Soldier tells of shrapnel ordeal

A Shropshire soldier who was almost killed in Afghanistan last year has spoken out about his terrifying ordeal.

Lieutenant Jim Berry, from Tern Hill Barracks, near Market Drayton, spent two weeks unconscious in intensive care and underwent two life-saving operations after a piece of shrapnel flew through his eye and penetrated his skull.

Doctors gave him a 20 per cent recovery chance. But a year on, the 26-year old has returned to work as a liaison officer, supporting the families of other soldiers who have been seriously injured.

Mr Berry was sent to Afghanistan to replace a colleague who had been injured, and was hurt in an explosion on September 29 last year.

“A piece of shrapnel flew through my right eye and my head, and the next thing I remember was waking up in Birmingham hospital on October 14,” he said.

“They sedated me and did an operation to remove part of my skull, and then they did an operation to cut one of the arteries off in my head because it was bleeding internally.

“Doctors told my mum and dad there was a 20 per cent chance of me surviving, let alone me walking or talking or doing anything else.

But now you wouldn’t know to look at me it had happened, the only thing is I have got a false eye,” he said.

Mr Berry spent six months off work and returned in March as an assistant adjutant and military liaison officer, offering support to colleagues who have been wounded and their families.

Far from being put off military life, the Sandhurst graduate said he could not wait to get back to work and see his “second family”.

“Going back to work for us isn’t a chore, your colleagues are like a whole other family. You get really attached to your mates, and I was just desperate to go and see all my friends.

“It is unlikely that I’ll be deployed now because I’m not medically fit for it, which I am gutted about.”

Mr Berry’s father kept a diary throughout his time in hospital, and Mr Berry also kept a diary to track his progress. Both can be accessed online at www.soldieron.co.uk

By Abigail Bates