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Afghan horrors faced by S Yorks soldiers
SOLDIERS from South Yorkshire told today how they cheated death in Taliban bomb blasts - as their battalion experienced the toughest tour of any British troops in Afghanistan.
Local troops who served in the Sangin area of Helmand Province spoke as British forces handed over control of the district - where one third of all deaths involving UK forces in Helmand Province have occurred - to US Marines.
Lance Corporal James Taylor, of Sprotbrough, luckily escaped with no injuries when a bomb was detonated metres from him.
Four more explosive devices were found buried around where he had been standing, which had been connected to the first bomb, but failed to go off.
The 28-year-old Sheffield Wednesday season ticket holder said: "If they had exploded, I would have been pink dust. I am very fortunate to be alive. I'd be no luckier if I'd won the lottery."
LCpl Ryan Le Masurier, of Dodworth, Barnsley, bravely carried on with his duties in the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack on his patrol - even though he had suffered broken bones in his left hand and shrapnel wounds to his legs.
Despite his injuries from the bombing - which killed another soldier and left four more men hurt - the 25-year-old, a pal of Sheffield boxing champion Ross Burkinshaw, checked on the condition of his colleagues and radioed for help.
He said: "I knew my hand was smashed and both my legs were bleeding but my main focus was being in charge of my other blokes."
LCpl Le Masurier, married to Gemma, with a one-year-old son Nathan, was flown back for treatment at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham but has since returned to duties and is expected to make a full recovery. They are both members of Third Battalion The Rifles, which recruits heavily from South Yorkshire.
During their six-month tour, 30 members of the battalion and of its support troops - known as Battle Group North - were killed, including Rifleman Liam Maughan, 18, from Hatfield, Doncaster.
The toll is the highest of any British battle group to have served in Helmand. Many more of the soldiers were woundedor had miraculous escapes, including one man who saw a bullet pass through his shirt pocket millimetres from his chest. Another got off with a grazed shin when a passed through his trouser leg.
English Super Flyweight boxing champ Ross Burkinshaw, a Rifleman with 3 Rifles who has been granted leave to pursue his fighting career, said:
"Ryan called me when he had got back to England. To do what he did after being wounded takes some bravery - that's why he's an NCO, leading others. He went beyond the call of duty."
I wouldn't be luckier if I won the Lotto
DUSTING himself off after the blast, Lance Corporal James Taylor did not realise quite how fortunate he had been.
After the incident, four more bombs were uncovered, buried where he had been standing.
All were connected to the first bomb – in what is known as a 'daisy chain' - and should have exploded too.
LCpl Taylor said: "When the first bomb went off, which was hidden in an old cooking pot, it was 15 metres away. We were covered with rubble but no-one was hurt.
"I made sure everyone was all right and the explosives expert with us, Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmidt, cracked on examining the scene.
"He pulled out the command wire, used by the Taliban to set off the bomb, and found it linked to another four bombs.
"We were in the middle of them – I had stood on some. To this day, I don't know why those devices didn't go off – but, if they had, I would have been pink dust. "I am very fortunate to be alive. I wouldn't be luckier if I'd won the lottery."
The bomb which went off close to LCpl Taylor had been discovered earlier by British troops.
An Afghan man was then spotted covering it up in a surveillance operation. LCpl Taylor and colleagues were sent to arrest the man – and the device was detonated afterwards, as the troops tried to reach it.
SSgt Schmidt, called to make the bomb safe, was later killed in action and has received a posthumous George Cross.
LCpl Taylor said his section had "found explosive devices every day".
Once, they discovered their base had been encircled with more then 20 bombs. "It took three days to clear them," he said.
LCpl Taylor gave up a job as a sales manager for Army life four years ago.
Moment that a bomber caused carnage
THE troops were on their way back to base, weary after an exhausting patrol.
They had just climbed out from a stream bed to cross a road when the vehicle approached.
Although wary of cars and motorbikes, the soldiers had been allowing traffic to run freely and the Toyota estate car seemed innocuous to begin with.
But the section of eight men headed by Lance Corporal Ryan Le Masurier noticed it was in fact being driven straight at them. "The driver put his foot down. Our front man shouted 'Stop', I raised my weapon to shoot, but the driver blew himself up," the Barnsley soldier recalled. In an instant, the vehicle sent shrapnel hundreds of metres.
LCpl Le Masurier, aged 25, the third man in the patrol, said: "Although I knew I was injured, I was the section commander and had responsibility for the rest of the men, although my boss was with me, too.
"I gave a situation report over the radio and a vehicle was sent to evacuate us. I was shocked and angry but could not feel that much pain and did not need morphine.
"I didn't know how many other people were injured. I found the lead man had been killed, while the second man had shrapnel wounds to his neck, both legs and in his arm but no broken bones. He was probably luckier than me.
"The fourth man had shrapnel in both legs and had been hit by the engine block from the car. Two other men were slightly hurt."
Looking back on the incident, which happened less than 10 days before the end of his tour, LClp Le Masurier believes he is 'very lucky'. He added: "It looks like most of the shrapnel and debris went over our heads, some landing near another section from the battalion, 200 metres away."
LCpl Le Masurier, of Dodworth, needed an operation on his broken knuckles. He is full of praise about his experience during 11 days at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham. He said: " The care I received was excellent and the welfare support on offer from charities was fantastic."
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Latest sport . To this day, I don't know why those devices didn't go off - but, if they had, I would have been pink dust. "I am very fortunate to be alive. I wouldn't be luckier if I'd won the lottery."
The bomb which went off close to LCpl Taylor had been discovered earlier by British troops.
An Afghan man was then spotted covering it up in a surveillance operation. LCpl Taylor and colleagues were sent to arrest the man - and the device was detonated afterwards, as the troops tried to reach it.
SSgt Schmidt, called to make the bomb safe, was later killed in action and has received a posthumous George Cross.
LCpl Taylor said his section had "found explosive devices every day".
Once, they discovered their base had been encircled with more then 20 bombs. "It took three days to clear them," he said.
LCpl Taylor gave up a job as a sales manager for Army life four years ago.
Lance Corporal Taylor: Stood on bombs which failed to explode.
Survivor: LCpl Le Masurier
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