Hero soldiers receive medal honours

Two soldiers who dived into a freezing canal to rescue a comrade after he was blown up by a Taliban bomb have been awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery.

Second Lieutenant Connor Maxwell, 22, and Rifleman Daniel Nickson, 23, both of 3rd Battalion the Rifles, pulled the unconscious soldier out of the 3ft deep water and evacuated him so he could receive medical treatment.

Rfn Nickson, from Darlington, County Durham, was hailed for his "courage and selflessness" in risking his own life by leaping into the fast-flowing canal in Helmand on December 15 last year.

Lt Maxwell, from Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, was also praised for saving the life of a serviceman who was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) during training on the firing ranges at Camp Bastion, the main Nato base in Helmand.

A total of 131 servicemen and women - most of whom served in 11 Light Brigade's bloody tour of Afghanistan between October 2009 and April this year - were awarded medals in the latest military honours list, nine posthumously.

Acting Corporal Andrew Wardle, 22, of 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, receives the Military Cross for his bravery during his tour of Helmand mentoring Afghan soldiers.

Warrant Officer Class 2 Patrick Hyde, 34, of 4th Battalion the Rifles, is awarded a Mention in Despatches for his "exemplary gallantry".