A FORMER British soldier who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles has decided not to return his medal after the prosecution backtracked over the decision to prosecute a soldier for murder on Bloody Sunday.

Martin Ledbury of Worcester who served in the Royal Artillery was one of a number of veterans who vowed to send back his treasured Northern Ireland medal in protest if the paratrooper - known as Soldier F - was prosecuted for the killing of two people on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.

City-born Mr Ledbury who joined the Royal Artillery as a 16-year-old has been involved in various tours in Northern Ireland since 1978, serving in Lurgan and Portadown in County Armagh where he performed peace-keeping duties, went out on patrol, searched for weapons with the Royal Ulster Constabulary and confronted IRA targets.

He estimates he was about 100 yards away from a bombing in Lurgan High Street in November 1978.

The 61-year-old father who lives near Newtown Road in Worcester said he felt solidarity with Soldier F, describing him as ‘part of the brotherhood’ and ‘family’ of soldiers and that many other veterans had stood by him.

He said he was relieved and heartened by the decision not to prosecute Soldier F and hoped that would be the end of the matter, bringing to a close a painful chapter in British and Irish history.

Earlier this month it was decided that two Army veterans facing murder charges from the Northern Ireland Troubles, including on Bloody Sunday in 1972, will now not face trial.

The cases involve individuals known as Soldier F and Soldier B.

Soldier F was to be prosecuted over the deaths of James Wray and William McKinney on Bloody Sunday.

The case against Soldier B relates to the death of 15-year-old Daniel Hegarty, who was shot twice in the head in Londonderry in July 1972.

Mr Ledbury said: "We were following orders and it's not right that men should be prosecuted for doing what they were told in a tough and very challenging situation. We cannot have one rule for terrorists, who took the lives of British soldiers, and another for the soldiers themselves.

"It is time we all move on and let the scars heal. I hope now that peace will prevail and that all of us, no matter our views, can work towards a peaceful solution. I've been discussing this with other veterans and I think we're all of one mind. We feel our voice has been heard and the Governments have taken on board our comments."

The former Christopher Whitehead pupil, speaking in April 2019, said of Solider F that he had been made 'a scapegoat'.

Before the cases were dropped, he had told the Worcester News: "I feel angry that there has been this betrayal of trust. We were only doing what we were ordered to do, taking the Queen’s shilling and obeying orders.

“ I was there in the heart of the Troubles. We all risked our lives for our country and this is how we are treated. We feel it’s one rule for the terrorists and another for us.”

Mr Ledbury described receiving his Northern Ireland medal at the age of 19 as one of the proudest moments of his life and he said it was a source of anger and regret that he now felt compelled to take such a drastic step. Because of his service in Northern Ireland he was promoted from gunner to lance bombardier.

He learned of the plan to prosecute Soldier F on social media. “I couldn’t believe it. He was just doing his job. It shouldn’t have happened,” he said.

Mr Ledbury said he has been in contact with ex-paratrooper, corporal Jim Kenyon, the former mayor of Hereford, who has already sent back his Northern Ireland medal to Downing Street in protest.

He was one of three veterans to return his medal along with 23 white feathers – one for each member of the Cabinet, saying they represent ‘cowardice’ in the face of the enemy.

Mr Kenyon said other veterans have contacted him to say they would also hand back their medals in protest. He has argued that the Good Friday Agreement should have involved an amnesty for all involved in the Troubles and that it was wrong for the UK Government to allow the prosecution to go ahead after so many years.

However, he advised Mr Ledbury to hold back on returning his medal to see how the government responds to the ongoing protest.