Stuart joined the British Army in May 1993 when he was 18 years old. He initially served in the Gordon Highlanders before transferring to the 3rd Battalion of The Parachute Regiment (3 Para) in August 1995.
During his service in 3 Para, Stuart was deployed on numerous Operational tours to Northern Ireland (Op Banner), Kosovo (Op Agricola), Iraq (Op Telic) and in the Spring of 2006 he was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick IV.
5 months into the tour, Stuart, along with 30 other soldiers, was strategically positioned on the hilltops overlooking the Kajaki Dam to protect it from Taliban insurgents. The Hydro-electric Dam provides Helmand Province with most of its electricity supply. Therefore, it was vital that it was not taken under the control of the Taliban.
On the 6th September 2006, Stuart was severely injured after stepping onto an anti-personnel mine. This was following a brave attempt to save a comrade who had also stood on a mine and sustained the loss of his lower right leg.
Stuart immediately lost his left leg at ankle height before it was amputated above the knee following emergency surgery in Bastion field hospital. He also received numerous injuries to his right leg but thankfully due to the treatment given by the medical staff, this leg was saved from amputation.
In December 2006, it was announced Stuart would be receiving the Queens Gallantry Medal (QGM) from Her Majesty the Queen in February 2007 at Buckingham Palace.
Since being injured he has completed many challenges, including the ‘Help For Heroes’, Battlefield Bike Ride in 2008, 2 x PARAS’10 in 2015 and the 2016 Virgin London Marathon. Stuart constantly seeks out new challenges and in June 2017 he is attempting the ‘Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge’.
Stuart also took up skydiving in 2012 when the charity BLESMA (British Limbless Ex Servicemen Association) set up the first British all amputee skydiving team and competed against able bodied skydivers at the ‘Armed Forces Parachute Championships’ at Netheravon Airfield in Wiltshire.
Following his Medical Discharge from the Army in December 2012, Stuart has worked in Property Development and more recently he has taken up work in Casualty Simulation (CasSim) and acts as a severely injured Soldier/Civilian for the Military and Emergency Services.
In 2014, a feature film was made about the incident in which Stuart was injured called ‘Kajaki-The True Story’ (‘Kilo 2 Bravo’ in America). The film was nominated for a BAFTA in 2015 and one of the lead actors, David Elliot that played Mark Wright, GC, was awarded the best actor accolade at the 2015 Scottish BAFTA’s.
During his service in 3 Para, Stuart was deployed on numerous Operational tours to Northern Ireland (Op Banner), Kosovo (Op Agricola), Iraq (Op Telic) and in the Spring of 2006 he was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick IV.
5 months into the tour, Stuart, along with 30 other soldiers, was strategically positioned on the hilltops overlooking the Kajaki Dam to protect it from Taliban insurgents. The Hydro-electric Dam provides Helmand Province with most of its electricity supply. Therefore, it was vital that it was not taken under the control of the Taliban.
On the 6th September 2006, Stuart was severely injured after stepping onto an anti-personnel mine. This was following a brave attempt to save a comrade who had also stood on a mine and sustained the loss of his lower right leg.
Stuart immediately lost his left leg at ankle height before it was amputated above the knee following emergency surgery in Bastion field hospital. He also received numerous injuries to his right leg but thankfully due to the treatment given by the medical staff, this leg was saved from amputation.
In December 2006, it was announced Stuart would be receiving the Queens Gallantry Medal (QGM) from Her Majesty the Queen in February 2007 at Buckingham Palace.
Since being injured he has completed many challenges, including the ‘Help For Heroes’, Battlefield Bike Ride in 2008, 2 x PARAS’10 in 2015 and the 2016 Virgin London Marathon. Stuart constantly seeks out new challenges and in June 2017 he is attempting the ‘Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge’.
Stuart also took up skydiving in 2012 when the charity BLESMA (British Limbless Ex Servicemen Association) set up the first British all amputee skydiving team and competed against able bodied skydivers at the ‘Armed Forces Parachute Championships’ at Netheravon Airfield in Wiltshire.
Following his Medical Discharge from the Army in December 2012, Stuart has worked in Property Development and more recently he has taken up work in Casualty Simulation (CasSim) and acts as a severely injured Soldier/Civilian for the Military and Emergency Services.
In 2014, a feature film was made about the incident in which Stuart was injured called ‘Kajaki-The True Story’ (‘Kilo 2 Bravo’ in America). The film was nominated for a BAFTA in 2015 and one of the lead actors, David Elliot that played Mark Wright, GC, was awarded the best actor accolade at the 2015 Scottish BAFTA’s.
What the audience can expect
Stuart's presentation encompasses physical hardship, perseverance, determination, overcoming adversity, resilience and humour.
