A HELMET that saved a soldier’s life is going on display at Bovington Tank Museum.
Lance Corporal Craig Murfitt was shot in the head – but still saved a girl’s life.
He saw a Taliban sniper 300 yards away but could not open fire because the sniper was hiding behind a 10-year-old girl.
The two men had their guns trained on each other – then the sniper shot him.
His Mark 7 helmet absorbed the full impact of the AK-47 bullet. LCpl Murfitt was knocked to the ground but survived without serious injury.
He said: “I knew I could take him down but, being a dad myself, I didn’t want to run the risk of killing a kid and undoing all the good work we’d achieved.”
His helmet, complete with bullet hole, will be part of the Battlegroup Afghanistan exhibition that opens on Saturday, April 9.
He was serving with 2nd Royal Tank Regiment and the museum has interviewed dozens of returning soldiers from the regiment to create an interactive display.
People can wander around a mock Forward Operating Base and hear soldiers’ tell their stories in their own words.
Tank Museum Curator David Willey said: “Museums are about objects that tell stories and we are honoured that LCpl Murfitt has chosen to donate this object to us. “A helmet is usually a mundane piece of a soldier’s kit, but this one tells a remarkable story of what the army calls ‘courageous restraint’.”
LCpl Murfitt, a father of one, is based in Tidworth, and his family home is in Barnstaple, Devon.
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