Brave Hykeham lad awarded George Medal...

The exceptional bravery of our troops in Afghanistan is brought home by the posthumous award of the George Medal to a lad who went to the same school as me in North Hykeham near Lincoln.

Captain Daniel Shepherd was killed last summer attempting to defuse 13 Taliban bombs in 36 hours, and honoured with a full military funeral at Lincoln Cathedral. On Friday, Captain Shepherd was awarded the George Medal.

I see from the press coverage that, like me, he went to All Saints Primary School, Moor Lane, North Hykeham.

Even though I never knew Captain Shepherd, the fact that we went to the same primary school perhaps three decades apart, makes it hard not to feel a connection, however tenuous.

And I can't help wondering if, 20 years ago, young Dan might have been a cub in one of my late Mum's packs in North Hykeham, or perhaps sailed one of the dinghys donated to Hykeham scouts by my late Dad...

Anyway, this is the Ministry of Defence tribute to Captain Shepherd when he died last year

At the time of his death, family members left heart-breaking tributes to Dan on the Lincolnshire Echo site.