Mother Of Soldier Killed In Challenger 2 Tank Runs In His Memory

The mother of a soldier who died as a result of an explosion on an army training range will take part in the Great South Run in his memory.

Corporal Matthew Hatfield was killed alongside a comrade after an incident involving his Challenger 2 Tank.

It happened during a live firing exercise at the Castlemartin Ranges in Pembrokshire last June. 

Now, his mother Frances Chandler has decided to take part in a charity run because her son pushed her to get back into running after a break of 25 years.

She said: "After the accident, we were all left a bit bereft, things go quiet and it has left a void, because he was such a big part of our lives.

"We decided that we needed to do something to keep his memory alive."

Frances is now training following the tips that her son gave her when they used to run together.

She says that she thinks of him every time she's out on the track:

"I can hear him in my head, shouting at me and keeping me going.

"He used to encourage everyone to get into sport, it didn't matter who it was. He was a big believer in sport."

Hatfield joined the army at 16 and showed promise from the start, winning best cadet at Bovington.

He went on to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Queens Royal Hussars, and it was only a few weeks before the accident in which he died that he transferred to Battalion Royal Tank Regiment so that he could remain in the UK with his fiancee.

After his death, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Ridgway, Commanding Officer of The Royal Tank Regiment, said of him and his comrade Corporal Darren Neilson:

"They were both exceptionally talented soldiers who loved what they did. The regiment has lost two real characters and feels truly honoured to have served with them; they will both be sorely missed."

The inquest into his death opened in Birmingham last June.