Former TTS student awarded the George Cross

Former student Staff Sergeant Kim Hughes has been awarded the George Cross for an extraordinary act of bravery in Afghanistan.

Kim is a bomb disposal expert and he manually disarmed a number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) so that wounded colleagues could be safely evacuated from a dangerous situation. The fact that he did so without the security of protective clothing serves even more to demonstrate his outstanding gallantry.

Kim was amongst the first intake of students at TTS when the School opened in September 1991 and Headmaster Sir Kevin Satchwell said he was overwhelmed to hear the news of Kim’s act of heroism. He added: "We are immensely proud of Kim’s heroism and the bravery that he has displayed under the most extreme conditions in Afghanistan.

He was a very hardworking student who expected high standards of himself and always gave of his best. I recall he had already set his sights firmly on joining the Army. He was a member of the Shropshire Army Cadet Force Shooting Team and was also a fine athlete. We were absolutely delighted for him when he passed all the necessary physical and medical examinations to join the Royal Logistics Corps at the age of 16.

To learn today of Kim’s outstanding bravery has left us feeling more than a little humbled in the face of such an extraordinary act of courage. As a nation, we owe so much to Kim and his colleagues who risk their lives every day."