Colour Sergeant Joshua Mark Leakey
The actions for which Leakey was awarded the Victoria Cross occurred on 22 August 2013 in Helmand Province. A routine joint patrol composed of British paratroopers, US Marines and Afghan soldiers targeted a village to search for weapons. Having been flown into the area in Chinook helicopters, the patrol was attacked by machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades soon after dismounting. Leakey’s helicopter landed on a hill near the village and he, with three other paratroopers and an Afghan soldier, were to provide fire support for the main segment of the patrol. From their vantage point, his section could see the attack and heard over their radio that someone had been injured. Leakey ran up the hill to assess the seriousness of the attack and concluded that urgent action was needed. Though he was only a lance corporal, he took control of the situation and led his section down to the group under attack.
Having reached the group under attack, he gave first aid to the wounded US Marine Corps captain and began to evacuate him from the battlefield. While under fire, he returned to the machine guns that his section had left at the top of the hill. He moved one to a better position to fire at the attacking Taliban even though he was under constant, accurate fire (bullets were ricocheting off the weapon he was carrying). His actions inspired other soldiers to join in the fight back.
While he was manning the machine gun, he was also shouting updates of the situation into his radio. Having realised that more than one machine gun would be needed to effectively fight back the insurgents, he allowed his gun to be taken over by another soldier. He then ran once more through heavy fire to retrieve a second machine gun, position it in a suitable site, and then manned it to fire at the Taliban.
The skirmish lasted approximately 45 minutes during which 11 insurgents were killed and four wounded. It was only when air support arrived that fighting ceased. When it did, he handed the second machine gun over to another soldier and returned to the injured American officer and oversaw his medical evacuation.
Joshua Leakey was the only living British soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross for the War in Afghanistan and the last person to receive it from Queen Elizabeth II. Coincidentally, he is the second member of his family to be awarded the Victoria Cross. His second cousin twice removed, Nigel Leakey, was posthumously awarded the medal during the Second World War. Also, Lieutenant General David Leakey, the former Black Rod and former senior British Army officer, is the son of Nigel’s brother, Major General Rea Leakey.