THE mother of a Herefordshire soldier who was the youngest to be killed in the Afghanistan war has called for a full inquiry into the conflict.

Lucy Aldridge, 46, faced every mother's nightmare when she found out that her eldest son William Aldridge had been killed by a roadside bomb in July 2009.

Flown to Afghanistan three days after his 18th birthday, Rifleman Aldridge served for just 45 days before he was fatally injured in an explosion while helping victims of an earlier blast in Sangin.

Now, Mrs Aldridge wants a full and public inquiry – similar to the Iraq Chilcot inquiry which has not yet been published – into the conflict she claims was was "ill planned" and "ill conceived" from the outset.

Speaking to the Hereford Times earlier this week as UK troops handed over Camp Bastion to Afghan forces, Mrs Alridge said: "It is no secret that the government have admitted that mistakes were made in Afghanistan and to offer some reassurances, particularly to the families of the fallen and those who came home injured, the only thing that can happen is a full inquiry."

Mrs Aldridge said her concern is that lessons could have been learned from the conflict in Iraq.

"I do believe there was an unnecessary loss of lives because I think the conflict was ill planned and ill conceived from the outset. There were service personnel in areas I don’t believe they needed to be and certainly shouldn’t have been there when they were so under-resourced and under-equipped," she said.

"I know first-hand from having had conversations with my son whilst he was there that they were having difficulties re-supplying them with water and ammunition."

She said that she has battled through dark times, even attempting suicide, as she has campaigned for better treatment of the armed forces and their families over the years.

"The war in Afghanistan is over because our troops have been withdrawn but it will never be over for the people who have lost loved ones," she said.

"Every year there will be anniversaries – whether that’s Christmas, birthdays, deaths or remembrance Sunday. We are adding another 53 personnel to the number of lost loved ones that we remember on Remembrance Day."

Mrs Aldridge, who saw her son alive for the last time on his 18th birthday, said she would also like to see the government look at the age of deployment.

"I accept that nothing can bring my son back but I want to ensure he did not give his life for nothing and whether that means, against all odds, Afghanistan becomes a much more stable country or whether it means that I, along with other bereaved families, can continue to fight for a better future for our forces and the way they are treated at least we are doing something.

"William would never turn away from a friend in need and was just so caring and kind. I’m extremely proud of him and what it was he attempted to do and was prepared to participate in."