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Lieutenant Mark Evison

Jeremy Vine meets the mother of Lieutenant Mark Evison who was shot by a Taliban sniper. Margaret shares memories of her son who played the cello and loved music.

Throughout Remembrance Week, Jeremy Vine talks to the mothers of five soldiers and asks them to share their memories and the music their sons loved to listen to.

Lieutenant Mark Evison grew up in a leafy part of South London but on the 9th May 2009, he was thousands of miles from home in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Shot by a Taliban sniper, he was flown back to Britain where he died in hospital.

His mother Margaret remembers a sickly child who became a strong man. Mark loved music from an early age and having taught himself to play the piano by listening in on his sister's lessons, he took up the cello.

Mark was described by his Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, who was later also killed in action, as one of the finest young officers of his generation, a truly remarkable young man and a natural leader who was nicknamed 007 by his platoon.

The Mark Evison Foundation has been set up in his memory and gives grants to young people for projects involving personal goals and physical challenges which encourage them to grow in confidence.

The music is as eclectic as it gets and with every song comes a story. A personal tribute to five young men and a poignant reminder of the sacrifice they all made as soldiers.

Producer Jill Misson.

30 minutes

Music Played

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Cello Suite No 1 in G Major

  • Coldplay

    Fix You

  • The Cobbers Bush Band

    Botany Bay

  • Dulwich College Chapel Choir

    Jerusalem

  • Badly Drawn Boy

    The Shining

Broadcast

  • Tue 8 Nov 2011 13:30