The real Hurt Locker hero: Medal for British bomb expert who defused 93 devices survives.

Decorated: Captain Wayne Owers with his medals - the Queen's Gallantry Medal is on the left.Brave: Captain Owers, who has spent 20 years in the Army, at his base today

Painstaking: Captain Wayne Owers uncovers an IED during his tour in Afghanistan

Badlands: British troops face constant attacks in Helmand Province (file image)

A lonely job: Captain Owers makes safe a live bomb in Afghanistan

When two-year-old Poppy Owers asks her father what he did in Afghanistan, his answer will make her very proud.

Despite seeing colleagues suffer dreadful injuries, Captain Wayne Owers risked his life 93 times to defuse Taliban bombs, saving countless lives in a remarkable six-month tour.

Relying on his wits and courage, rather than protective gear and specialist equipment, Capt Owers's bravery in Afghanistan makes him the most prolific bomb destroyer in the history of the Army.
His average of one improvised explosive device (IED) defused every two days between March and August last year is the highest strike rate recorded by the Ministry of Defence.

Now Capt Owers, 39, who lives in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, with his wife Sukie, 37, and their daughter Poppy, will receive the Queen's Gallantry Medal later this year for his bravery.

Capt Owers, who has served in the Army for 20 years, including tours in Iraq, Bosnia, Oman, Kosovo and Northern Ireland, said his job had pushed him 'to the limit', both mentally and physically.

He said: 'Everything is down to luck and to me numbers aren't significant.

'The best bomb disposal officer in the world could stand on an undetected bomb and it would be game over.

'The only way numbers are relevant is in the feeling that the more bombs you defuse, the more likely it seems that something could go horribly wrong.
But you have to be confident, and not let yourself think about what could happen.

'People ask me how I managed to get up every day and do that job, but it's different when you're actually out in Afghanistan and in that situation.

'You just have to get on with it and be as confident as possible. We all just had to knuckle down.
I used to enjoy the job when I first went out. But when that first bomb went off, I started to get a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

'It really hit me when I saw my comrades get injured.'

During his tour of duty with the Royal Logistic Corps, Capt Owers saw comrades suffer horrendous

injuries. An explosion in May led to a colleague losing two legs and an arm. Two months later, Capt Owers was standing next to Corporal Jonny Wallace as he had his leg ripped open after stepping on a device.

Capt Owers said: 'He was handing me a piece of equipment - that's how close I was. It just went bang and I flew backwards. I didn't break a fingernail - I was very lucky.'

Lance Corporal Davie Timmins, Capt Owers's bodyguard, lost his right eye and hearing in his right ear in the explosion, in which he swallowed his own tongue.

L/Cpl Timmins, himself a Queen's Gallantry Medal recipient, said: 'I was losing a lot of blood but Capt Owers pulled my tongue out of my mouth, sat me up and whacked me on the back several times, saying, "don't die on me".'

Only 600 Queen's Gallantry Medals have been awarded since 1974.

An MoD spokesman said: 'This officer often took greater risks than normally permitted - relying on his wits and courage instead of a protective suit and specialist equipment.'

He added that Capt Owers's 'inspirational actions' had 'enabled countless missions to succeed and directly saved innumerable lives. His courage and gallantry is worthy of the very highest level of formal recognition.'

Capt Owers is now based in Britain and teaches others how to become bomb disposal experts.