Warrior misbehaving causes flashback to combat in Iraq for Victoria Cross-holder Beharry

Warrant Officer Class 1 Johnson Beharry, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in Iraq, has driven his Warrior infantry fighting vehicle again for the first time in 22 years – but when it started playing up it brought back some painful memories.

Back in 2004 the then-Private Beharry was the driver of the IFV when he and his fellow soldiers from the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment were ambushed by the enemy on two separate occasions.

He was reunited with his vehicle at the National Army Museum last month and then got to drive it once again at the Tankfest military vehicle event run by the Tank Museum at Bovington.

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Back behind the controls

But when the Warrior started misbehaving, it reminded him of his time in Iraq – and his fellow soldiers who didn't make it home.

WO1 Beharry explained how things had initially gone well when he got back behind the controls of the infantry fighting vehicle for the first time in more than two decades.

He said he had driven his Warrior the day before Tankfest opened to the public to ensure he was comfortable with it, and it had performed "100%".

But on the first day of the festival, the Warrior decided to act up.

"From the time I drove off to do the circuit, I don't know what happened," he said. "The vehicle decided it's not going to change gear, and it felt like it was in limp mode.

"I looked at the gear stick, I looked down at the accelerator, everything was engaged, it was in the right gear.

"The vehicle decided it was going to go wrong. That caused [it to choose] the speed it wanted to do. All I was doing was steering it."

An unpleasant flashback

WO1 Beharry said the incident reminded him of his time driving the vehicle in combat in Iraq.

"It took me back to the battlefield of days like that, when the vehicle was so hot it decided 'this is the speed I'm going to go'," he said.

"And the flashback of the attacks and the different locations, coming in the ambush, in the nights when I'm having... nightmares and sweats and sleepless nights, my guys who've been on the ground and been stabilised, they can't move.

"You know, those who didn't come back, and myself, who barely made it back. And the different memories that come to me... for the first time I was actually lost for words."

I'm no war hero, just a soldier

WO1 Beharry was awarded the VC, Britain's highest award for gallantry, following two separate actions in Iraq.

On the first occasion, the PWRR soldier's swift and decisive actions enabled his troop to escape before carrying his wounded colleagues to safety from their burning vehicle.

On the second, he drove his Warrior and his crew to safety – despite being seriously wounded himself by a rocket-propelled grenade.

WO1 Beharry, who is currently attached to London District with his regiment, was asked whether he felt like a war hero.

"To be honest, I don't know what a war hero feels like," he replied. "I'm just a soldier, doing my job.

"And yeah, I wish those who didn't come back are here today. And I could only honour them.

"And those that came back, with the mental scars like myself, are just here to honour them."