast talking about the book, which you can view here, and she also spoke to the Express about the inquiry into her son’s death, after a delay in securing an evacuation helicopter resulted in so much blood loss that Mark was brain dead when he reached Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, giving her own powerful verdict:
“I’m aware that as a mother of a dead soldier, I could stand accused of being embittered but the facts were there. Mark lost consciousness after an hour,” she says.
“If a helicopter had been provided sooner, before he lost consciousness, he may have survived.
“I am very forgiving of human error yet the MoD has never offered an explanation or apology.
“Resources such as helicopters, radio and medical equipment were and still are short.
“If we ask soldiers to fight and die for us, we should keep our side of the bargain. Soldiers should be protected, properly equipped to do the jobs we have asked them to do so they are less likely to lose their lives or suffer debilitating injury.”