By . Sarah Bruce . PUBLISHED: . 06:11 EST, 27 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:05 EST, 27 March 2012 . In the horrific roll call of death and injury that emanates from Afghanistan, it is sometimes easy to forget that each name, rank and number has its own unique story. That is what makes this image of a seriously wounded Scottish soldier being treated in the heat of battle such an immediate snapshot of the random cruelty of war. But the story of Private Stephen Bainbridge also describes the true bravery of a man forced to rebuild his life after a devastating injury sustained on Remembrance Day last year. Injured: Private Stephen Bainbridge lies in agony while being treated by medics, after the Helmand IED explosion which saw him lose both his legs. Now, for the first time, the soldier from Kirkcaldy, Fife, has spoken about his ordeal and the very different battle he now faces for the rest of his life after losing both legs. Recalling the day he stepped on the mine, Pte Bainbridge, who has given his permission for the photograph to be used, said: ‘I was blown into the air, I felt the heat blast. ‘As I was coming back down it didn’t feel like I was falling, more like floating. That was until I hit the ground.’ The 25-year-old, who regained consciousness in hospital on November 20, added: ‘Before I woke up, I pretty much knew the legs were gone. I suppose I was conscious of the doctors talking. It still hit me when I woke up but not as badly as if I believed I was still all there. It wasn’t a pretty sight.’ Yet he has no regrets about joining . the Army, saying: ‘I wouldn’t change anything. I chose the job, I chose . to be with 3 Scots. There was no second choice, it was always going to . be them.’ Line of fire: Private Bainbridge walks towards a doorway, left, in Helmand Province just moments before the IED explosion which saw him lose both his legs . Pte Bainbridge was on patrol in . Helmand Province on November 11 with 3 Scots (The Black Watch), . alongside soldiers from 1st Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. Walking through open farmland that . morning near Nad-e-Ali, they were part of a series of ops called Tora . Pishaw, aimed at disrupting insurgent activity in the area. Second . Lieutenant Robert Weir led his men on a mission to clear a series of . compounds – and later said they all had a feeling of uneasiness about . the situation. Recovery: At Headley Court Military Hospital in Surrey, Private Bainbridge is in rehabilitation and is learning walk with prosthetic limbs . Private John Cameron, 21, was called forward to use his mine detector to sweep a hidden doorway leading to a compound. After deciding it was safe, he pushed on and swept the area beyond, followed by several others, who also came to no harm. Then Pte Bainbridge, who had been providing rear protection, stepped through the doorway. Lt Weir recalled: ‘I was hit by a wave . of sound and debris. It seemed to be moving in slow motion. I got . launched a few metres and landed on my back. Initially, I thought it was . me that had stood on the device. ‘I . gave myself a quick limb check and realised I was not in any pain apart . from my face. For an instant, I thought maybe no-one was injured – but . then thought that was silly because these things don’t just go off. ‘I . saw Bainbridge lying just inside the doorway. One of his legs was . missing, his hand was very swollen and he was missing the tip of one of . his fingers, I saw the other leg was definitely damaged but it was still . there at that point. I called for a medic and started giving initial . first aid.’ The picture . above tells the next part of the story, with Lt Weir and the squad’s . medic, Corporal John Goode, 21, saving Pte Bainbridge’s life in those . crucial first few minutes. Tourniquets . were applied, morphine and fluids were given and Pte Bainbridge was in . hospital only 36 minutes after the explosion. Lt Weir . said: ‘When I got up to Bainbridge, I had never seen anything like it in . my life. Part of me thought, “Good Lord, what am I going to do here?” But Goode didn’t appear to show any shock, he just treated it like an . exercise. He saved his life.’ Private . Chris Watson, 21, cradled Pte Bainbridge’s head and tried to keep him . conscious and talking. He said: ‘At one point, Bainbridge tried to sit . up and look at his legs. I held him down and told him he was going to be . OK.’ Doctors at the . Headley Court military hospital in Surrey have been much impressed by . Pte Bainbridge’s determination to recover as quickly as possible. ‘He’s a very determined man,’ said physiotherapist Claire Painter, one of the team teaching him to walk on prosthetic limbs.
Private Stephen Bainbridge lost both legs after stepping on a mine in Helmand on Remembrance Day last year .
By . Sarah Bruce . PUBLISHED: . 06:11 EST, 27 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:05 EST, 27 March 2012 . In the horrific roll call of death and injury that emanates from Afghanistan, it is sometimes easy to forget that each name, rank and number has its own unique story. That is what makes this image of a seriously wounded Scottish soldier being treated in the heat of battle such an immediate snapshot of the random cruelty of war. But the story of Private Stephen Bainbridge also describes the true bravery of a man forced to rebuild his life after a devastating injury sustained on Remembrance Day last year. Injured: Private Stephen Bainbridge lies in agony while being treated by medics, after the Helmand IED explosion which saw him lose both his legs. Now, for the first time, the soldier from Kirkcaldy, Fife, has spoken about his ordeal and the very different battle he now faces for the rest of his life after losing both legs. Recalling the day he stepped on the mine, Pte Bainbridge, who has given his permission for the photograph to be used, said: ‘I was blown into the air, I felt the heat blast. ‘As I was coming back down it didn’t feel like I was falling, more like floating. That was until I hit the ground.’ The 25-year-old, who regained consciousness in hospital on November 20, added: ‘Before I woke up, I pretty much knew the legs were gone. I suppose I was conscious of the doctors talking. It still hit me when I woke up but not as badly as if I believed I was still all there. It wasn’t a pretty sight.’ Yet he has no regrets about joining . the Army, saying: ‘I wouldn’t change anything. I chose the job, I chose . to be with 3 Scots. There was no second choice, it was always going to . be them.’ Line of fire: Private Bainbridge walks towards a doorway, left, in Helmand Province just moments before the IED explosion which saw him lose both his legs . Pte Bainbridge was on patrol in . Helmand Province on November 11 with 3 Scots (The Black Watch), . alongside soldiers from 1st Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. Walking through open farmland that . morning near Nad-e-Ali, they were part of a series of ops called Tora . Pishaw, aimed at disrupting insurgent activity in the area. Second . Lieutenant Robert Weir led his men on a mission to clear a series of . compounds – and later said they all had a feeling of uneasiness about . the situation. Recovery: At Headley Court Military Hospital in Surrey, Private Bainbridge is in rehabilitation and is learning walk with prosthetic limbs . Private John Cameron, 21, was called forward to use his mine detector to sweep a hidden doorway leading to a compound. After deciding it was safe, he pushed on and swept the area beyond, followed by several others, who also came to no harm. Then Pte Bainbridge, who had been providing rear protection, stepped through the doorway. Lt Weir recalled: ‘I was hit by a wave . of sound and debris. It seemed to be moving in slow motion. I got . launched a few metres and landed on my back. Initially, I thought it was . me that had stood on the device. ‘I . gave myself a quick limb check and realised I was not in any pain apart . from my face. For an instant, I thought maybe no-one was injured – but . then thought that was silly because these things don’t just go off. ‘I . saw Bainbridge lying just inside the doorway. One of his legs was . missing, his hand was very swollen and he was missing the tip of one of . his fingers, I saw the other leg was definitely damaged but it was still . there at that point. I called for a medic and started giving initial . first aid.’ The picture . above tells the next part of the story, with Lt Weir and the squad’s . medic, Corporal John Goode, 21, saving Pte Bainbridge’s life in those . crucial first few minutes. Tourniquets . were applied, morphine and fluids were given and Pte Bainbridge was in . hospital only 36 minutes after the explosion. Lt Weir . said: ‘When I got up to Bainbridge, I had never seen anything like it in . my life. Part of me thought, “Good Lord, what am I going to do here?” But Goode didn’t appear to show any shock, he just treated it like an . exercise. He saved his life.’ Private . Chris Watson, 21, cradled Pte Bainbridge’s head and tried to keep him . conscious and talking. He said: ‘At one point, Bainbridge tried to sit . up and look at his legs. I held him down and told him he was going to be . OK.’ Doctors at the . Headley Court military hospital in Surrey have been much impressed by . Pte Bainbridge’s determination to recover as quickly as possible. ‘He’s a very determined man,’ said physiotherapist Claire Painter, one of the team teaching him to walk on prosthetic limbs.
sustained on Remembrance Day last year. Injured: Private Stephen Bainbridge lies in agony while