Wolverhampton war hero Private Luke Cole was today presented with the Military Cross by the Queen for his outstanding bravery during fighting in Afghanistan.

Pte Cole, of Bradmore, is only the third member of the Territorial Army to be awarded the gallantry medal in the past 15 years. He achieved the feat during a seven-month tour of duty with the 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment in Helmand Province last year.

The 22-year-old former truck driver was shot twice but refused treatment so he could beat off a bid by the enemy to grab the body of a comrade killed in battle as a trophy. He lost five inches of bone from his left thigh and was also wounded in the stomach but is recovering.

He said he “doesn’t feel like a hero” and wants to return to the front line when he gets better. “I wasn’t expecting a medal because I was just doing my job,” he said.

Pte Aaron Holmes, of Netherton, was also at today’s Buckingham Palace ceremony to receive the Military Cross he won during the same tour with the 2nd Mercians.