A MECHANIC who has followed his two brothers into joining the Army is helping in the fight against the Taleban in Afghanistan.

Craftsman Antony Duffy, 21, from Colchester, is responsible for carrying out maintenance and repairs to vehicles under attack on the hostile frontline.

He is a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers deployed in Helmand as part of 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), Corps of Royal Engineers.

In the UK, he is based at the unit’s headquarters in Woodbridge, Suffolk Craftsman Duffy said: “Our combat engineers are responsible for building patrol bases and checkpoints to provide soldiers with protection, as well as a massive variety of other construction, demolition and engineering tasks.

“But to do that work, they need serviceable equipment and that’s where I come in.

“My role in Afghanistan is slightly different to what I do in the UK because I am working a lot on plant equipment, which is something new to me.

“I enjoy my job thoroughly due to the variety. No two days are the same.

“I have an important job because if vehicles failed to operate, then tasks would not be completed and that makes my work rewarding.”

The former Thomas Lord Audley School pupil and Colchester Sixth Form College student grew up in Colchester with his parents, Wendy and Thomas, and three brothers.

His two older brothers, Matthew and Adam, are soldiers in the 1st Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment, and 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault).