A British soldier claimed today he was permanently injured by an acid bomb which was thrown at him after he shot a nail bomber in Derry on Bloody Sunday.
Soldier R told the Saville Inquiry in London he suffered a debilitating condition called sweat gland fatigue after acid was thrown at him in Derry on January 30th, 1972.
The private was in one of the first army vehicles to drive into the Bogside on the day 13 civil rights marchers were shot dead by British soldiers. A 14th man died later.
The soldier, who was 18 years old at the time, said paratroopers came under fire as soon as they emerged from armoured cars in the area.
"When I got out, I remember hearing incoming gunfire which sounded roughly as if it was coming from the area of the Rossville Flats," he said.
"I heard both high and low velocity gunfire at about the same time.
"The high velocity shooting had a high-pitched 'crack' which sounded like an M1 Carbine or an Armalite rifle.
"There was also a thumping noise which sounded like a Thompson machine gun and some continuous firing from a weapon which sounded like a Thompson machine gun, and some continuous firing from a weapon which sounded like a starting pistol."
Soldier R said he noticed a man in his 20s who he believed was "up to no good" standing close to the wall of Rossville Flats.
"I saw, in his left hand, an object which was smoking and which I thought was a bomb of some description - it could have been a nail bomb, a jelly bomb or a blast bomb," he said.
"The man drew his arm back, in a position similar to a bowling action as though he was about to throw the object.
"I took aim and fired a single shot from my SLR, I believe that the bullet hit him high up on the right shoulder, causing him to spin around."
Soldier R said bottles and bricks were being thrown at soldiers from the Rossville Flats when a bottle smashed near him and acid splashed onto his trousers, eating through them and burning his legs.
"The acid burned the hair off my legs, and the hair has not grown back," he said.
"I have since developed a condition called sweat gland fatigue which means that I am not able to sweat enough.
"I know that I was 100 per cent fit before the incident with the acid. I went from being a grade A1 soldier to a grade 7 which I believe was a result of the effects of the acid."
PA