A Shropshire mother today revealed how the life of her soldier son was saved by a heroic comrade after they were caught up in an explosion while on patrol in Afghanistan.

Sue Beighton said her brave son Captain Nick Beighton was lucky to be alive following the blast in the notorious Helmand Province, which left him seriously injured.

The Royal Engineer was found in the dark by a Fijian private who wrapped his wounds and gave him morphine, before he himself passed out from his injuries.

Captain Beighton, of Radbrook Green, Shrewsbury, lost both legs in the explosion and his mother said he owed his life to his colleague.

The 28-year-old needed 36 pints of blood in transfusions to keep him alive after he trod on an improvised explosive device. No other soldiers are believed to have suffered serious injuries in the incident on October 5 – just weeks after Captain Beighton had arrived for his first tour in Afghanistan.

For the past two weeks Captain Beighton has been in the critical care unit at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, with his family and long-term girlfriend Alexis Stones, who is also in the Army, regularly visiting him.

Mrs Beighton said the former Radbrook Primary School and Meole Brace Secondary School pupil now appeared to be making a good recovery and has been transferred to another part of the hospital.

She said: “He lost both legs through the knee and has other injuries. He was actually on foot patrol outside his base when it happened.

“Private Vakadranu, the Fijian private who saved Nick’s life, was injured himself from the blast but he managed to put a tourniquet over his legs and give him some morphine before he passed out himself.”

Mrs Beighton said the Ministry of Defence had organised for her daughter Jen to come over from New Zealand to see her brother in hospital in the UK. She said he was in good spirits despite his ordeal and was focused on making a good recovery.

Mrs Beighton said: “It’s going to be a very long time and he’s probably going to be at Selly Oak until December but he’s very positive about the future.”