Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher

In a special series for Remembrance Week, Jeremy Vine meets the mothers of five soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan who share their memories through music. Talking through a list of her son's favourite songs, each woman tells the story of his life and his death.

Helena Tym from Caversham in Berkshire talks about her 19 year old son Cyrus who was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan on 2nd June 2009.

She describes him as a boy who struggled at school but was always smiling and never felt too old to sit on her lap for a cuddle. Her middle son, he was close to his brothers and they have found it hard to come to terms with losing him.

Helena remembers how Cyrus used to sing as he walked down the street and how he would find a song he liked then play it over and over again. The music was not always to her taste but she now listens to the lyrics and understands why they would appeal to an angry teenager.

She shares the special song that the family chose to play at his funeral and the music that reminds her of his last day at home.