A GWENT soldier whose courage under fire won him the prestigious Military Cross had a private meeting with Prince William on Saturday.

Corporal Richard Pask, 27, from Cwmbran, was awarded the MC for his bravery during a six-hour fire-fight with Iraqi insurgents in June 2007.

The soldier in the 2nd Batallion, The Royal Welsh, fought heavy gun and mortar fire as blood poured from his head following a bomb attack on his tank in the heart of Basra.

After Saturday's Wales v South Africa clash in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Prince William presented the Prince William Cup to John Smit, captain of the winning South African side.

Then, he had a private meeting with three soldiers awarded with the MC, including Corporal Pask, who had been asked to the game to meet him.

Corporal Pask, who has previously met Prince William's father the Prince of Wales, said: "He was asking me what life was like in Basra and what happened when my Warrior got blown up."

And the matter-of-fact soldier added: "I sustained injuries but stayed on the ground and cracked on throughout.”

Corporal Pask, who married wife Heather last year and whose parents Jane and Steve still live in Cwmbran, said he had just been posted in Sennybridge, Brecon, and that he and the Prince had shared their experiences of the area.

"He's been to Brecon himself so he could relate to how cold, miserable and horrible it is,” he said.

During the incident for which he was awarded, Corporal Pask was knocked unconscious by the blast from an improvised explosive device as he cleared a safe route for other soldiers to reach Basra Palace to replenish supplies.

Despite suffering concussion and a painful back injury, he helped guide his vulnerable unit of six soldiers to safety.

The Warrior's sight and communications system were disabled by the bomb blast.

He told the Argus in March: "We made sure everybody in the back was all right and then we stayed out on the ground fighting them.

"You haven't got time to be scared or think about the consequences. You have to make sure everybody around you is safe."

  • Corporal Pask is a former Cwmbran RFC full back an member of Cwmbran Warriors boxing club. He joined the Army ten years ago and has served in Bosnia and Kosovo as well as completing two tours of Iraq.