Covering the former Marine’s upper back, this tattoo is a poignant tribute to Rob French’s fallen friends.
Each of the seven red poppies represents a colleague killed in Afghanistan and is a constant reminder of their sacrifice.
They died within weeks of each other in December 2008, during one of the bloodiest periods of the conflict.
Marine Damian Davies, Sergeant John Manuel and Corporal Marc Birch died when a 13-year-old suicide bomber approached them with a wheelbarrow packed with explosives. Lance Corporal Steven ‘Jamie’ Fellows was blown up in a separate incident the same day.
Former Royal Marine Rob French has had seven poppies tattooed on his back, pictured, to remember seven fallen comrades killed in Afghanistan
Georgie Sparks and Tony Evans were killed by insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades during a foot patrol in Helmand province.
Lance Corporal Benjamin Whatley, 20, was killed by enemy fire during a fierce battle on Christmas Eve. The seven were among 454 British forces personnel or MoD civilians who died in Afghanistan.
Mr French, 35, a former lance corporal who was discharged in 2015 after nine years in the Marines, said: ‘Two of them were very, very good friends of mine and the other five were people I met and fought with out there.
‘I am always remembering them, especially on Remembrance Sunday. I carry on with my life but with them on my back they are always with me.’
Mr French, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, was a special constable and trained as a tree surgeon before joining the Marines in 2006.
Now a swimming instructor, he revealed his tattoo as he urged people to support the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal, which last year raised £146.9million.
He said: ‘Around this time of year, the public start wearing poppies to show that they remember the fallen, but for me and all the other servicemen and women who have been to war, every single day is Remembrance Day,’ he said. ‘That’s why I will always wear my poppies.’
Mr French, who is married, had his tattoo started in November 2015.
‘I decided to get the tattoo to place the reminder on my back so that they are with me and behind me pushing me on,’ he said.
‘I have always carried the weight of Ben Whatley’s death on my shoulders as he was killed on Christmas Eve two weeks after I was sent home.
‘I have always felt that if I was there I may have been selected to take that position on the same rooftop, and therefore taken the round that hit Ben. I still live with that guilt.
‘I have used Ben’s name as my first-born son Joseph’s middle name and I will make sure he knows where the name came from and what price Ben paid so I could come home and become a dad.’
The father-of-two, 35, pictured, is raising money for the Royal British Legion and said the tattoo was a way for him to ‘always wear poppies with pride’
Mr French sustained a wrist injury that left his arm almost useless and suffers what he describes as a disorder similar to post-traumatic stress. ‘The Royal British Legion helped with treatment… and also with legal advice as I had to go through a tribunal because I was injured,’ he said.
He has released a poem in tribute to those who have fallen in conflicts. Part of it, addressed to L/Cpl Whatley, reads: ‘I owe you my life so I will make it a good one, full of love and happiness and a lot of good fun.
‘I owe you my life so I will make it a good one, full of love and happiness and a lot of good fun
‘I hope to live till I’m old and die peacefully in bed, with that soft pillow under my head.
‘I will see you again be it hot or it cold, until then I will make sure your story is told. I hope you will be waiting holding open the gates, all I want is a slap on my back and to see all of our mates.’
Mr French, whose grandfathers both served in the Second World War, hopes to compete as a swimmer at a future Invictus Games.
To donate to Mr French’s fundraising efforts, click here.
Mr French, pictured, said he was close to some of the marines killed and added the tattoo ‘was a reminder so they are always pushing him on’
Two of the poppies are dedicated to close friends L/Cpl Ben Whatley, left, and L/Cpl Steven ‘Jamie’ Fellows, right
Mr French has also written a poem, pictured, in tribute to his close friend L/Cpl Whatley, after admitting he feels ‘responsible for his death’ after being injured two weeks earlier and being sent home