A WAR hero has praised the vital role played by the Royal British Legion for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Andrew Wardle, 23, of the Yorkshire Regiment, spoke as he thanked the generosity of shoppers at a North-East supermarket who contributed more than £10,000 to the Poppy Appeal in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.

The soldier was awarded the Military Cross after racing 100 yards into enemy fire to rescue a critically injured tenyear- old child in Afghanistan.

He is being treated for post traumatic stress disorder at Phoenix House – the Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centre, at Catterick Garrison, funded by Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.

Speaking at Sainsbury’s, at the Arnison Centre, in Durham City, L/Cpl Wardle said: “It means a lot for me to see this amount raised.

“The Royal British Legion does a lot of work and many people don’t realise it. There is a lot they do to give practical help to serving personnel and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan – they are a bit like the A Team when it comes to getting help.”

L/Cpl Wardle, of Hetton-le- Hole, Wearside, said his experiences in Afghanistan played in his mind all the time.

He said: “We came under fire when I saw this kid get shot in the back. He was needing help and was looking at us, rather than the Taliban. I ran out, scooped up the child and ran back.

“It was out of instinct for me.”

The night before the rescue, L/Cpl Wardle refused treatment and fought off a Taliban attack after suffering concussion when he was knocked to the ground by a rocket-propelled grenade.

He also treated five seriously injured casualties and found 16 improvised explosive devices during his time mentoring the Afghan National Army.

The Legion’s Framwellgate Moor branch secretary Mike Donne said a total of £27,877 was raised by the branch – of which £10,343 was collected at Sainsbury’s.

He said: “This is the Legion’s 90th anniversary and to achieve the best total in that history in such a milestone year is more than we could have hoped for.”

Sainsbury’s manager Russell Walker said: “We are amazed at how generous our customers are, especially in the current economic climate and would like to thank them for supporting this very worthy organisation.”