Soldier's early baptism of fire after bomb-disposal hero dies in action

Capt Rob Swan, 27, an ammunitions technicians officer working alongside 3 Rifles Battlegroup, in Sangin, Helmand province, joined the search for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) earlier than expected, on December 15, after the death of Staff Sgt Olaf Schmid, and was tackling his first device five days later. He said: "Arriving in theatre straight from the course was a surreal experience.

"I had been expected to spend Christmas at home with my wife but unfortunately due to the operational situation and the tragic death of Staff Sgt Olaf Schmid, I deployed early."

Capt Swan described the search as "a game of cat and mouse" with the enemy, but said he had excellent training.

"It is still nerve-racking making that leap from dealing with pretend devices in training to doing it on the ground, often in difficult circumstances with incoming enemy small arms fire."

Staff Sgt Schmid, who was killed in October while attempting to disarm a bomb in Sangin, was posthumously awarded the George Cross last week.