A British soldier who was killed during a live-fire training exercise at Castlemartin range has been named as Sgt Gavin Hillier of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
Sgt Hillier died on Thursday evening after being fatally injured at Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire.
In a post on Facebook, Sgt Hillier’s father said he was “heartbroken” and “absolutely devastated” by the death of his son.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: “Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this tragic time.”
It added: “An investigation is under way and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”
On Saturday, Dyfed-Powys Police said it had opened an investigation into the death of the soldier with the assistance of the Royal Military Police.
Police said officers were liaising with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Ministry of Defence.
Fellow soldiers paid tribute to the soldier, described as “a good friend” who was “taken too soon”.
An Army spokesman said: “It is with great sadness we can confirm the death of a soldier on March 4. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this tragic time.”
His father, Mark Hillier, wrote in an emotional post on Facebook: “Absolutely devastated to be writing this post probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do at 3.45am this morning I received a phone call that will forever change my life.
“My eldest son Gavin mark hillier was in a fatal accident yesterday in the army (the job he loved ) sleep tight & rest in peace son I’m so proud of you goodnight and godbless love you’re heartbroken dad xxx ps I will search for you when I get there.”
From the whole team at UNN, we would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Sergeant Gavin Hillier at this horrific time.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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