Jacqueline Pepper’s 23-year-old son, Ranger David Pepper, is currently serving in the troubled country with the Royal Irish Regiment, and was one of six soldiers injured when the convoy he was travelling with triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by the Taliban.

Free himself

Initially, he feared he had lost his legs – but once he managed to free himself from the vehicle he was relieved to see they were still there.

The ordeal happened last Friday in the Sangin area of Helmand province. Miraculously, he only suffered a shrapnel wound to his arm and an injury to his back.

And it was around 1.30am last Sunday when a groggy-sounding David – fresh from an operation on the shrapnel wounds in his arm – made the call to his mother back in Ulster to tell her he was okay.

“You would rather have the phone call rather than the knock at the door,” Ms Pepper said.

“Knowing what I’ve been through the past few days – it’s been traumatic, but for mothers who have lost their sons I don’t know how they cope. I am just glad that David is alive.”

She added: “What he can remember is that he was lying in a crater and looked down and couldn’t feel his legs.

“He thought he’d lost his legs. When he looked down and saw his legs he said it was the happiest moment.”

Ms Pepper added that the lives of her son and the other soldiers had been saved by an “act of God”.

Vehicle split in two

She said: “Luckily enough nobody was killed, David has since told us that the vehicle split in two.

“He was driving the vehicle and he told us it was the gearbox below him that took the blast.”

She concluded: “I can’t wait to get him home.

“He is coming home shortly and I am going to give him the biggest hug he has ever had.”