DEVASTATED MEMBERS of The Black Watch have paid tribute to Lance Corporal Alexander “Sandy” McNicol who died suddenly at Barry Buddon in Angus on Saturday.

The 36-year-old married father of three, originally from Scone, was yesterday described by friends and colleagues as an immensely proud soldier and a real character.

L/Cpl McNicol was with the mortar platoon of The Black Watch and had been training at Barry Buddon with around 200 other squaddies when tragedy struck.

It would appear the Iraq veteran had been having a drink with friends prior to his death.

A colleague found him but desperate attempts to save his life failed.

A close friend of L/Cpl McNicol said he would be very sadly missed.

“Sandy absolutely loved The Black Watch,” she said.

“He was an immensely proud soldier.

“He was just so dedicated and a real character.

“The whole Black Watch battalion is absolutely devastated by what has happened.”

The friend said L/Cpl McNicol would not be easily forgotten.

“Sandy was both a much-loved friend and an extremely respected colleague,” she said.

“He was also a loving father, and everybody who knew him is in shock.

“It is a terrible thing to have happened and a real tragedy.”

L/Cpl McNicol’s family flew over from Belfast at the weekend and identified his body after it was taken to the police mortuary in Dundee.

Police have said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence confirmed a coroner will carry out an investigation into the cause of death.

L/Cpl McNicol was posted to barracks in County Down, Northern Ireland, last year, and his family had joined him there.

He had returned to Scotland to take part in a training camp at Barry Buddon over the weekend.

The soldier served alongside US forces near Baghdad in 2004 and formed a close friendship with Barry Stephen, also from Scone, who was killed in Iraq in 2003.

The pair worked together in The Black Watch’s regimental recruitment team, with both described as “extremely dedicated” to the battalion.

An army representative in Northern Ireland confirmed details of Lance Corporal McNicol’s death but said it would be “inappropriate” to make any further comment until investigations into the circumstances surrounding his passing are complete.

A fatal accident inquiry is expected to be held in due course.