A FORMER soldier has described how he was shot by rogue Afghan soldier, after completing a gruelling ride to raise funds a for a charity instrumental in his recovery.

Richard Jobson, of Newbottle, near Houghton-le-Spring, was one of seven soldiers shot by a rogue Afghan soldier in January 2013. One of the soldiers died, and |Mr Jobson himself received six bullet wounds, leading to multiple operations.

As part of his recovery, the 37-year-old received assistance from Help for Heroes, and it was this support which persuaded him to take part in the charity’s flagship event – the Big Battlefield Bike Ride across northern France.

Recalling the shooting, the former Royal Engineer corporal said: “All the patrol bases were being handed back to the Afghan Army and had been working with their army for three months.

“It was this rogue Afghan army guy’s last opportunity to take a pop a us. He opened up on us with his AK-47, killing Sapper Richard Walker, a friend of mine. I was shot six times - in the arm, the chest and the abdomen.

“I can remember lying on the floor and looked over at my mate Andy Farndon. He was asking ‘Jobbo, what are you doing on the floor?’. I said ‘I think I’ve been hit I can’t move’. He ran over, under fire, and dragged me into cover.

“And then one of the medics, Harry Robinson, came over and worked on me and kept me alive until the helicopter came – so the two of them basically saved my life.”

The father-of-two said all he could think about at the time was being previously told how likely he was to survive, as long as he made it back to Camp Bastion.

“That’s all that was going through my head - ‘Stay awake and make it back to Bastion’,” he said.

Mr Jobson later woke up in hospital in Birmingham, where he underwent a series of operations on his arm and his stomach, as well as having one kidney and 30 per cent of his large intestine removed.

He said: “I was in intensive care for five weeks, then went up on to a ward and was in and out of hospital for the next two years. I was also at Headley Court, before taking part in the course at the Battle Back Centre.”

Mr Jobson, who had to learn to walk again, aid Help for Heroes had supported his wife and family during the darkest periods of his recovery, and he himself had been on courses which helped reinvent him and give him a better future.

He said: “I think it was harder for my wife and family, who were in Germany at the time, when my missus got the knock on the door at 1.30am saying I had been injured.”

He added: “When I left school I worked in a chicken factory, before joining the military, so I missed out on some of the normal things. I had never done an interview before.

“But they (Help for Heroes) put me on CV course and taught me about woodwork and it really helped on my recovery journey. Also did first aid courses at Phoenix House in Catterick Garrison.

“So really, taking part in the Big Battlefield Bike Ride was the least I can do.”

The veteran, who now works for an asbestos surveyor, rode alongside several other service personnel who had been injured in the line of duty. He praised them and the supporters who also took part in the event, and whose continuing support makes Help for Heroes’ assistance possible.

Mr Jobson said: “Riding with the other Band of Brothers, it’s brilliant how we get each other through it.

“The supporters I met have no affiliations at all, and they are still raising money which I think is inspiring and brilliant.

“I wouldn’t mind raising some more money. I am very positive about the future and that’s thanks to the support from Help for Heroes.”

Mr Jobson plans to take part in the 2019 edition of the Big Battlefield Bike Ride and is hopeful that some of his fellow beneficiaries who entered this year will ride alongside him again.