A Dundee soldier who was caught in a Taliban ambush that killed two of his comrades has spoken of how he feels lucky to be alive.
Sergeant Eddie Nichol (38), of The Black Watch, was serving in Helmand Province in August last year when his platoon was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade an explosion that left him seriously injured and two of his comrades dead.
Sgt Stuart “Gus” Millar and Pt Kevin Elliott took the full force of the blast and were killed instantly, while Eddie ended up in a coma and then in intensive care for several weeks.
He said, “I remember I was lying down on the ground because I was changing the batteries in my radio, and my comrades were standing up.
“All of a sudden, there was a huge explosion and I knew right away I had been
“hit. If I had been standing up, it’s possible I could have been killed outright, too.
“It all happened very quickly. I can remember being in total agony and I was put on a stretcher.”
The explosion left Eddie with over 20 pieces of shrapnel in his head, and one hit him in the neck close to his jugular.
“A bit hit me in the throat. I was covered in blood and I’ve got a four-inch scar on my neck,” he said.
“I was taken back to the main camp and put straight into a coma.
“When I woke up four days later, I was in hospital in Birmingham.”
The father-of-three, who lives in Catterick in North Yorkshire, said his children Stuart (4), Hannah (9) and Emma (17) were kept away from him while he was in intensive care.
“Stuart was too young to know there was anything wrong, but my daughters Hannah and Emma could tell and it was very hard on them.”
But there was payback at the weekend for his brave family as they were treated to a luxury trip to London toy store Hamleys organised by a national newspaper to coincide with Armed Forces Day on June 26.
Eddie, Stuart and Hannah travelled to the capital by first class train and stayed in the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Buckingham Palace. His other daughter Emma and wife Sharon (33) couldn’t make it on the trip because they were at Hampden to see Pink perform.
His youngsters were each given £100 to spend in the store and Eddie says they filled their shopping carts up with everything from Star Wars figures to cuddly toys.
“It was a wonderful experience for them.
“It was nice to give them something back after everything the family has been through.
“Part of me did feel guilty about being there because the other children didn’t have their fathers with them and I was alive and well.
“But it was great to see smiles on their faces.”
Eddie, who grew up in the Downfield area, recently returned to work at the Army Careers Centre in Kirkcaldy.
The family is planning to relocate to Fife.
Since the traumatic incident, Eddie has been rehabilitating and has been receiving intensive treatment for nerve damage.
“I couldn’t move my right arm, but I have managed to regain the power. It’s still not how it used to be.
“I’m also suffering constantly from pins and needles in my leg and we think it’s because of the shrapnel in my head.
“I’ve been to see a nerve specialist and I have an appointment with a neurologist.”
Eddie is still part of the army, but if he does not return to full fitness, he may be medically discharged.
He is now looking forward to moving up to Leuchars with his family this weekend, so he can be close to his parents in Dundee and his work.