Blood, Bombs and boys' talk

The cost of war is usually counted in fallen soldiers. Afghanistan - like Iraq before it - is no different. Last week, the number of British personnel to die in the perpetually war-torn country reached the symbolic figure of 100.

Three-quarters of these deaths are believed to have been caused by improvised explosive devices (IED). But often left unreported are the lives of those severely wounded by this ugly icon of modern warfare.

An article in the Sunday Times, written by Miles Amoore, has attempted to readdress the balance. Blood, bombs and boys' talk tells the story of the military inhabitants of Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham, where bloodied soldiers still carrying the scent of battle are taken to begin their rehabilitations.

The author's 24-year-old brother James - a second lieutenant with 2nd Battalion, the Rifles – was himself hit by an IED while serving in the sprawling maze of alleyways in Helmand province, losing seven pints of blood, his sight in one eye and large chunks of flesh in both legs.

Describing the operations, flashbacks, raw memories and phantom pains of disabled soldiers facing up to their life-changing wounds, the article is well worth a read.