REV Jim Butterworth has made a valiant return to his parish after a 16-week deployment in Afghanistan.
The Staincross vicar was mobilised as part of a Territorial Army (TA) field hospital team to carry out duties as hospital Chaplain at Camp Bastion, home to thousands of British troops in the Helmand region of the country.
As Chaplain he witnessed firsthand many casualties of war and says the 90-strong hospital team were under enormous pressure to save lives, but it was a pleasure to work with them.
“I consider it a privilege to have been among such a group of dedicated professionals,” says Fr Butterworth. “They left their homes and families behind to go work in one of the most hostile environments on the planet, and to do what is incredibly important work.”
Before he could leave for the Middle East he had to complete two weeks of pre-mobilisation training at army barracks in Beeston, near Nottinghamshire.
