Tug of war soldier defies pain barrier

A 25-year-old Army corporal with a suspected broken arm refused to pull out of a tug of war match at this year’s West Mid Show.

See also: More 2008 West Mid Show photos

Corporal Louise Bond, from the Army Ladies team, slipped and injured her arm during a match, but carried on through the pain barrier to try to help her team to victory. Corporal Bond, from Manchester, but who is based in Northern Ireland with the Royal Signals, slipped over and had her arm trapped under another person’s boot during the final pool match against Leek.

But, despite her bravery, the team failed to win and eventually finished third in the competition.

Teams of eight from all over England took part in the major contest organised by the Tug of War Association.

After the Leek match Corporal Bond was assessed by St John Ambulance staff and sent to A&E at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.She said: “We all slipped back and I fell on the girl’s boot behind me. I managed to carry on the game. I was in pain, but the adrenaline gets going and you don’t really notice it.

“I then went to see the St John Ambulance who said it was too swollen and I needed to go for an X-ray.

“They thought I might have fractured it, but the hospital said it is still too early to tell whether I’ve got a hairline fracture and I’ll have to see what it’s like next week.”

She said her team took part in six to eight contests each year and trained for two weeks solid in Aldershot for the show. Corporal Bond said it was her worst injury in tug of war but she planned to continue the sport.