The colleagues of Gunner Matthew Psaila, who died tragically last week following military training, celebrated their friend's life yesterday when his mother turned up at the army barracks with cake to mark what would have been her son's 20th birthday.

"A few weeks ago Matthew told me that, on his birthday, he'd like to take a variety of cakes to work. That's how he was... One cake was not enough, he'd want a variety," his mother, Marion said, smiling.

So yesterday Mrs Psaila, accompanied by her brother and nephew, went along to the AFM's Ħal Far Lyster Barracks with the pastries, to make sure her son's work friends got the cakes he so wished to share with them on this day.

"At first, when I walked in, they stood staring at me, like they didn't know what to do or say... I felt my heart tighten as I would have liked to see him standing there among them," Mrs Psaila said.

Then their commander broke the ice, her brother Martin Bugelli added. He told them that, now that Gunner Psaila had managed to bring cake on his birthday when he was no longer with us, there was no excuse and they would have to do the same on their own birthdays.

Gunner Psaila died last Monday following an incident that occurred during military training on Friday 13. On that day he was pulled out of Chadwick Lakes unconscious after spending some 10 minutes submerged and another 20 without a pulse in the ambulance.

The day before the fatal incident, Mrs Psaila said, her son had pointed out that the following day would be Friday the 13th. But then he shrugged it off, adding he did not believe in such nonsense. And she shares his belief - after all it was Friday the 13th for everyone but only he was victim to a tragedy. Even though he keenly anticipated this one, Mrs Psaila said he was not one to really celebrate birthdays and labelled them as marketing ploys. In fact there had been times when he refused to go out on his birthday, she said.

"All his enthusiasm was directed towards the army. His two passions in life were the army and eating," she smiled.

This time a year ago, Mr Bugelli recalled, Gunner Psaila was over the moon with joy - not because it was his birthday but because he had found out that he had been accepted by the army's C Company, the AFM's Quick Reaction Force.

He had then enlisted with the army on March 17 and in November he was in the passing out parade, which means he qualified as a regular soldier with the force.

Although the exact cause of Gunner Psaila's death has not yet been established, the fact that he could not swim has left many questioning why he was allowed to form part of the army's elite unit, whose duties include flood relief assistance.

"He lived for the army and he died in action... I'm happy for him. Of course I'm not happy because I lost him," his mother said. After a brief pause she added: "I think his death has served a bigger purpose".