Soldier who learnt to walk again will join parade

Jul 22 2009 by Vicki Kellaway, Birkenhead News

Soldier who learnt to walk again will join parade

HE LOST his leg in a terrifying bomb blast that ripped through his tank in a troubled area of Afghanistan.

But Lance Corporal Phil Meadows refuses to be beaten, and on Saturday completed a remarkable recovery.

The 23-year-old used a prosthetic limb to join 200 of his colleagues for an emotional homecoming parade.

Eight months after the explosion, LCpl Meadows joined the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards when they marched through the streets of Chester.

The parade celebrated the end of the regiment’s six-month stint in Garmsir, in the notorious Helmand province.

LCpl Meadows was awarded pride of place and stood with civic and military dignitaries as the parade passed Chester Cathedral.

Last week LCpl Meadows, who lives in Prenton, said: “I’ve had the limb fitted a few months now, and I got on with it straight away.

“Occasions like this are important to us because they show people care.”