WAR WOUNDS KILL HERO 12 YEARS ON
Brave Davey, 39, loses his final battle
A WAR hero has died 12 years after he was wounded fighting in Afghanistan.
Bomb disposal expert Corporal Davey Timmins lost an eye and suffered brain damage in an explosion in Helmand in 2009.
Despite being given 24 hours to live, he astonished doctors by surviving his injuries.
Davey, 39, won the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for saving the life of a comrade who lost three limbs in a bomb blast.
The trained medic also saved an Afghan soldier who had been shot by one of his own comrades who had gone rogue.
But after being medically discharged from the forces, Davey developed PTSD and suffered from depression.
He died in his sleep at his parent’s home in Glasgow earlier this month and was found by his mum Cathy, 67.
The retired health worker said: “Davey took 14 tablets twice a day to cope with his mental and physical pain. “The pain never left him.” Cathy said her son was Army-mad and only ever wanted to be a soldier before joining the Royal Logistic Corps in 1999, aged 22.
She said: “He loved the Army. It was all he ever wanted to do. When he was injured we were told he had only a small chance of surviving, but he was a real fighter and refused to give up.”
Former officer Wayne Owers, who had served with Davey in Afghanistan, paid tribute to the “gladiator” who was “Army through and through”.
He added: “There are two people alive today because of Davey’s bravery and skill.”
An Army spokesman said: “We take the mental health of veterans extremely seriously and will respond accordingly to the Coroner’s report.”