BOMBS and bullets are a daily threat to Britain’s brave servicemen fighting overseas - and one Weston commando is doing his bit during his third tour of duty in war-torn Afghanistan.

The 2003 invasion of Iraq ‘triggered something’ in former Priory Community School pupil Chris Murphy, he says, and he soon began planning how he could get out there to help.

At age 27, he has nearly completed his third tour of the war zone and has this week spoken to the Mercury about the highs and lows of such an intense profession.

Currently based at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the married Royal Marine Commando is part of Operation Herrick 14, within the 30 Commando IX, which is involved with ‘information exploitation’.

He is working with the Brigade Reconnaissance Force, an agile and flexible group which is able to go deep into enemy territory, unsupported and for extended periods of time.

Chris, formerly of Farndale Road, said: “We work in either the dismounted role, which is on foot, or in vehicles, and have so far uncovered multiple areas of opium, weapons and improvised explosive devices and have detained several key insurgents as well.

“My secondary role is to maintain the ‘jackal’ vehicles within the force as I am also a Royal Marine Commando class one vehicle mechanic, so as you can imagine, I’m kept pretty busy here.”

Chris, who has two older sisters, joined the Royal Marine Commando in 2004 and also went out to Afghanistan in 2006 and in 2008/09.

His parents live in Weston, as did he up until a few months ago, when he and wife Kirsty, a former Broadoak School pupil, aged 27, relocated to the marines’ unit in Plymouth.

When staying in Helmand Chris stays in an air conditioned tent as temperatures usually average at about 45 degrees, but when he is out on an operation he sleeps outside on the ground.

He describes his relationship with colleagues as ‘very close’, given that they live and work together each day for months on end - and their lives can depend on one another.

He said the turnaround of marines is high as people are constantly moving to experience different units, but most of the people he first trained with to become a marine have left.

Despite engaging in ‘countless’ live firing operations and carrying out mass opium seizures, Chris has never been injured.

Chris said: “It’s tough and intense, and I’ve had plenty of scrapes, but thankfully I have never been seriously hurt.

“I have lost some people close to me, and it’s hard, but unfortunately it does happen and it’s part of the job.

“It’s not like the olden days when no-one talks about it, they have a structure in place to help you deal with these things and they make you talk about it.”

After seven years and three tours Chris said he hopes to be promoted to Corporal this year, meaning he will be responsible for his own team of marines.

Alongside this he wants to become a physical training instructor.

Chris has no plans to leave the marines just yet, but says without the support of his friends and family and particularly his wife, he could not do it.

Chris said: “It’s not easy for Kirsty as you can imagine, but she has great support from her friends and family as they keep her busy and cheer her up - plus she has our dog Leroy to keep her company and keep her safe. In all honesty I couldn’t ask for a better wife, sometimes she has to wait weeks on end to speak to me without knowing where I am or what I’m doing, which must be horrific.

“Deploying would be a different story without her and wives and partners often don’t get the credit they deserve in my opinion.”