THIS dramatic picture taken during a gun battle in Iraq shows the gallantry that has earned a Kent-based soldier one of the highest military honours.

Minutes after Sgt Paul Kelly was badly injured by a bullet, he was leading his patrol and firing his rifle single-handed to resist an enemy onslaught.

Now he has been awarded the Military Cross, having been cited for his courage and inspired leadership in two frightening confrontations with Iraqi bandits and tribesmen.

Yet the modest 36-year-old, whose wife, Donna and children Jack and Abby live at Howe Barracks, Canterbury, said: "It's an honour, but you are only as good as your men, and this award is as much for them as for me.

"You don't think about it much at the time because the training kicks in and you are working as a unit."

Sgt Kelly serves with the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and is the first soldier to receive a distinguished Military Cross since its formation by the merger of the Queen's and Royal Hampshires.

His platoon was attached to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders - based at Howe Barracks - on a tour of duty in Iraq when the incidents occurred earlier this year.

The most dramatic happened in March when Sgt Kelly's patrol went to the assistance of another in making arrests following a shooting incident.

The soldiers found themselves under attack and set up a strong point in a building which was under fire from three sides.

There they resisted the onslaught for two hours until re-inforcements could reach them, but Sgt Kelly was badly wounded in the early stages of the battle by a gun shot to his left hand.

Ironically, Sgt Kelly was hit in the same place where he lost a finger in an accident while serving in Northern Ireland several years ago.

He said: "My hand just went numb and I later discovered the full damage."

After the shoot-out, Sgt Kelly returned home for treatment and had the option to stay but requested a return to Iraq where he was back in the thick of the action just two months later.

He said: "My wife wasn't very happy about it but she knows what I'm like and that I had to get back and support the guys in the platoon."