A FORMER British Army soldier who served in a Scots unit has been hailed as a hero after being shot dead while fighting against Russian invaders in Ukraine.
Jordan Gatley was killed in the city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine. He left the British Army in March and travelled to Ukraine to help forces there “after careful consideration”, his father said.
Dean Gatley, who said his family was informed on Friday of his son’s death, told of his pride in his actions, adding that he will “forever be in our hearts”.
Gatley, who it is understood had served as a rifleman with the Edinburgh-based third battalion of The Rifles, was also praised by Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Podolyak said the Briton will always be remembered for his contribution.
Alongside a picture of Gatley standing in uniform with his father, Podolyak wrote: “It takes a lot of courage to leave home and go thousand miles to defend what you believe in. Just because the heart says so. Because you can’t stand the evil.
READ MORE: UK Government owes Scotland £3 billion from cancelled HS2 link, SNP say
“Jordan Gatley was a true hero. We will always remember his contribution to the protection of Ukraine and the free world.”
Gatley said his son had been helping to train Ukrainian forces and had told him the missions they were going on were “dangerous, but necessary”.
In a Facebook post, his father wrote: “We have had several messages from his team out there telling us of his wealth of knowledge, his skills as a soldier and his love of his job.
“His team say they all loved him, as did we, and he made a massive difference to many people’s lives, not only soldiering, but also by training the Ukrainian forces.
“Jordan and his team were so proud of the work they were doing and he often told me that the missions they were going on were dangerous, but necessary.
“He loved his job and we are so proud of him. He truly was a hero and will forever be in our hearts.”
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Ukraine.”
In April, tributes were paid to Scott Sibley, a British military veteran reportedly killed in Ukraine while fighting against Russian forces.
At that time the Foreign Office confirmed a British national had died in Ukraine.
A small number of serving British personnel are believed to have gone absent without leave to join the resistance against the Russian invasion, while veterans and Britons without combat experience are thought to have also travelled to Ukraine.
There was initially confusion on the Government’s position after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, in comments during an interview to the BBC on February 26, said she would “absolutely” support UK nationals who chose to fight for Ukraine.
However, she later rowed back on those comments, insisting she had been “expressing support for the Ukrainian cause” in her remarks, and that there are “better ways” to contribute to the country’s defence.
Veterans minister Leo Docherty has previously written to armed forces charities to encourage those tempted to travel to the war zone to turn their efforts to helping the Ukrainian people from the UK.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel