MARTYN COMPTON suffered 75 per cent burns and was left permanently disfigured when his tank was ambushed in Afghanistan in 2006.

He was shot twice in the leg, set on fire and so bad were his injuries he was unrecognisable to his family.

But the 31-year-old describes himself as one of the lucky ones.

His three friends died that day, leaving him to try and piece his life together – knowing it would never be the same again.

Speaking ahead of Remembrance Sunday, Mr Compton recalled the terrifying ambush that changed his life forever.

Part of the Household Cavalry, the 22-year-old was driving a tank through the village of Musa Qala when his convoy was ambushed.

Seconds later an improvised bomb, buried in the dusty road, exploded under his tank, killing his three crew members.

As he tried to escape he came under fire.

Rocket-propelled grenades exploded all around him with one blowing up the engine of his tank and engulfing him in flames.

On fire, he crawled clear of the wreckage and rolled on the ground to put himself out.

With the adrenaline pumping, he made for cover when he heard the crack of rifle fire.

Seconds later two bullets zipped through the air and tore into his upper leg.

He said: “I didn’t really feel the bullets – I just saw my leg move and I knew I’d been shot.

“Two guys ran through the fire fight and rescued me.”

He was rushed to a medical helicopter with 75 per cent burns to his body and bullet wounds to his leg.

“The last thing I remember was someone in the Chinook helicopter saying, ‘You’ll be all right,’ but I thought that was it.”

Mr Compton slipped out of consciousness and on his journey back to England, he technically died three times.

He ended up in a specialist hospital in Essex and was in an induced coma for three months, followed by a partial coma for another three months.

He said: “I was in hospital for about a year in total and it was pretty much a blur. At that point I couldn’t walk.”

After about 500 hours of operations, he was transferred to the Headley Court military rehabilitation centre in Epsom.

He said: “They got me walking again. My mind was in a different place – I was still coming to terms with what was going on. It was hard coming to terms with what had happened to me; you have deep thoughts and nightmares.”

Mr Compton dragged himself through rehabilitation, learned to walk again and got married to his long-term girlfriend, Michelle, 35.

They now have a family: a three-year-old girl in nursery and a boy, nearly five, in primary school.

But Mr Compton has also developed another key focus that, ahead of Remembrance Day, he wants to turn into a message for others in his position.

While in his dark days, when things were really not on his side, he decided to try new hobbies and got into motorsport.

He said: “I got myself into a rut and didn’t want to do much.

“While I was recovering in Epsom, a guy called Dave Player asked me to get involved with motor racing. I found it hard to go outside and do stuff but in the end I was glad I did.

“I joined a team called Kartforce and have never looked back.

“Motor racing was a way for me to recover mentally. I have had my days but I had family to help me. Michelle has been beside me the whole time.

“Two things matter to me in my life now: my family and motorsport. It’s a way of life that I want to make a career.

“I want to show disabled and traumatised people that, when you are down in the dumps, there is a way ahead.

“Motor racing gives me focus and the adrenaline I need. It is obviously a different type of adrenaline to when I was in the Army but I have always liked cars and I got hooked on it.”

He added: “I joined the Army to get out of trouble. I had seen some of my mates get misled and got it into my head that I would join. But I don’t regret it, not even now.

“The way I see it, I was the lucky one. I lost three other guys that day.”

Mr Compton was born in Exeter and went to school in Cranbrook, Kent, before settling in peaceful Battle, near Hastings.

But his life is not entirely quiet. He has set a world record for driving a kart the farthest in 24 hours and formed a car racing squad called Team Brit. In Team Brit he races a VW Golf with his co-driver Mark Allen, who lost both his legs in conflict.

His ultimate ambition is to take part in the Le Mans 24-hour race.

Mr Compton said: “It’s not cheap to get the car out – it’s budget-dependent – so we need to raise awareness of what we’re doing.

“We want to run as a normal race team and work with sponsors rather than just getting free money.

“We want to do it as a living. Part of being a race driver is dealing with the sponsors and the press.

“Once I had set my goals, the military instinct – to never give up – kicked in, getting your head down and getting on with it.

“We don’t want sympathy and we know it’s not going to be easy.”

For more details visit martyncomptonracing.co.uk or teambrit.co.uk.

MOTORSPORT CAN HELP INSPIRE OTHERS LIKE ME

The Argus:

AFGHANISTAN war hero Martyn Compton is calling on supporters and sponsors to get behind his racing team.

The 31-year-old set up karting team Team Brit during his rehabilitation and hopes to inspire others in a similar position to get involved in motorsport.

The father-of-two suffered 75 per cent burns to his body after his tank was blown up while on patrol back in 2006.

He spent many months in hospitals and rehabilitation centres and decided to take up a new hobby to give him something positive to focus on.

He now hopes Team Brit can inspire people with disabilities, post traumatic stress disorder and mental health issues by showing what can be achieved through motorsport.

He has already received support from a number of people including Chris Martin of pop band Coldplay.

He said: “It was surreal to hear from a star like Chris Martin when he got in touch. He was someone I looked up to as a kid.

“Chris told me he felt a connection, he felt he had to do something, so he gave me a call.

“We’re thrilled and enormously proud to have his support. He’s going to spread the word and work with us on future projects.

“Knowing we have Coldplay’s backing has been a massive inspiration.”

Mr Compton cites motorsport as a key factor in his recovery, with it enabling him to accomplish things he never thought were possible during some of his darker days.

He said: “I like to push myself, and what can be better than being in a team with guys in similar situations who have gone through similar scenarios with the same ambitions?

“We operate as every other race team and aim to gain sponsors and work with companies and take them on our journey.”

Speaking ahead of Remembrance Sunday tomorrow, he urged others to take inspiration from his story.

He said: “To those battling their own demons, just as I have done, you can re-build your life.

“I have taken a few knocks: I’ve been blown up, shot twice and died three times. I’ve experienced pain and heartache that in my darkest hours I never thought I’d ever recover from.

“But I always got back up. I am who I am today because of what I’ve experienced.

“I’m proof you can fight back.”

Now he has his sights set on the legendary Le Mans 24 hour race.

He said: “We are more determined than ever to become the first team of disabled servicemen to compete. We want to inspire and show others that they can do the same.

“To enable us to continue our journey we need support and sponsorship.”