Captain’s Afghan gallantry receives official recognition

Captain Charlie Gair, 26, a former pupil at Ampleforth College, was in command of a platoon supporting an Afghan army patrol in a fiercely contested part of the country near Patrol Base Hazrat, when they came under a torrent of machine gun fire hitting nine of his 13 men.

Despite one soldier being fatally wounded, four suffering gunshot wounds and four others stunned from strikes to their body armour and equipment, Capt Gair rallied those still able to fight to take cover and return fire to protect the casualties.

He then deliberately left himself fighting back in full view of the insurgents to draw fire away from the wounded soldiers, before managing to clear a spot where a helicopter could land and take the casualties to safety.

Capt Gair, of 1st Battalion The Irish Guards, has now received a “mention in despatches” – an award to recognise gallantry in active operations – for his bravery during the incident last year.

His citation states: “Despite the palpable danger, he acted with selfless gallantry to recapture the initiative when all seemed lost, to treat the casualties and then to extricate the patrol.

“Repeatedly, he placed himself in grave danger to protect his beleaguered force, setting the best possible personal example.”

Capt Gair said: “To be singled out is both surprising and humbling when you think not just about the tour but about all the warriors that have been in the Irish Guards.

“We were on a patrol and while we were going about our business we got contacted by the Taliban, which inflicted a number of casualties.

“It’s really just how all the boys dealt with that in winning the fire fight, treating the casualties and eventually getting back to base.”