​HER face etched with grief, the mother of a Torpoint soldier killed in Afghanistan marks the first anniversary of his death.

Standing side-by-side with her son’s brave comrades, Coline Bassett wept at the memory of Sam. The 20-year-old rifleman died on November 8 last year fighting for his country in Afghanistan.

For his mother, the remembrance period will forever be at the forefront of her mind.

Yesterday Coline and Sam’s comrades – who were unable to attend their comrade’s funeral because of their service in Afghanistan – attended a private memorial service at Torpoint.

Sam was killed in a blast in Northern Helmand on Remembrance Sunday last year – just 31 days into his first tour.

He had been protecting his fellow soldiers as he scoured the ground for bombs with a metal detector.

He saved his corporal’s life by taking the brunt of the explosion from the improvised explosive device (IED).

Sam was a member of 4th Battalion The Rifles, which took heavy losses a year ago.

His mother Coline said: “When Sam passed out in April last year he was one of 18.

“Two of them are now dead and five have lost arms and legs – four of them are double amputees and one is a triple amputee. It is just awful.

“For every one that is killed there are four who have suffered life-changing injuries.”

Coline has helped raise thousands of pounds for the Rifleman’s Trust charity – she made a parachute jump from 12,000 feet to raise cash for the injured soldiers and the bereaved families.

A year on from being told of her son’s death, mum-of-two Coline said: “I am up and down.

“In the last few days I have been finding my feet again.

“I feel as though I am cracking up because I still expect to see Sam coming home.

“In the first few months the Army kept me busy and I was doing charity stuff and renovating a house.

“But then I ran out of steam.”

Around 30 of Sam’s Army comrades met up with Coline yesterday.

Many were still fighting in Afghanistan when their friend was buried. So yesterday on the first anniversary they held their own service and wreath-laying tribute in Torpoint, where Sam grew up.

A memorial bench and plaque in his honour were placed at the site after his death.