Battleworn (16 page)

Original casualty list 2; paper was at a premium.

Sgt Scotty Mcfadden, B Company (5 Scots).

A grab bag of ammunition lies in front of my medical bag – we are soldiers who carry medical packs, not medics who carry weapons

Cpl Tam Rankine flanked by his muckers before he is lifted – we made the four-hour deadline.

Cpl Scotty Pew’s .50 gun position on the roof, under constant attack, giving every patrol eyes on potential threats, engaging with accuracy and speed.

Boydy, pre-gunshot wound.

Boydy, post-gunshot wound.

The men of B Company, ‘Holding Nade-Ali’.

The Helmand Diet’ – best-kept secret in the world.

My telephone hub, below the .50 cal.

Sgt Major Davey and I manning the
51 mm like a well-oiled machine.

Cpl Stu Pearson receiving the QGM from our queen. Stu suffered more than ten separate injuries from the infamous mine strikes near the Kajaki Dam.

Cpl Mark Wright lost his life in the minefield at Kajaki; he was awarded the George Cross for his outstanding courage and bravery.

On the IED-littered canal road to Nawa district.