A DUNFERMLINE man tormented by the Lockerbie disaster and in constant pain after leaving the armed forces said the RAF Benevolent Fund helped lift "my life from darkness into the light".

James Henderson was part of the response team when Pan Am flight 103 exploded over the town in 1988, killing all 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground, and it left him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

And after an eventful seven years in the Royal Air Force, a leg injury left him barely able to walk and forced him out of the career he loved, with a big impact on his mental and physical health.

James, now 55, said: "I had always wanted to join the RAF; I was in the air cadets as a youngster and loved to go flying.

"Patriotism was one reason I joined, I wanted to help make the world a safer place and I wanted a career in the RAF.”

However, seven years in he was given the news that injuries sustained during his service would mean he had to leave.

James said: “I was hoping to do my 22 years but that was cut short through injury and I was medically discharged in 1990.

"I suffered a back injury and shin splints that would not heal.

"I just could not carry on as effectively as I should have been able to.

"The decision was made that the best thing to do was for me to leave."

Despite going on to retrain, his physical and mental health impacted his ability to work.

He said: “I started off working in RAF admin discipline, but later I re-mustered and qualified as a survival equipment fitter.

"My job was to make sure when the air crew went up flying, they were going up with the equipment that would help them do their job or survive should the worst happen.

"It was my job to make sure they were safe."

James recalled: "I was also part of the first response to the Lockerbie disaster in 1988.

"I was getting all the kit back that had been used during the rescue efforts and I had nothing but nightmares and flashbacks.”

He struggled on until last year, when he reached out to the RAF Benevolent Fund for help.

Since leaving the RAF, James has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and complex PTSD attributed to his experiences while serving.

Left with a lifetime of pain the fund stepped in to provide mobility equipment to help him live more comfortably at home in Dunfermline, including a riser recliner chair and bed, a mobility scooter and wheelchair adapted vehicle.

James said: “Before the fund offered me help, I did not know where to turn.

"I just kept getting closed doors until someone put me on to SSAFA, who contacted the fund who sent an occupational therapist to assess me before they could offer the help I so desperately needed.

"It was so hard to get about to do things, I could never get comfortable in bed or sitting down.

"I could not stand for long; I could not walk for more than a few feet without extreme pain.

"This is still the case, but every item the fund has provided for me has helped increase my quality of life.

“The fund’s help has lifted my life from darkness into the light.

"Words cannot say how grateful my wife and I are, all I can say is that we are eternally grateful for all the help from the RAF Benevolent Fund.”