MATT Snook left a tribute to a friend killed in Afghanistan on the summit of Mount Everest.

He has just returned to Dorset and this week visited John ‘JT’ Thornton’s parents to tell them about the trip.

Matt and John had dreamed of climbing Mount Everest together before John died in Afghanistan in 2008 aged 22.

To honour his memory, Matt and Pete Sunnucks, another mutual friend of JT from Wolverhampton, climbed the mountain at the end of May in aid of Help for Heroes and the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation (JTYAF).

Matt, a Royal Marine reservist from Bearwood in Bournemouth said: “It was really good to see Peter and Linda. They have been incredibly supportive the whole time, not just during the expedition.

“I left a JTYAF bracelet on the roof of the world. They were thrilled.”

Peter Thornton, from Ferndown, said: “It was great to see them both. They left a plaque up there with their logo, “I think the most special thing was that Matt wore John’s climbing harness, which brought a few tears to the old eyes.

“They certainly didn’t have an easy trip up or down, and my hat goes off to them.

“Matt had a book of John’s about Everest that we had given to him. He thought we wanted it back - we said ‘no, it’s yours now.’”

Matt, who has been to Afghanistan with 45 Commando, was evacuated to hospital during the early stages of the expedition but recovered to reach the summit at 7.20am on Wednesday, May 23.

He said: “It’s fantastic to be back. We are just starting to settle back into normal life – everything seems like a bit of a dream at the moment.

“It was phenomenal to be on the roof of the world. We were so fortunate with the weather conditions. You could see for miles. We spent half an hour to 45 minutes up there.”

He added: “It’s been a hard, hard two months. Even when you are not climbing the mountain you are enduring the weather, the high altitude, you have to eat and sleep and live in a tent.”

To donate and to find out more about John Thornton visit everestforheroes.co.uk.