Marine’s widow salutes her ‘lovely’ husband who died in Afghanistan

Father-of-three Captain Carl Manley, 41, died on Monday at Bagram Airforce Base from what are believed to be natural causes. It is believed he served with the elite Special Boat Service.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) described Capt Manley as a devoted husband and father who had served his nation with “dedication and courage” for more than 20 years.

His wife, who has not been named, said in a statement: “To us, Carl was the loveliest husband and father. We can’t imagine life without him. We are so very proud of him and everything he has achieved, both professionally and for the family.

“Always smiling, he never had a bad word to say about anyone. Everything he did was selfless, at work and at home. The world has lost a really special person.”

Capt Manley’s commanding officer, who has also not been named, said: “His combination of ferocious work ethic and humility ensured that he made a sustained contribution to Isaf (International Security Assistance Force) operations on this and his previous tours of Afghanistan.

“A highly valued Royal Marine officer, he will be missed by all those who worked with him.”

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond was “very saddened” to learn of Capt Manley’s death, which brings the total number of members of UK forces to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001 to 433.