A SOLDIER has revealed he was only a minute from death after being blown up by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
Lance Corporal James Wilkinson said a major artery was severed in the blast, and he only survived thanks first to speedy work from his comrades to stem the flow of blood, and then a swift flight in a Black Hawk helicopter to Camp Bastion, where he underwent emergency surgery.
After being flown back to Britain, he was set on the road to recovery through a series of five other operations at a hospital in Birmingham.
James, who had to be given a total of 40 pints of blood, was speaking to The Press as he and his brother Charles and sister Sarah, who are also in the Army, were made Freemen of York in a ceremony at the Mansion House yesterday.
The 26-year-old dog handler, who grew up with his siblings in Nunburnholme, near Pocklington, and went to Woldgate School in the town, said he was out on dawn patrol in Helmand province with his yellow Labrador Tam last June when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded only a couple of metres away from him at 6.30am.
“A femoral artery in my left leg was severed, as was a main vein,” he said. “I also suffered a fractured hip, and was left with shrapnel in my abdomen and leg – I’ve still got five or six pieces inside.
“There were 12 of us on patrol. Five others were injured, but the other six came to our aid and tourniqueted my leg and used a clotting agent to help stem the flow. Tam was okay – he was 30 metres away at the time searching on the other side of the road.
“The Americans came with a Black Hawk helicopter and I was undergoing surgery by 7.10am. The surgeons said afterwards that if I had arrived another minute later, I would have been dead. I was in a coma for four days.
“Within 24 hours, I was flown home to England and went to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where I’ve had five operations so far, and will need more.”
James, who worked as a gamekeeper on the North York Moors for two years before joining the army, said he had been transferred to Headley Court, the rehabilitation centre in Surrey. He had been undergoing a cycle of three week stints of intensive physiotherapy and exercise there, including swimming, followed by three weeks of rest and recuperation, and was likely to be there for at least another year.
He and his siblings were yesterday made Freemen of the City by the Lord Mayor, Coun David Horton, after they inherited the right to the honour from their mother Christine Reeson-Walden, who was made a Freeman herself in 1979.
She said: “It’s a very proud moment for me, particularly as I feared James would not be here because he was so badly injured.
“It’s a credit to everyone who was involved in saving his life that he can be here today.”
Coun Horton said it had been a pleasure to take part in such an unusual ceremony, involving three siblings who were all serving in the army, particularly when one of them was attending after surviving such an incident.
The Press featured James’ work in Afghanistan in 2009, when we reported how he was working with his then search dog, a springer spaniel called Jamie, to deter attacks and save lives.
He told then how Jamie could detect the slightest hint of explosives or weapons, and also offered companionship and solace to the troops when they had lost friends.
Brave James tastes freedom
THE story of Army dog handler James Wilkinson is a fitting reminder of the dangers the men and women of our armed forces undergo every day in the front line.
Lance Corporal Wilkinson, from near Pocklington, was on dawn patrol in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province last June with his sniffer dog, Tam. An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded metres away, severing the femoral artery in his left leg.
He owes his life, he says, to the prompt actions of his colleagues, who applied a tourniquet while waiting for a US helicopter to rush him to surgery at Camp Bastion. He was on an operating table within 40 minutes and even so it was touch and go.
“The surgeons said afterwards that if I had arrived another minute later, I would have been dead,” he told The Press.
Five other members of the patrol were injured in the same blast, and L/Cpl Wilkinson was in a coma for four days. But unlike so many, he survived to tell his story. Seven months on, he is able to walk with the help of a stick. And yesterday he was in York with his brother Charles and sister Sarah – who are both also in the Army – for a ceremony at the Mansion House in which they were all made freemen.
The three claimed the honour by birthright. But it is one they richly deserve. And it is wonderful that James was able to be here to receive it in person.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel