On the rousing road to recovery

Help for Heroes, a crucial support hub for soldiers, is the official charity for the 10k London Run. By Nick Moore

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Nick Moore

11 July 2014

“The shrapnel from the grenade hit me right in the face,” recalls Alex Buckingham, speaking of the day he was injured while serving as a bombardier in the Royal Artillery. “The volume blew apart my hearing — it was completely gone in both ears. It was shocking. As a soldier you’re often near explosions, and your hearing soon comes back. But I knew this was different. My commander was shouting at me, but I couldn’t make out a thing. I also had a big slice off my face. My lip was hanging off, and my nose was destroyed.”

A harrowing tale, no question, but what makes 31-year-old Buckingham’s story from 2008 all the worse is that he wasn’t even in combat at the time: he was on exercise at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Canada, and one of his colleagues had thrown the grenade. “He’d stumbled as we’d got out of a trench, and it hadn’t gone far enough forward. These things happen. It was an accident, but I knew my military career was over.”

Buckingham knew things could have been far worse: “If the shrapnel had hit half an inch over, I’d have been left brain dead, and if it had been quarter of a degree clockwise, I’d have been blinded.” Like many personnel unable to carry on life in the forces, the depression after his injury hit him hard.

“The first few months after I left was a bit hairy,” he says. “I went on a downward spiral, I hated life and everything in it. The whole world was against me. When you’ve been a part of the Army for so long everything gets done for you, it’s all organised, it’s all you know. When it is taken away and you have to fend for yourself, it’s a blow.”

Thankfully, Help for Heroes was on hand. “When I got involved with the charity, I realised it wasn’t just me going through a personal battle — there were many others, and many of them had similar problems to myself,” says Buckingham. “It helped me hugely chatting to other people with hearing loss, and the Band of Brothers, the charity’s network that helps injured or sick servicemen, was such a good support hub. It was massive in my recovery. You can talk to like-minded people and find out how they deal with their situations. It was great. We’ve even formed an elite unit called The Tinnitus Club.”

Buckingham has recovered well physically. “I had reconstructive surgery in Germany on my nose and lip, and it was excellent. You would hardly know that I’d been so badly hurt. And my hearing has been pretty much restored,” he says.

As a trained fitness instructor, Buckingham initially worked running a military boot camp for civilians after being discharged from the forces in October 2009. “It was okay, but not as much fun as ragging squaddies,” he recalls. “I got bored, so I went into sales and marketing, but eventually a job at Help for Heroes actually came up. I’d already been working for them as a volunteer, and I got a job on their National Co-ordinating Team last July, looking after the country’s volunteers. It’s a lot of work for a team of four, because we have 6,000 people involved. But we’ve all volunteered in the past, so we know how it works, which is good. I love the job. Help for Heroes was great for me, so now I’m putting something back. I’ve done it from all angles.”

Which is where the running comes in. Buckingham is doing the British 10k with a colleague who will be dressed as the charity’s mascot, Hero Bear. “As a former personal trainer, I should be fit — but not much training has happened so far,” he confesses. “I’d wanted to do the London Marathon but missed the ballot, so the 10k should be superb. It covers a similar, iconic route. I’m hoping to get round in under an hour, even with the bear suit slowing us down.”

The 10k is of huge importance to Help for Heroes, he adds. “As the chosen charity for the event, we have got so many people running it. We’re showing support for our members by doing that, but we are also saying thanks to the organisers for choosing us as a charity by getting involved.”

Being part of a team again is often where many ex-servicemen get the most satisfaction from being part of Help for Heroes, says Buckingham. “We get generous offers of days out from companies — and that helps a lot with getting back into the old squaddie mentality. It’s about togetherness. Any time you need to talk, someone is there, ready to get the kettle on. The run, and running together, will give us the same feeling.”

With such unity comes perspective. “I reflect on what happened to me and realise I am fortunate,” he says. “I was bitter, but now I just think: I’m alive, I’ve got my limbs, my job is incredible, I get to help people. Getting up in the morning is a great feeling for me. You look at situations differently and are a lot more positive. As a triple amputee Band of Brother told me, life goes on.”

With British withdrawal for Afghanistan occurring, however, Buckingham warns that it’s important not to think that Help for Heroes job is almost done. “Psychologically and physically, the battles our guys are going through will continue for decades. That’s a key thing we’re trying to raise awareness of, and the 10k will help us do that.”

You can join Help for Heroes Band of Brothers on Challenges such as the Vitality British 10K London Run and others including trekking the Freedom Trail through the Pyrennes. Find out more at

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