A 21-year-old Dawlish man who 'epitomised' the Royal Marines is missing, presumed dead, after his Lynx helicopter crashed in the Iraqi city of Basra.

Paul Collins, an air door gunner with 847 Naval Air Squadron, is among five British service personnel who, at the time of going to press, have yet to be traced since their aircraft crashed on Saturday. The cause of the incident had not been established, but Basra police claimed it was the result of a rocket attack.

Friends and family of Marine Collins were too upset to say much about his suspected death, although a statement from his parents was released by the Ministry of Defence.

'Paul was a wonderful young man and so full of potential and zest for life,' they said. 'He was physically and mentally strong, though this was tempered by an intelligent, thoughtful and caring nature.'

They said their son had wanted to be a Royal Marine from the age of 10, a dream that was nearly ruined when he was injured in a motorcycle accident. He recovered, however, and passed out from the Commando Training Centre on February 13, 2004. 'Though his time with the Corps was only short he made many good friends and was never happier than being with his "brothers in arms", his parents' statement said.

'Paul was a much-loved son and brother to Mark who will be missed greatly by all his family and friends.' A friend of Marine Collins' brother, Charlie Burgess, said: 'You wouldn't be able to find anyone in Dawlish that would have a bad word to say about Paul, he was a very popular person.'

Col John McCardle, Royal Marines, Commanding Officer Commando Helicopter Force, said of him: 'Paul was the epitome of what the Royal Marines represent. 'A fit, intelligent young man, he was totally professional, in every thing he did and enjoyed life to the full.

'He was an extremely popular member of both his squadron and throughout the Commando Helicopter Force.' Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross has visited Iraq twice and spoken of his own unsettling experience of helicopter travel that involved the use of flares to distract possible rocket attacks.

From Hong Kong, where he is on a Foreign Affairs Select Committee visit, he told this paper: 'Our thoughts naturally go out to Marine Collins' family at this time. 'There are substantial risks we take in being in Iraq, but servicemen like him are there to help find peace in that country which is something that is very important indeed.'

Dawlish mayor, Cllr Tom Bush, said the tragedy had spurred him on in his quest to have the town's war memorial refurbished and updated.

'The last names on the memorial relate perhaps to Suez or the Korean War, the majority are from the second world war,' he said. 'It has also become somewhat vandalised and that's because the current generation can't relate to that of 60 years ago. 'It's very sad to think that if this young lad's friends visit the memorial his name won't be there. he was very young and had hardly lived. 'His name, and all those from the town who have died on service, should be included.' Cllr Bush has set up a trust fund to enable the restoration to proceed, donations and details can be obtained from Dawlish Town Council.