A YOUNG cadet will laid a wreath at his tenth remembrance day parade - in memory of the father he never met.

Every year Ashton Sexton-Farquar pays tribute to his dad, Shaun Sexton, who was killed in Afghanistan when he was 30.

Shaun was a platoon sergeant with the 3rd Battalion, the Colchester-based Parachute Regiment.

He died in 2010 while working for a private security firm in Afghanistan.

He never met his son, who was just five months old when he died.

Ashton, now nine, has laid a wreath at the Colchester War Memorial every year since.

This year, he paraded with the Maldon Sea Cadets at the Maldon remembrance service.

It was his tenth year paying tribute to his dad.

Ashton’s mum, Trudy Farquhar, said: “He is one of the country’s youngest cadets as he is only nine.

“He has been going there since January and he loves it.

“Now he’s older he understands everything and constantly asks questions about the wars and what happened to the soldiers.”

Ashton loves speaking to veterans about their experiences.

Taking part in remembrance services makes him feel closer to those who lost their lives.

Trudy, who is a petty officer with the Maldon Sea Cadets, said: “It’s a pride thing for him, he knows there are other people there who were in the army and everyone comes to pay their respects.”

November 9 would have been his Shaun’s 40th birthday.

The military family has become accustomed to dealing with tragedy.

Trudy’s father, Danny Farquhar, died in 1982, at the age of 25, and her cousin, Jamie Janes, was killed in 2009.

She said being in the military was in her family’s blood.