A Moray woman has opened her heart about the death of her father, an RAF hero, nearly a decade on from the Afghanistan crash that claimed his life.
RAF Kinloss Flight Sergeant Gary Andrews was killed along with 13 comrades when their Nimrod MR2 spy plane caught fire and exploded in mid-flight, in September 2006.
The 48-year-old lived in Fochabers while serving with 120 Squadron, and left widow Kristina and daughters Sophia and Lauren bereft.
The family said that 12-year-old Sophia was “devastated” when her dad perished, while her four-year-old sister struggled to fathom what had happened.
Sophia Andrews, now 21, says that the emotional ordeal inspired her to throw herself into her education and make her father proud.
And she credits the help of the support charity, the RAF Benevolent Fund, with turning her life around by donating towards her schooling.
The group pledged funds which enabled Miss Andrews to attend Gordonstoun as a teenager, prior to studying History of Art at York University.
She is now in the final year of that course and Miss Andrews said the charity’s efforts have steered her towards a brighter future.
She said: “I was very young when my father died but I know he would have wanted my sister and I to be the best we could possibly be.
“Going to Gordonstoun gave me opportunities I never would have had, and it was there I became interested in art.
“I also met my fiancé at university and that would not have happened if I had not been studying in York.
After his death, the Ministry of Defence remembered Flight Sergeant Andrews as “one of the most experienced aviators on the maritime fleet”.
Military bosses said he was “always quick and willing to impart his knowledge and understanding to the benefit of his crew-mates”.
His parents hailed him as “a family man” who had wanted to join the air force since he was a little boy.
Flt Sgt Andrews was originally from Tankerton in Kent, but spent most of his adult life in Fochabers, where he lived for 20 years.
He had served in a number of countries, including Germany, Gibraltar, Iraq and Jordan.