A RECENTLY-MARRIED soldier who has been living at North Baddesley was due to be flown home this week after being badly injured in a bomb attack in Iraq.

Private Darron Curtis was one of nine British soldiers and several Iraqi civilians who were wounded by a suspected suicide car bomb last Thursday.

The terrorist attack occurred as workers were leaving Shalibah Airfield, a sprawling military compound surrounded by desert 22 miles south west of Basra in southern Iraq.

Private Curtis is 22 and is serving with the 2nd Battalion of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. He has been in the Army for about three years and was married to his wife, Haylee, just two months ago.

He was evacuated to a United States medical centre in Kuwait immediately after the incident and had operations for shrapnel injuries to his hand, eye and neck.

He was due to be flown home for further treatment at Birmingham General Hospital.

Private Curtis and his wife had been living with her parents at North Baddesley before being posted to Iraq about three weeks before the explosion.

Mrs Curtis, who is 21, heard of her husband's injuries via a telephone call from the Army on the night of the attack.

She said: "I realised something was wrong as soon as my dad told me the Army was on the phone.

"I immediately thought the worst and I was overcome with emotion. I didn't want to believe it and I just started crying.

Now she is hoping he doesn't have to go back to Iraq and she added: "When I first found out Darron was going to Iraq I wasn't pleased, but I don't really think anyone would be. There's never a good time to go out there, but I know it was something he had to do.

"I tried not to watch the news because there is always things on about suicide bombers and car bombers."

Darron's father, Martin Curtis, who lives at Midanbury in Southampton, said the family did not know the exact extent of his injuries.

"But," he said, "we do know that out of all the soldiers there at the time he was hit the worst.

"When he's in uniform he's very proud and whatever he does he always does to the best of his ability. He's pretty resilient and we hope that he gets over what's happened and can get on with his life."