THE widow of a soldier shot and killed in Afghanistan has vowed to honour his death by trekking across the Sahara desert for a military charity.

Lance Corporal Jonathan McKinlay was killed while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on September 14, last year.

On the eve of the inquest into his death, his wife, Lisa McKinlay, told The Northern Echo she has no choice but to get on with her life, despite her grief.

Mrs McKinlay, 32, of Meldon Close, Darlington, said: “It hasn’t got easier with time, as people say, but I have to crack on. I have a strong personality and I don’t do ‘miserable’.

“Since Jon’s gone I’ve found distractions – I became a bit of a shopaholic for a while, which they tell me is a stage of grief.

“Now I’ve got the trek to focus on, which will raise some much-needed funds for The Undentable Trust.”

The couple met in 2007 in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, when L Cpl McKinlay was stationed at Catterick Garrison.

They moved in together in Darlington in 2008 and married on November 6, 2010, at the Hall Garth Hotel.

Ten months later, when he was on his second tour of Afghanistan with The Rifles, Mrs McKinlay got the dreaded knock at the door. Her husband had been killed near his base at Checkpoint Chaabak.

Only a few hours before he was killed, L Cpl McKinlay had sent his wife a text message telling her how much he loved her.

She said: “I thought they were joking when they told me – Jon was the cat with nine lives. I thought he had been injured or something.”

The mother-of-one, who is originally from Lancashire, will complete her five-day trek across the Moroccan section of the desert in October with several other people.

She is raising money for The Undentable Trust, a fund set up in memory of Captain Mark Hale, who was killed in Afghanistan in August 2009.

Capt Hale and L Cpl Mckinlay knew each other through their training and Mrs McKinlay was contacted by his brother, Kevin Hale.

Money raised for the trust is split between four military charities – The Rifles Care for Casualties Fund, Families’ Activity Breaks, the Royal British Legion, and Help for Heroes.

To fund her trip and raise money for the trust, Mrs McKinlay held a fashion show with Leggs clothing store in Darlington last month, which raised more than £500.

To donate, click this link: www.bmycharity.com/MrsMC

• The inquest into L Cpl McKinlay’s death is due to take place today at Chester-le-Street Magistrates’ Court, County Durham.