A HIGHLY respected and experienced Royal Marine who died of natural causes in Afghanistan was reportedly a member of Poole’s Special Boat Service.

Married father of three Captain Carl Manley, 41, had been in the armed forces for more than 20 years.

He was stationed at the Bagram American air force base.

The Ministry of Defence released few details about his background other than the fact he was a Royal Marine, the usual practice for members of the SBS.

National media reports also said he was a believed to be a member of the elite unit, which is based at Hamworthy.

A tribute from an unnamed commanding officer said: “His combination of ferocious work ethic and humility ensured that he made a sustained contribution to operations on this and his previous tours.”

A statement from his unnamed wife said: “We can’t imagine life without him; we are so very proud of him.

“Always smiling, he never had a bad word to say about anyone. Everything he did was selfless, at work and at home. The world has lost a really special person.”