A PROUD mum has praised her son for becoming a Royal Marine Commando - as fears grow for 15 of his colleagues seized on the Iraq/Iran border.

Jacob Bilbie, of Radfield Avenue, Darwen, has just turned 19 and passed out at the Commando Training Centre in Devon with 923 Troop.

His mother, Diane, said she and Jacob had spoken of the dangers he could face but said he had always been determined to have a career in the services.

On Friday, 15 Royal Navy personnel were captured by Iranian troops at gunpoint who claimed they had illegally entered Iranian waters.

Jacob recently attended the funeral of Chorley Royal Marine Jonathan 'Dutchy' Holland, 23, who was a member of Jacob's unit 45 Commando. He was killed by a landmine in Afghanistan on February 21.

Diane, a special needs teacher, said: "We have talked about it quite a lot but it's what Jacob has chosen to do. It's what he's trained to do and I cannot fault the training. I think Jacob is fully prepared physically and mentally, despite his age, and so are all the other young men."

Only 20 marines passed out from an intake of 55 on February 18 and Diane, along with Jacob's brother Sam, 23, and sisters Laura, 22, and Beth, six, were there to see the former Darwen Moorland pupil get his coveted Green Beret. Jacob also has another brother, Joshua, 20.

The 32-week training course included a 30-mile hike over Exmoor and an assault course.

Jacob enlisted in the Army on the day he got his GCSE results and spent a year at the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers' college, Harrogate.

He would have gone straight to Afghanistan after passing out but 45 Commando are now heading home.

He is currently in Cyprus for seven weeks after volunteering to meet returning members of his unit and to train.

He then goes to Yorkshire to learn how to drive track and amphibious vehicles and in January is off to Norway for Arctic training.

Jacob said: "I was in the REME before I transferred to the Royal Marines, so I knew what I was getting myself into."