Army veteran claims lack of radios could have cost Midlands corporal his life
A former Army officer has claimed that Midlands war hero Ricky Furgusson, who suffered horrific injuries in a bomb blast in Afghanistan, could have lost his life because of a lack of radios.
Major Richard Streatfeild, who presented a series of Radio 4 dispatches from the front line, has admitted misleading the public in his broadcasts by playing down the full scale of the kit crisis affecting troops.
Now, in a hard-hitting new book, he says a lack of radios nearly led to Corporal Furgusson, 28, from Telford, losing his life.
In his memoir, Honourable Warriors, Major Streatfeild describes the incident in which Corporal Fergusson lost both legs, an eye and fingers on both hands. Major Streatfeild, who was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his service to the Army, describes in graphic detail how Corporal Furgusson stepped on an improvised explosive device in the early hours of January 13, 2010, causing appalling injuries.
He says: "Both his legs were missing; five of ten digits from his hands were gone or partly gone, as was a good deal of the flesh from his wrists.
"The force of the IED had picked him up and smashed his head against a wall.
"Sergeant 'H' Henry charged down the road on his quad to pick him up. He was still alive, by a thread.
"The prospects for his continued survival were appalling. I began to wonder if death might not be more merciful."
The chances of getting medical attention to Corporal Furgusson were severely compromised by a lack of radio coverage, Major Streatfeild claims, adding: "In the aftermath, I finally shouted as loudly as I could about the acute deficiency of radios.
"The lack of radios had almost caused a critical delay in getting Furgie treatment.
"By luck, a rifleman on a personal radio had been able to relay to a guard post that was able to relay to the ops room what was going on."
Corporal Furgusson, of the 4th Battalion The Rifles won the Military Cross – which is awarded for "an act or acts of exemplary gallantry" — for going to the aid of wounded soldiers injured by improvised explosive devices four times. The soldier, who was not available for comment today, is continuing to recover.
