Real troupers: Inspirational band of brothers takes to stage at Edinburgh Fringe

AS a serving soldier based at Craigiehall Barracks near Edinburgh, one of Ken Bellringer’s responsibilities was to be a first responder for the annual tattoo.

On their down time, he and his colleagues would walk around the city, soaking up the atmosphere of the festival.

But as far as theatre and the arts were concerned, Ken regarded it all as “a bit artsy-fartsy, for lack of a better term”.

So it may come as a surprise that, several years on, Ken is returning to the festival – as a performer at the Fringe.

The 46-year-old’s journey to the stage is one of the most harrowing and unique of anyone taking part this year.

As a bomb disposal expert serving in Afghanistan, Ken was blown up as he attempted to save a comrade who stood on a Taliban improvised explosive device.

Warrant Officer Bellringer of the Royal Logistics Corps lost both legs and suffered severe damage to his hands.

His survival is miraculous. That he can appear on stage and crack jokes is testament to the dad-of-two’s bravery and spirit.

Ken is appearing alongside 14 other members of Bravo 22 company, a military arts-based recovery programme, to star in Unspoken. The play explores the aftermath of trauma and injury and is based on interviews with 100 veterans and their spouses.

It is set in a Royal British Legion club and Ken plays a comedian, appearing in his wheelchair and describing himself as a sit-down stand-up.

“After my injuries I would go around schools and teach pupils about resilience and how to deal with problems,” Ken said.

“I was told about Bravo 22 and was keen to get involved, even though the only time I’d previously acted was in the school nativity when I was six.”

Ken served for nearly 27 years, his first tour being in Northern Ireland in 1994.

It was on November 15, 2009 that his life changed forever. His team was tasked with identifying six Taliban devices. That was nothing unusual, as he had dealt with 60 in six months.

He quickly negotiated the first one, but then a comrade’s feet became lodged in what he thought was a rabbit hole.

“We laughed at first,” Ken, from Nottinghamshire, recalled.

“But then I saw the hole had straight edges, so I knew it was a device and we were in a very precarious situation.

“I could have left him and made sure I was safe, or stayed to help. There was really only one choice – you can’t be a soldier and just think of yourself.

“I felt the blast throw me through the air, but when I landed I had no pain.

“I kept my eyes shut. I think something in my head was telling me I didn’t want to see the damage.

“The last thing I remember is the helicopter landing and a nurse saying ‘I’ve got you’.”

Corporal Loren Marlton-Thomas was killed in the explosion, while Ken’s injuries were the worst staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham had ever seen.

When Ken woke up, he told himself he was alive and everything else would be a bonus.

He had lost his legs high above his knees, his pelvis was shattered and he had a serious infection.

“The medics didn’t expect me to live. I was the first person they managed to save who had a penile injury.

“I accepted my injuries quite quickly, but it was extremely difficult for my wife Chris.”

Ken was in the Queen Elizabeth for five months, then moved to Hedley Court in Surrey for rehabilitation.

He remained there, on and off, until March this year, more than eight years after the explosion.

After the week of shows at the Fringe the production will move south – including a performance at the House of Commons.

Ken added: “Every day I live I think of my friends who were killed over there doing the same job. I know they would swap positions with me if they could to be with their loved ones again.”

Unspoken – The Warriors And Their Wounds, Pleasance Beyond – Pleasance Courtyard, August 21-27.