Thousands of British troops wounded in Afghanistan

By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent Published: 9:00PM GMT twenty February 2010

William and Harry with Marine Mark Ormrod (wheelchair) who was harmed in Afghanistan and alternative bleeding men at Headley Court Photo: EDDIE MULHOLLAND

Figures expelled by the Ministry of Defence additionally divulge that up until the finish of 2009, 168 infantry are classed as carrying suffered the loss of limbs, tools of limbs or eyes, in conflict with the Taliban or from makeshift bomb inclination (IEDs)

According to a charity, at slightest 84 of these have lost arms or legs, together with twenty-four who have had dual limbs amputated and eight who are 3 times amputees.

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The ultimate total denote the vigour confronting staff at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham where the immeasurable infancy of the Afghan fight harmed are treated.

A new inform by the National Audit Office disclosed that such was the direct for beds by British infantry that some-more than 200 civilians were eliminated to hospitals around the nation to have room for additional infantry casualties.

Last year was the bloodiest to date in the stream debate with 109 fatalities. A offer 508 soldiers and marines were bleeding in action, some-more than stand in the series of the prior year.

Government total for this Jan alone show that 47 infantry have been bleeding in action, some-more than half the series for the total of 2006, the year in that the rebellion began in Helmand, in southern Afghanistan.

The total underline the augmenting dangers infantry face while portion in the country, where the make make use of of of IEDs by the Taliban right away accounts for 80 per cent of injuries and fatalities suffered by British troops.

Commanders design the series of infantry being killed and harmed in Helmand to enlarge in areas where the Taliban are still active.

The probability additionally exists that insurgents might proceed to move behind in to areas that have been seized by British and Nato infantry during Operation Moshtarak.

The offensive, that has right away entered the second week, managed to ban the Taliban from large tools of the executive Helmand valley, nonetheless US Marines are confronting difficult insurgency in the area of Marjah, that is barbarous for the make of large numbers of IEDs.

But notwithstanding the enlarge in attacks and the astringency of the injuries, British infantry right away have a larger possibility of flourishing critical wounds than ever before.

Doctors have even started to systematise a little of the infancy exceedingly harmed infantry as "unexpected survivors" and in between 2006 and 31st Jul 2008, the ultimate date for that total are available, 75 members of the armed forces fell in to this category.

Lieutenant Colonel Tim Hodgetts of the Royal Army Medical Corps and who is additionally the Defence Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Birmingham, pronounced that advances in surgery, the terrain healing skills of soldiers and the fitness of troops, were all assisting to keep exceedingly harmed servicemen and women alive.

Col Hodgetts said: "There are around 70 people who are classed as astonishing survivors.

"These are patients with mixed prong amputations or higher prong amputations who have dumped their red blood volume at the stage (of the attack) and who arrive at the sanatorium moribund but alive.

"Once you get onto the fork of what is practicable in medicine, when you are at the husky corner of physiology, you will get a little people who will tarry and a little people who will not.

"What we have really finished is pull the boundaries. There are soldiers flourishing currently who would not have finished a year ago given of the advances that we are making."

In total, the series of infantry harmed while portion in Afghanistan given 2001 stands at 3,408, nonetheless this includes crew not bleeding in action. Since 2001, 1,109 have been harm in fighting, the immeasurable infancy given 2006.

The total relating to amputations have been expelled by the British Limbless Ex-Serviceman"s Association (Blesma).

Rates of liberation for amputees has additionally increasing given of a flourishing imagination of the injuries being postulated in Afghanistan, by staff at Headley Court, in Surrey, the armed forces reconstruction centre.

Lance Corporal Jack Ritchie looks set to lapse to fight avocation less than twelve months after losing his leg in an IED blast in Helmand last August.

He initial walked only 3 months after the blast and last week began using on a CO "blade" prosthetic leg. He hopes to react his regiment, the Scots Guards, that deploys to Afghanistan subsequent month for a 6 month tour.

LCpl Ritchie said: "There"s zero to stop me going behind to stick on the Scots Guards for the after piece of the tour. The Battalion have told me that if I"m fit, there is a place for me in Afghanistan.

"I"ve been told that is a picturesque calendar and that I am on aim to grasp it."

The 21-year-old from Carnoustie told how he was strike on Aug 8 last year after volunteering to offer with the Welsh Guards at their bottom nearby Chah-e-Anjir.

He said: "We went to transparent one devalue and knew the rivalry was removing really worldly in the make make use of of of IEDs. There was a big blast and I got thrown about 10 feet up in the air with a bucket of debris.

"I attempted to hurl over but I couldn"t move. I looked down and saw my feet with my left feet still in it at about 90 degrees to my left."

The infantryman was eliminated to the margin sanatorium at Camp Bastion prior to being flown home to Selly Oak hospital, where he outlayed 7 weeks prior to being liberated to proceed his reconstruction at Headley Court.

LCpl Ritchie said: "With the prosthetic leg I"ve got at the notation there is no complaint removing behind to Afghanistan and deploying to a brazen handling base.

"Going on feet unit is a somewhat tougher challenge, but we"ll see how it goes."

The ultimate infantryman to be killed while fighting in Afghanistan was yesterday declared as Lance Sergeant David "Davey" Walker.

LSgt Walker, who was 37 and a piece of of the 1st corps Scots Guards, was killed by rivalry glow while receiving piece in a feet unit during Operation Moshtarak on Thursday.

The genocide of the soldier, who was tied together with children, brings to 263 the series of British infantry killed in Afghanistan given 2001.

Three British soldiers have right away been killed given the begin of the stream descent and some-more than twelve have been injured.