Injured county soldier commended

A Shropshire soldier injured while serving in Afghanistan has been commended for his service at a bedside ceremony.

Corporal Simon Vaughan, 24, of Hodnet, near Market Drayton, received his Afghanistan medal in the military ward at Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital at exactly the same time his colleagues from 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery received theirs at a ceremony in Plymouth.

He suffered a serious brain injury in December last year when a vehicle he was travelling in was driven over a roadside bomb in Helmand Province.

The father-of-one, a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, has still not regained full consciousness and is seriously ill but stable.

He was joined for the ceremony by wife Donna, 26, son Ben, six, mother Lynne and other close family and friends. The medal was presented by Lieutenant Colonel Colin McClean on April 17.

Mrs Vaughan said she was proud her husband was honoured for his service and bravery even during the illness.

"It was a lovely occasion and we were delighted to see Lieutenant Colonel McClean, and pleased that everyone had tried hard to make it a special day for Simon," she said.

Simon's mother Lynne said the day was "one of the saddest but proudest days of my life".

His father Hughie said: "It was upsetting for me and my wife Liz but it made us so proud to watch him receive his medal."