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.

A true British hero from Lincolnshire...

Respects to bomb disposal officer Captain Dan Shepherd from Lincoln who has been killed in Afghanistan while trying to defuse an improvised explosive device.

I never met Captain Shepherd, but I understand we had at least two things in common - we went to the same primary school - All Saints in North Hykeham, (albeit separated by some 30 years!).

The Echo reports that Captain Shepherd is from Doddington Road, which is a stone's throw from where I grew up.

We also both served with the Royal Logistics Corps - Captain Shepherd as a professional soldier and myself only briefly after Peterborough-based 5 Royal Anglian were re-badged RLC towards the end of my 20 years in the Territorial Army.

Unlike Captain Shepherd, I was never called up for active service.

He has made the ultimate sacrifice doing what he was trained to do - putting himself in danger to try to save his comrades from yet another lethal roadside bomb planted by the Taleban.

That takes balls of steel.

A true British hero.