Sergeant Terence Wall often uses his Blockbuster card to take out his favourite action movies from the DVD store.

But he never imagined he would use the card to save the life of a man who was stabbed in a restaurant gang attack.

Sgt Wall and four comrades from Abingdon-based 4 Logistic Support Regiment stepped in to help on June 26 after being posted to Calgary in Canada for training.

Their intensive medical training prepared them well for the moment they found a man in the street leaning against the restaurant with five stab wounds to his back.

Two of the soldiers from Dalton Barracks used plastic cards to treat sucking wounds and stabilised the victim before paramedics arrived.

Now Sgt Wall, Lance Corporal Sam Neil 25, Private Ben Regan, 20, Private Lee Wingrove, 23, and Private Cai Thomas, 19, have been recognised for their lifesaving actions by Calgary police chief Rick Hanson who sent them an award each.

Sgt Wall, 29, from Sunderland, said: “The paramedics told us our actions almost certainly saved the man’s life.

“I never expected to use the Blockbuster card in this way but I knew I could treat a sucking wound in this way.

“We had all been on a night out, but when we saw the guy covered in blood it was instinctive to try to help.

“We were told afterwards that the man, who was in his mid-20s, had been in a critical condition but has recovered.

“We kept the man conscious and talking while we applied pressure to the stab wounds. We must have been there for about 20 minutes.”

Pte Regan, from Hull, borrowed a credit card from a passer-by to treat a second sucking wound.

He said: “All of us will be going out to Afghanistan next year and now we have this real-life experience we’ll be ready to use it on the battlefield.”

L Cpl Neil, from Merseyside, said the plastic cards were used to recreate the Asherman’s Chest Seal technique, which allows air to escape from one corner of the seal but does not allow air in.

This procedure then helps the patient to start breathing normally again.

He added: “We are all chuffed that we’ve received these awards from the police chief before we are deployed to Afghanistan in March.”

Team medic L Cpl Jonathan Baker, 26, said: “It was quick-thinking to use the cards in this situation. They did everything right and I’m convinced they saved this guy’s life.”

A second man was stabbed at the restaurant on the same night and suffered a collapsed lung but the soldiers were not aware of this until later.

Brigadier Justin Maciejewski, brigade commander, said: “I’m extremely proud of the actions of these soldiers.

“They showed considerable moral and physical courage.”