Royal Marine David Justice fought in many hot spots around the world but last week he lost his courageous battle against cancer.

The 46-year-old former Devizes School pupil died in hospital at Taunton with his wife Hayley and his three children at his bedside.

His parents, James and Margaret, who live in Stanley Terrace, Devizes, are devastated by his death after a long, brave battle against cancer.

Mr Justice said: “We had been expecting it for some time but David’s death still came as a shock to us.

“We are still coming to terms with it.”

Mrs Justice added: “He was a superfit Marine, brought low by this terrible disease.”

David Justice, a Colour Sergeant in the Royal Marines, was born in a military hospital in Cyprus, where his father was serving in the RAF.

He went to primary school in Melksham and went on to study at Devizes School.

Mrs Justice said: “When he left school he wanted to go into the Army straight away but we insisted he should take a civilian job first and find out what life is really about.

“The services offer a very cocooned existence, they attends to your every need.”

So Mr Justice took a job at furniture makers Smallbone of Devizes and then Batheaston Chair Makers at Corsham, joining the Territorial Army.

Mrs Justice said: “Then one night he came home and told us he had applied to join the Royal Marines.

“We weren’t upset about that. He was a little more mature and had learned to think for himself.”

In the Royal Marines, Mr Justice took specialist training as a vehicle mechanic and served with most of the commando groups in the UK.

He served in Croatia, Germany, Norway, had two tours of Northern Ireland and one in Iraq.

But on returning from Iraq in 2005, he became ill and the following Christmas was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

“He had an operation to remove it but he then developed a cancerous tumour on his spine and finally a second brain tumour.”

He died on September 7 and his funeral is due to take place in Fitzwarren Camp in his home town of Tiverton tomorrow.

Mrs Justice said a tree will be planted in memory of her son.

“His death has hit us very hard and I don’t think we’ll ever get over it,” she said.

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