A brave young soldier is returning to work as an army recruitment officer just six months after losing his leg in a mine explosion in Afghanistan.

Corporal Simon Wiggins, 22, has made a miraculous and speedy recovery from his war injuries and now just wants to get on with his life and his job.

The highly-trained sniper, who has been nominated for a Croydon Champions bravery award, was just two weeks away from returning home to his family in Coulsdon when the tragedy occurred in March this year.

He had been deployed in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan since October 2007 and was completing the end of his tour in Garmsir, near the Pakistan border.

He said: “It was the last patrol we went on. We were moving into position to overlook possible Taliban fighters. The section commander set off in front of me and I was right behind him.

“All of a sudden I remember a flash and lots of heat. The lads told me that I was thrown about eight feet in the air before hitting the ground.”

At first Corporal Wiggins thought he had escaped serious injury because he did not feel any pain. What he did not know was that the blast from the buried mine had blown out his knee, and his stomach, legs and face were riddled with shrapnel.

He started to crawl for cover, fearing that at any minute the enemy would open fire on the patrol group. When this did not happen immediately, Lance Corporal James Southall ran over and started giving him first aid.

“His nickname is Frank the Tank because he is just so huge,” said Corporal Wiggins.

“He just picked me up on his shoulder and started running back to the base with me. I had to ask him to put me down as I was in a lot of pain. What I didn’t know at the time is that I was bleeding internally and the blood was bloating my stomach.”

Corporal Wiggins lost four pints of blood in 30 seconds. However he managed to make it back to the base safely and was immediately taken by helicopter to Camp Bastion where he was in surgery for 11 hours, cleaning the base out of their supply of AB positive blood.

By 9pm on March 17, he was back in the UK and had his leg amputated.

He awoke from a coma in a hospital in Brighton where he was told that he had lost his leg and one of his fingers, before seeing his family.

It was news that would have destroyed most young men but a stoic Corporal Wiggins refused to let his injuries knock him back.

He has had a prosthetic leg fitted and, fresh from a well-deserved holiday in Las Vegas, he is returning to work on Monday, hoping to convince other young men and women to be the best.

He said that he loved being in Afghanistan and would do anything to go back there. He is especially grateful to everyone who helped save his life.

“There’s no point dwelling on what happened to me,” said Corp Wiggins, “It’s about having the right mental and psychological attitude.

“I am looking forward to going back to work. I have never been one for resting on my laurels when there is work to be done.”

For more information about Croydon Champions go click here.