MILITARY colleagues of the soldier who died after being found unconscious in Brecon have paid tribute to him.
Private Matthew Ian Boyd, who was 20, and from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment has been described as an "engaging and outgoing individual".
The soldier, who was known as ’Boyd’ to his friends, had joined the Army aged 17.
He passed out of the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick in April 2013 and joined his regiment on exercise in Brecon where he was assigned to 1 Platoon, I Company as a fully qualified Infantryman.
Commanding Officer of The Royal Gibraltar Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Ivor Lopez said: "The whole regiment is devastated to learn about the tragic death of Pte Matthew Boyd of The Royal Gibraltar Regiment.
"Matthew or ‘Boyd’ as he was commonly known by his friends joined the Regiment in August 2012 when he was just 17 years of age. A committed and utterly reliable individual, Pte Boyd was an outstanding soldier with a bright future ahead of him.
"Witty, full of life and with an outgoing personality, he was widely respected and an extremely popular member of this unit. His untimely death leaves a huge void in the regiment and his loss will be acutely felt by all of us. The regiment has lost a great soldier and a close friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with Matthew’s family and friends at this tragic time."
During his career Pte Boyd deployed on all UK and Morocco deployments with the Regiment which said his keenness and affable character made him shine within not just his platoon but wider Regiment.
He had recently been put forward to be selected as a potential Junior NCO and had been deployed to the UK to gain experience as part of the training support staff.
Pte Boyd’s superiors and colleagues have also paid tribute.
Major Timothy Cumming, Company Commander, I COY: "The thoughts of every Soldier and Officer within I Company are very firmly with the family and friends of Pte Matthew Boyd. All of us have been rocked by this and are at a loss for words after being made aware of this devastating news. Pte Boyd was a highly dedicated and professional soldier. He was a true character within the Regiment with a tremendously positive and amiable personality. As his Company Commander, it was an honour and a privilege to have been able to have known him at both a personal and professional level. That his life ended in this way was a cruel tragedy. He will continue to be an inspiration to all who knew and worked with him and will never be forgotten."
Platoon Commander, Lieutenant Jon Roberts (29) said: "I first met Pte Boyd when he came back from Catterick and deployed on Exercise Jebel Tarik in the UK, just as I was taking over my Platoon for the first time. From the outset he shone out as a character and one that I knew would go far. A reliable and competent soldier, he consistently performed to a high standard and I could always rely on him to perform any task that was given to him, regardless of how arduous. What made him shine above the rest is how he would always have a wry little smile on his face and give a quick witted response before cracking on; it was those qualities that endeared him to those around him.
I have had the privilege of leading many soldiers but Pte Boyd will always be one that will stick in my memory fondly. He’d recently been earmarked as a soldier with the right potential for promotion, which is why we decided to send him to support a Queen’s Division Course to enable him to gather experience before he inevitably attempted to attend his own promotion course later this year. I honestly can’t believe that this has happened and that he’s gone. He epitomised the spirit of the Regiment and will be sorely missed by his friends and the Regimental family and my own thoughts and prayers are with his own family and friends at this time.”
Sergeant Paul Grech (29) said: "I was lost for words when I heard the news about Boyd, I was his Platoon Sergeant for the last year and he was one of the best Private’s in my Platoon. He was full of life and always had a smile on his face. He was good tempered no matter where we were, whether it was boiling hot in Morocco or freezing in the UK he never complained and lifted the whole Platoon’s morale with his unique sense of humour. I am honoured to have served with such an individual. He has definitely shown me that life is too short to dwell on the bad times, but to smile at life and enjoy the time we have. He was loved by so many and will definitely be missed by all.”
Private James Webb (27) said: "Truly shocked to hear the news, he will leave an irreplaceable hole in our small Company. It was a pleasure to share our career together right back from basic training. I could always count on you to fancy a pint as often as I did – I am going to miss you stealing my clothes, RIP mucker.”
Private Callum Gregory (25) said: "Matt, I still can’t believe you have gone, such a character and always at the centre of everything. Such a laugh and up for anything, especially a cheeky pint. No more hearing your laugh, no more seeing you wear half my clothes that ‘went missing in the wash’. Taken from us way to soon mate, will be in our hearts forever."
Private Paul Barber(21) said: "I was devastated to hear about Boyd, he was like a brother to me. I remember meeting him in Basic Training and I had no idea at the time that we would become such good friends, even though I only knew him for three years, it felt like a lifetime. Boyd was real character; he was hilarious and our sense of humour was well matched. I trusted him and have a box full of memories of our time shared together. Words can’t really explain how much I will miss him and he will be a real loss to our Regiment and a difficult person to ever forget."
Private Scott Wylie (20) said: "Still can’t believe he’s gone, he was my only childhood friend and we were together since we were six. We were in the same class in school, went through everything together, we joined the Army at the same time and still had so much still to do together. He was meant to be my best man and my first child’s godfather, he was more like a brother than a best friend; you’ve taken part of me with you, but this isn’t goodbye, love you brother RIP."