Recovery Home For Injured Soldiers Opens

Britain's first Army recovery centre to treat injured soldiers is to be officially opened.

The head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, will join other servicemen to open the convalescing centre at Erskine, Edinburgh.

The purpose-built 12-bed centre will provide for soldiers who have been wounded on duty and are not well enough to return to their unit.

In the recovery centre injured soldiers will receive treatment, work towards getting promotion or move onto civilian life.

The development came as news that another three British soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan emerged, taking the number of UK fatalities to 204 - following two other military deaths at the weekend.


The numbers are in addition to a private security guard - also a TA soldier - from Northern Ireland, being killed.

The landmark rehabilitation facility, created by a partnership with the Army, Erskine and the Help for Heroes campaign, is part of a pilot scheme which if proves successful will be rolled out across the UK.

A spokesperson for the centre said: "This new extension to the Erskine home aims to bridge the gap between hospital and Army life.

"It is state of the art, with a gym, internet cafe and individual bedrooms with specially adapted bathrooms."

At the official opening ceremony General Sir Richard Dannatt will be joined by Lance-Corporal Robert Reid, of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who was left blind in one eye following a roadside bomb attack in southern Iraq in 2008.

See: Many More Die In Afghanistan

(GK/BMcC)