A FORMER army corporal has launched legal action against the Ministry of Defence claiming a debilitating condition he picked up while serving in Afghanistan was misdiagnosed.

Morgan Gilbert, 35, of Kirriemuir, Angus, was medically discharged from the army with chronic pains in his hands and feet which prevented him from reaching the rank of sergeant.

The aches surfaced when he was warming up and first began when he was returning from patrol in conditions of extreme cold.

They flared up again when he finished his tour and went back to the UK, beginning when he went on exercises in milder conditions which previously had caused him no problems.

He became concerned and reported his symptoms and was diagnosed with Raynaud’s disease – which affects the blood supply to certain parts of the body.

However, his condition failed to improve with treatment provided by army doctors and he was discharged.

After leaving the army Mr Gilbert was able to have doctors re-examine him, which revealed he had suffered a Non-Freezing Cold Injury (NFCI) because of the conditions he had faced during his deployment.

He said that he feels badly let down by the MoD, and has been left facing a lifetime of pain.

He said: “It was incredibly frustrating when I found out I had been misdiagnosed for two years. While serving in Afghanistan I didn’t expect it to be a holiday with lots of luxuries but I expected that I would be looked after by the MoD.

“I was working in extreme cold conditions throughout my six-month tour without any form of heating or respite from the cold. The only warmth I got was from getting into my sleeping bag.”

Mr Gilbert joined the army in 1999, but was medically discharged in 2015 because of his condition.

He added: “I never expected that the issues I was facing would leave me with any long-term problems.

“This condition has had a huge impact on my life and I feel I deserve to know whether more should or could have been done to correctly diagnose me or stop it from developing in the first place.

“In this day and age it seems unthinkable that service personnel would be let down, like I have been despite the Army being well aware of such conditions since World War One. I deserve answers.”

The former soldier has now engaged specialist military injury lawyers at law firm Irwin Mitchell to take up his case.

He and his legal team are keen for lessons to be learned from his treatment and for more to be done to ensure soldiers are supported as much as possible, including being trained for cold conditions.

Alexander Davenport, who is representing Mr Gilbert, said: “Non-freezing cold injuries can have a very serious, debilitating impact on victims, leading them to suffer sensitivity to the cold and chronic pain which can affect them for the rest of their lives.

“Quick and accurate diagnosis of them is incredibly important.

“Most concerning is that it was only through our investigations that Morgan was correctly diagnosed with NFCI. Those who serve put their lives on the line and do not deserve to be let down in ways like this.

“We are determined to ensure that our client gets both the justice he deserves and also access to the support which will assist him as he continues to cope with the impact of this permanent condition will have on him in the future.”

An MoD spokesman said they do not comment on individual cases, adding: “Our people receive regular training and education as well as the right kit for cold conditions, but this type of injury can affect anyone.”

He added they pay out where they are legally liable.