An 18-year-old British volunteer lost his life on the front lines during his very first battle.

This was reported by his 52-year-old father, Graham Wilton, in a comment to the BBC.

According to Graham, James had expressed a desire to join the British Army after finishing high school, but ultimately enrolled in an animal care course at college.

At just 17 years old, the young man began to talk about his wish to go to Ukraine to help. His parents and two older sisters did not support this idea, but they were unable to dissuade him.

In April, after graduating from college, James traveled to Ukraine to fight against Russian troops. He joined the Defense Forces and underwent basic training that lasted about four weeks.

James was deployed to eastern Ukraine. He lost his life in July 2024 during his first combat mission. He wasn't supposed to go, but he decided to join because his best friend—American volunteer Jason—was going on the assignment.

The soldier told the Sun how the group crossed an open field and was attacked by Russian drones. The American emphasized that he regarded James as a younger brother.

“I will never get over this. I didn’t want him to go, but he was set on it. He wanted to help Ukraine,” said the father of the fallen soldier.

The man made a journey of over 2,800 kilometers to Ukraine for his son's funeral. “It’s very sad and frustrating that he couldn’t do as much as he would have liked,” Graham emphasized.