ASCOTTISH officer whose left arm was blown off below the elbow by an insurgent booby-trap in Iraq continued to radio details of the hostile "contact" with his undamaged right hand as he lay bleeding by the roadside.

Captain Steve "Monty" Monteith was described yesterday as "a very brave man" by the soldierwho raced forward to save his life by staunching the f low of blood.

Corporal Paul Tweedley, 29, from Rothesay, a piper in the Highlanders' regimental band, was on patrol when the bomb exploded 80 yards ahead of him last month, killing an Iraqi interpreter and leaving Captain Monteith severely wounded.

Corporal Tweedley, whose battalion has just returned to its home base at Fallingbostel in Germany after six months in Iraq, said: "We had only been walking for about three minutes along the side of a dual carriageway when there was a huge explosion ahead of me.

"Everyone hit the ground and we cocked our weapons in case the insurgents followed up with a gunfire attack. Then I heard someone on my radio shouting that the boss was down.

"I got up and ran forward to assess the situation. I saw Captain Monteith's left arm was gone below the elbow joint and that the interpreter was dead.

"I ripped open the quickclotting treatment pad and lifted his wounded arm on to his stomach to reduce blood-loss. He was still conscious and on the radio sending a contact report. I couldn't believe it. He's a very brave man."

The booby-traps are often planted on likely patrol routes, hidden under leaves, in potholes or even in dog carcasesto be detonated by remote-control when soldiers pass.

Captain Monteith was leading his patrol in the al Qibla district of Basra, the southern city which houses the headquarters of the 8000-strong British garrison, when the bomb exploded on March 22.

The Highlanders, which became the fourth battalion of the new Royal Regiment of Scotland during its tour, had assigned one rifle company to security duties in the city while others operated up-country.

Corporal Tweedley admitted his biggest fear during the incident was that the insurgents might have planted a follow-up bomb to cut down anyone moving to help those injured in the first blast.

He added: "In the days after something like this, going back out on patrol is that wee bit scarier than it was before. Sometimes you even wonder why you're putting yourself through it. But in many ways, we have lots of pride in the job we do and that keeps us going."

Captain Monteith was bandaged, given morphine, and evacuated by helicopter to a field hospital.

Twelve hours later, he was in a specialist military casualty unit at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham.