A khaki green beret rests in front of a portrait of the late Liam Love in his Army uniform, and atop the beret rests his dog tags, inside his parents’ home in the village of Derrygonnelly.
A photo of Liam holding a rifle stands beside it, while a candle burns alongside photos of the soldier who lost his life fighting with Ukrainian forces against Russia.
The 24-year-old died in action following a mortar explosion near the city of Lyman, Ukraine, on October 9.
He will be laid to rest in the village this weekend following his funeral on Saturday in St. Patrick’s Church.
A former soldier with the Royal Anglian Regiment, Liam grew up primarily in England, but his parents, Michael and Lorraine, live in Derrygonnelly, as do the wider Love family circle, who are now mourning his loss.
Liam lived by a simple motto: “What we do in life, echoes in eternity” and that is how he will be remembered by those who loved him.
Speaking from their home, his parents remembered their brave and kind son.
Michael said: “When you lose a child, it doesn't matter what circumstances it is. It just, it shouldn't happen.”
The couple received the devastating news of their son's death from his 'death buddy', a fellow soldier who rang them to break the news that no parent wishes to hear.
Remembering that moment, Lorraine said: "I don't think, unless you're a mother and you've been through it, you can explain it. It was like a physical pain.
“I do remember crying a guttural cry, and I don’t think I have stopped since."
Michael said there is some comfort, in that they will be able to bury their son this weekend.
“As history has gone by, the number of parents that have watched their children go off to war with various kings and queens, tribes or whatever, and a lot of them never came back.
“The parents were left behind to wonder what foreign land or country their sons or daughters lay in, without ever getting to see them again.
“There is a small comfort. He's managed to come back.”
The last time Liam spoke to his mother, he was wishing her a happy birthday after sending her flowers as a surprise.
Lorraine said: “He sent me flowers for my birthday, all the way from Ukraine. He stopped to think about my birthday and sent me flowers.
“The flowers arrived late,” she said with a smile, “because that was Liam”.
Remembering their kind-hearted son, the couple said: “He expected nothing in return, he just wanted their trust and loyalty, and as long as he got that, he'd do anything [for someone].
“He was very big into family. Whatever the family was – whether it was us, the Army family, or even the Ukrainian Army family, he gave it all for family.”
Before joining the army, Liam worked in several NHS surgeries, and as a paper boy in Coventry.
He felt a great kinship to those he delivered papers to, even going so far as walking one lady’s dog, and calling with her for tea long after he finished paper round as an adult.
Growing up with his brothers, Scott and Shaun, he loved playing football, where he was coached by his dad.
Liam held a black belt in Taekwondo and took part in a charity boxing match as a teenager.
As he grew older, he loved to travel, visiting places off the beaten track, often solo. But at home, he was “a softie”, his mother said.
Liam enjoyed time with his girlfriend, Ruth, joining her to help out with a local Squirrels scouting group.
The youngest of three sons, Liam joined the Royal Anglian Regiment at the age of 19, leaving the regiment earlier this year to join the Ukrainian Army.
Detailing Liam’s military career, Michael said: “We talked about the military quite a bit when he was growing up.
“He joined the Army Cadets as a teenager, and he stayed there for a couple of years.
Liam did his initial army training during the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic, but due to the restrictions at the time, his parents did not get to see his passing out which disappointed Liam and his family.
Liam’s military career took him to the Chelsea Barracks in London, Cyprus and the Kendrew Barracks.
He befriended Ukrainian soldiers while he trained several conscripts when the war between Ukraine and Russia broke out in early 2022.
His father explained: “He was involved in the training programme of Ukrainian conscripts before they were sent back to Ukraine [from the United Kingdom].
“We would talk, me and him, and would talk quite a bit about the situation out there.
“Liam never once said to me that he was going to go out there. But, on reflection, there was always a nagging thing that he wanted to be more involved.”
Liam told his parents he was going to join the war effort in Ukraine earlier this year while they were visiting him and his brothers in England.
He travelled to Ukraine via Poland and joined the army there in late May.
Detailing how and why Liam joined the Ukrainian Army, Michael said: “The Ukrainian Army welcomes foreign fighters, especially experienced or trained foreign fighters.
“Ukraine created their own Foreign Legion called the International Foreign Legion. However, Liam didn’t want to go into the Foreign Legion – he wanted to be embedded in the Ukrainian Army itself, and so consequently, he ended up serving in the First Assault Battalion of the Third Separate Assault Brigade.
“He wanted to be embedded in the Ukrainian Army so that his peers knew he was serious, it was not a ‘glory tour’, he wanted to do what the Ukrainians wanted.”
Liam was injured when he was hit by shrapnel in September in an attack on his position, where some in his unit died and others were injured.
His family urged him to come home, but Liam was determined to stay, explaining that his mission to help the people of Ukraine was not complete.
"But I will see you for Christmas," he told his parents.
Michael added that his son was “under no illusion” that he may be killed in action while in Ukraine.
In the early hours of October 9, Liam was involved in an assault on Russian positions, and there was counterfire from the Russian soldiers, using mortars.
It is understood that a mortar exploded near Liam, killing him.
Since Liam’s death, his family have marked his 25th birthday as they awaited his remains to come home.
Elsewhere, Liam is remembered in Kyiv with a flag flying that remembers those who have died in the war.
In Coventry, Liam’s friends have crowdfunded a memorial tree in the War Memorial Park in the city.
The family hopes to hold a memorial for Liam's life in the city at a later date.
The family’s sorrow is accompanied by pride, knowing that Liam’s legacy is honoured not only in Derrygonnelly but also across borders, where he will be remembered by many as a brave soldier and kind-hearted soul.
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