Diane Dernie said the increase to £570,000 would help give 24-year-old Ben - the most badly wounded soldier yet to survive - security for the rest of his life.

Under the increase, announced yesterday by defence secretary Des Browne, at least 80 troops will receive the new maximum. Another 80 or so men and women with less serious injuries should also see their payout raised.

The announcement comes after Diane campaigned for a year for more money for wounded soldiers. In January the MoD increased his compensation from £152,000 to £285,000.

She said: "I'm elated, this is the best possible news. It's enough money, if we are careful, to cater for Ben's needs once we are gone.

"We will be living with him and we hope he will recover sufficiently to live independently. But the effects of the head injury were absolutely devastating and there will only be slight improvements over years."

Brave Ben, who was serving with the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, was just 22 when he was injured in September last year.

He was in an army vehicle in Helmand province, Afghanistan, when it went over a Taliban landmine.

The blast cost Ben both his legs. He also suffered a blast injury to the brain, fractures to his skull, cheekbone, nose, jaw and pelvis, crushed vertebrae, serious damage to his spleen and chest and a broken elbow.

He has also lost the last three years of memories - the last thing he can remember was serving in Iraq in 2004.

Ben spent many months at the army's rehabilitation centre at Headley Court, Surrey.

He will live in a specially adapted bungalow in Bessacarr, Doncaster, with his mum and stepdad Andy Dernie.

Diane, 50, said she would continue to campaign for compensation for soldiers, including a cap on the maximum payout.

She added: "Ben is the worst injured so far, but there will be others who will need more. The campaign for compensation is because of a lack of prepardeness by the government. If you are going to fight two conflicts at once you should be prepared for casualties."

Diane also paid tribute to the "incredible" support they'd had from military families and the public. Donations to a legal fighting fund topped £250,000.

She added: "We couldn't have done it without them. Ben's had hundreds of letters, money, and offers of accommodation and transport. It's been unbelievable."

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