A DECORATED Sedgemoor war veteran has relived the horrors of battles he has been involved in all over the world.

Gilbert Rae, 68, originally from Perthshire in Scotland, fought with the King's Own Scottish Borderers in countries including Yemen, Malaysia, Borneo and Ireland.

He was awarded the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal, which the Malaysian Government gives to eligible British citizens for their service in the country between August 1957 and August 1966.

Retired Gilbert, who now lives with his partner Lizzie in Pawlett, has shared his sometimes brutal experiences of war in a special Mercury interview.

He said: “Yemen always sticks in my memory; you could fry an egg on the rocks during the day it was so hot, but at night there was ice on our tents it was so freezing.

“But I loved it out in the deserts and jungles; it was such a different environment with all the huge insects and beasties.

“Some of our guys were killed out there looking for mines.

“One of our vehicles, an armoured personnel carrier, went over a mine and our section commander was sat on the side with his legs hanging over the edge; when the mine went off it blew his feet off.

“Every night we were under attack from machine guns at 6pm on the dot but we just got used to it.

“I was one of the lucky ones as I never got injured; you just had to stay alert but it wasn't easy with the heat and tiredness.”

Despite being told he must not wear his PJM medal on parades, Gilbert still wears his with immense pride.

“I've never been back out to those wonderful countries, but I would really love to”, he added.