In 2007, four British servicemen perched on the wings of an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan, in an audacious mission to rescue a fallen comrade.
Lance Corporal Mathew Ford was part of a unit which had attacked Jugroom Fort - a major Taliban command and control centre in Helmand Province, but he was left behind after a frantic withdrawal.
Volunteers put themselves forward for a risky rescue attempt, which would become legendary in military circles.
Captain Chris Fraser-Perry was a 19-year-old British Royal Marine who took part in the mission. He speaks to Kevin Core.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.
(Photo: Captain Dave Rigg (l) and Captain Chris Fraser-Perry strapped to an Apache helicopter, Afghanistan 2007. Credit: Sgt Gary Stanton)
