Medal ceremony 'nearly as daunting as war zone'

Lance Sergeant Matthew Turrall, of the Irish Guards, was treated to an unusual birthday present as he was handed the prestigious award by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace on his 29th birthday.

L/Sgt Turrall, from Manchester, helped an Afghan man and his four children to safety after their car got caught in the crossfire of an insurgent attack near the town of Lashkar Gah in May last year.

He said: "It's amazing, it's quite daunting, but not quite as daunting as being in a war zone. But it was quite scary all the same."

The father of two said his bravery was not something for which he set out to get an award.

"I've got children myself so it was just a reaction. I saw those kids screaming and crying and just had to help them," he said.

His mother, Joy, 52, said she was extremely proud of her son's bravery: "I'm quite naive, I don't ask too much about what happens out there, that's my way of coping.

"But it must have been awful, I'm just so proud of him."

L/Sgt Turrall was one of three British soldiers awarded the prestigious medal today for their bravery in Afghanistan.

They joined more than 100 other civilians and military personnel for the ceremony.

The Military Cross is given in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land.

Captain Rowley Gregg, from the Light Dragoons, and Corporal Paul Mather, from the Army Air Corps, were also presented with the Military Cross.

Cpl Mather was on patrol in Helmand province when troops came under attack from grenades in June last year.

He suffered serious injuries but crawled into cover to radio for help, continuing to radio for air support until he was airlifted to safety.

Capt Gregg was handed the award for outstanding leadership during Operation Panther's Claw in July 2009.

The 26-year-old, from Norfolk, also spoke of the nerve-racking experience of receiving the award. "It's pretty daunting," he said. "I thought I would be fine but it was quite scary."