How a new military initiative encourages wounded Servicemen and women to achieve sporting greatness.

Derek Derenalagi knows that without Battle Back he would never have broken a British athletic record.

During a major two-day event in June 2009 at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the 33-year-old, who had been training for less than four months, became a record holder with a seated shot put throw of 9.83m. "It felt like every time I threw, I went further and further," he says "I Just never get tired of throwing." Derek is now ranked fifth in the world in this event.
His Achievements look even more impressive considering that less than two years ago Derek - of the 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment - was hit by a landmine in Afghanistan and believed dead.

Whilst out clearing a helicopter landing site in Helmand Province, the vehicle Derek was travelling in backed onto an anti-tank mine which exploded, throwing out a deadly combination of nails and metal shards. Seated at the back of the vehicle, Derek took the full impact of the explosion, losing both of his legs and breaking his spine and collar bone.


Derek's injuries were so horrific that his comrades believed he had died. It was only as he was being prepared for a body bag that doctors felt a faint pulse and rushed to operate, saving his life.

Two years on and Derek is celebrating his sporting success whilst preparing for a heavy training schedule to work on his world ranking.

Get up and go

He attributes his sucess to his faith in God, his family, the doctors who helped him recover and the team at Battle Back, a new military initative based in Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre that encourages wounded personnel to take part in sports and adventure training.

"Before I got involved in Battle Back I had never done athletics before," explains Derek. "I used to play rugby but I didn't know that sports existed for injured guys like me." I remember sitting in the prosthetics room having my legs fitted when Martin from Battle Back approached me and asked if I fancied trying some events like javelin and shot put."

Major Martin Colclough, Officer Commanding Battle Back, who met Derek that day, has specialised in rehabilitation throughout his working life and has a long association with disability sport.

"When Battle Back launched we had no pre-conceived ideas other than we wanted to confront everyone's perception of disability," he says. "We didn't set boundaries about what would or wouldn't be possible, we just guarnteed that everything on offer would be delieverd within a safe, enjoyable programme."

By Concentrating on what wounded personnel like Derek can do, rather than what their injuries prevent them from doing, Martin and his team have achieved a huge amount in just over a year.

Thanks to a grant of £308,000 from Help for Heroes, Battle Back has been able to increase its ambitions, working in the broadest range of sports possible in order to find the activity that we unlock each individual's capability. More than 200 wounded personnel have now taken part in sporting and adventurous activities with the team.

Inspiration with altitude

The idea behind Battle Back was dreamt up on the mountains of Barvia when Lieutenant Colonel Fred Hargreaves OBE saw a group of disabled skiers returning from the slopes, carrying their adapted skiing equipment. This kit would, he reasoned, allow his wounded comrades returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to take part in one of the military's ski trips. 'Snow Warrior March 2008, the first military adaptive adventurous exercise for wounded Servicemen and women, proved a great succcess. As one disable member of the siking expedition put it: "I honestly can't remember having that much fun on two legs, let alone one!"

From the start, Battle back has aimed to provide challenges for participants with a range of disabilites, from relatively minor gun shot and blast wounds to serious brain injuuries As well as arranging weekly waterskiing and climbing outings, the Battle Back team works with the local community and nationaal disabiity and sports organisations to come up with an astonishing array of exercises. From sky diving to white water rafting, the team says it will have a go at adapting any and every activity that a patient wants to try.

"Being master of your own destiny is potent medicine," says Martin. "We set the guys a challenge ike waterskiing, and then we go away and work out how we can get that petson with those specific injuries onto the skis. But the wounded guys and girls are the ones who have to make the decision to get in the water and make it happen."

Once they do, the effect on a participant's self esteem can be instantaneous. The mother of one wounded soldier contacted Battle Back after she watched a film of her son taking part in one of the team's adventurous exercises.

"When I saw the video I could see that joy had come back into his life," she wrote. Achieving physically demanding challenges provides the wounded men and women with proof of what their body is still capable of.

"What we do has different benefits for each individual," explains Martin. "For some it's about learning a skill they can share with family and friends, for others it's about doing something that was normal before - like riding a bike - and for others it's about achieveing excellence in one activity."

One of the most important functions of Battle back is to identify talented disabled Service personnel and help them access elite sporting opportunities.

Going for Gold
Battle Back was formally launched on 28th July 2008, exactly 60 years after Sir Ludig Guttmann created the first Stoke Mandeville Games, Which led to the creation of the modern Paralymipic Games.

Twelve inspirational disabled athletes from Battle Back are now on Paralymipic Development Programmes in sports such as alpine skining, cycling, shooting, fencing and wheelchair basketball.

Lance Corporal Terry Byrne is a cyclist on the development pogramme. Having the chance to compete for gold medals is, he says, the best thing he's ever done.

Last August Terry was was serving in Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, when he was hit by a landmine explosion and lost his lower right leg.

Whilst recuperating at Headley Court, Terry was approached by the Battle Back team with some suggestions of sports he might like to try. "When they came to see me I couldn't even walk yet, but I hobbled over to a bike and got started," he laughs. "Martin and the team are so enthusiastic: they don't see problems, they just try to make solutions."

Of the many extraordinary achievements made by Battle Back partcipants, those of the team of wounded personnel who completed a 13-hour relay race across the English Channel this year are particularly noteworthy. On the night of 20th July 2009, Senior Aircraftsman Mike Goody met his five team mates in Dover to complete an epic 21-mile swim across the channel to Cape Griz in France.

Mike, whose foot was shattered by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan last October, said the swim gave him a short-term goal to focus on, which helped to pull him out of depression. "I've gone through every emotion from depression to rage and anger," he says. "I'm so grateful to Battle Back for helping me."

Doing even more
The scale of projects and expeditions organsied by Battle Back contiunes to grow. Next year a marathon in Kenya has been planned, along with a trip to the Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver.

The team also enjoy seeing how the activities they introduce to the wounded personel can lead to lasting changes in their lives.

Many of those who have attended the skiing expeditions and learn to ski on adapted prosthetics or sit-skis, effectively skiing wheelchairs, say they plan on taking regular skiing holidays from now on.

And one young Royal Marine, Arthur Williams, enjoyed the flying activities so much that he has since gone on to obtain a Private Pilot Licence and aims to be the first paraplegic flying instructor in the UK.

In recent months Battle Back has been focusing on how it can help those with the most profound disabilities - mean and women who have had all four limbs injured and those with serious brain injuries - to enjoy sports outings. "We're looking at hang gliding and waterskiing - seeing what we might be able to do for them," says Martin. "As long as the Battle Back programme lasts we won't stop trying new things."

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