Public honour for Shropshire war heroes

Warrant Officer Class 2 Kim Hughes and Corporal Ricky Furgusson, who previously received the George Cross and Military Cross respectively, two of the highest military awards, are to be presented with the Captain Webb Medal at a ceremony at Shrewsbury Flower Show.

Conferred by the Shropshire Society in London, it recognises examples of extreme courage by people from the county.

The medal was first instituted by Captain Adrian Jones, the society’s president, in 1916, in honour of Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel.

The last such award was made posthumously to PC Ricky Gray, who was shot dead protecting two unarmed colleagues and the public in 2008 while responding to an emergency call in Shrewsbury. He was the first recipient since 1967.

On 16 August 2009, WO2 Hughes, then a Staff Sergeant, of the Royal Logistic Corps, cleared a minefield to enable the rescue of four soldiers.

His efforts were described by the Ministry of Defence as “the single most outstanding act of explosive ordnance disposal ever recorded in Afghanistan”.
WO2 Hughes, now aged 31, dismantled seven linked Taliban bombs by hand without any protective clothing so the seriously wounded soldiers, as well as the bodies of two dead comrades, could be recovered.

While serving in Afghanistan with the 4th Battalion The Rifles, Corporal Furgusson repeatedly ignored his own safety to rescue blast-injured colleagues on four separate occasions.

His citation says: “Furgusson’s bravery, personally ignoring the ever-present IED threat when dashing to the aid of wounded men, and his outstanding leadership, time and again rallying his soldiers in the disorientating aftermath of IED strikes, saved lives.”

Corporal Furgusson, 26, was on his first patrol in the Sangin district in October 2009 when an IED ripped through his section. He stabilised one soldier’s condition and assisted in his evacuation, saving his life.

A month later he went to the aid of two colleagues from a nearby patrol when they were blown up and just four days after this, Corporal Furgusson saved another trooper’s life. In the fourth incident he again stabilised and evacuated a soldier within 34 minutes of him being blasted by an IED.

In January 2010, Corporal Furgusson stepped on an IED hidden in a doorway. He lost both legs, his left eye, several fingers and suffered significant injuries to his face.

Shropshire Society in London deputy chairman David Tudor said: “The outstanding bravery of these two soldiers in Afghanistan is an example to all. Their courage in truly horrendous circumstances is something which we feel should be recognised in the civilian world as well as in the military.

“They are both heroes and Shropshire is very proud of them, which is why this rarely presented civilian award is entirely appropriate for Corporal Furgusson MC and WO2 Kim Hughes GC.

“Their selfless conduct is an inspiration to all and they are both excellent role models for young people everywhere – putting their own safety at risk to save the lives of others.”

The awards will be made at a late tea between 4pm and 4.30pm on Friday 12th August in the Shropshire Society in London’s Sponsors’ Tent near the main entrance to Quarry Park in Shrewsbury.