‘My son was 18 years old and went to Ukraine as cannon fodder’

Dropping at the airport often marks the beginning of an exciting adventure work for many 18 -year -old children.

For James Wilton, who voluntarily worked to fight for Ukraine a few months after finishing college, it would eventually lead to his death.

The teenager of Hadersfield was killed in a drone attack in Terni village on the eastern front.

James’s father, Graham says, “He had his whole life in front of him.”

“I will exchange places with him tomorrow, so he can sit at home after seeing a pint and darts.

“I am 52 years old, I have lived my life. He was 18 years old, who knows what he could do? He did not have life, it is the worst part of it.”

According to Graham, James wanted to join the British Army when he left the 16 -year -old Royds Hall High School. Instead, he chose to enroll in a course in animal land care at Kirkles College.

Close to the age of 17 and the end of his education, Graham says that James began to discuss the desire to go to Ukraine to help in the war attempt.

Neither Graham, James’s mother, or her elder sisters wanted to go to Sara, 21, or 22 -year -old Sophie, the youngest member in the family, but they were unable to convince her to change her mind.

Says Graham, “I sat with him and had various conversations about why he wanted to do it, and finally he decided that it was something she wanted to do. “

“I think he thought it’s an adventure and he was going there to help and hopefully there will be a difference.”

Graham says that he reluctantly supported James, saying: “If I had not done this, I would have woke up one morning and he would have gone.

“Hindite is a wonderful thing. Can I change his mind?”

Graham left James at Manchester Airport on 28 April. From there he caught a flight to Craco, then boarded a bus for Turnopil, where he joined the International Army and passed through a basic training program lasting about four weeks.

Speaking before the third anniversary of the beginning of the war at the end of this month, Graham says that his son and his comrades, who were from all over the world and of different degrees of military experience, were “completely ill”. And “used as” used and “used as” cannon fodder “.

Nevertheless, he was unaware of James having a regret about his decision during his regular telephone conversations, which Graham says he was born with his son’s desire to catch some “generality”.

“He met some wonderful people and he had a lot of life friends who he should survive.”

James was deployed in the east of the country as he and colleagues demanded to stop Peace Russian is spreading towards advance north From the occupied Donetsk region.

Graham says that his son was on his first mission in July, when he was walking between two trenches in a ground without a cover.

He spoke last night.

“He looked fine. He said at some point,” I don’t think I am going here as long as I can. It’s a little different from what I thought. “

“I said: ‘It is up to you. If anything goes wrong or I come and get you of pear -shaped shape”. It was always an option if she decided not to stay there. “

According to the International Legion website, volunteers, who are paid for their service, can end their contract after six months.

“The mission he went on was not to go. But because his best partner was going at that time, he decided that ‘I am going too’.

“Seeing the circumstances, I might have done exactly the same.”

In December, Ukrainian President Volodimier Zelansky admitted that his country resulted in 43,000 fatal losses as a result of the war. Another 370,000 soldiers injured,

The death of Russian forces was estimated to be around 200,000. None of these figures has been verified independently.

Graham traveled 1,800 miles in Ukraine for his son’s funeral.

While reflecting his death, he says that James died “Doing something that he felt strongly”.

“It is very, very sad and unfortunate that he does not make much difference as he liked.

“What happened to James would unfortunately happening to someone else in the middle of a ground in eastern Ukraine.

“It’s time that people are back home, in fact it felt what it is there.”

Graham and James shared in Lindley at home, life is “quiet”.

“He became a good young man and he would be with anyone.

“I will go home tonight and he is not playing the playstation there, it’s strange.

“We were great. We used to sit there and used to talk and talk about all kinds of goods. Nothing was there, as far as I know that he will not tell me, that is the reason why it is the reason why he will not tell me That he was open with me when he decided what he was doing. “

Before James left, he spent the night with his father “laughing and joking” and drinking beer in front of TV.

Graham’s grief is still raw.

“It’s just so dry. You try not to think about it, if you are fine then something comes up and it is going to you again.

“That was probably a small version of mine. Maybe if I were at an early age, I would have done the same thing.”

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