A ROYAL engineer has been recognised by Parliament for his work in building a hospital in a war-torn African country.

Corporal Craig Matthews, from Lowton, worked in South Sudan for around seven months this year on a project to build a hospital for civilians in South Sudan and UN workers.

The 29-year-old, who has 12 years of experience in the armed forces, was one of 120 people representing 51,726 British troops across the world in missions at an event last week.

Chair of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Trust James Gray MP invited them for a march from Wellington Barracks to the Houses of Parliament to celebrate their work.

Prime minister Theresa May also delivered a speech reserving praise for the armed forces on the day.

Craig said: “Working out in South Sudan was very different to the other environments I have been in across the world.

“It was only established in 2011 which makes it the newest country in the world so it is very austere and a hard place to travel around in.

“I have worked in Iraq and Afghanistan but this project was different in it being a humanitarian one.

“To see the end product of the hospital is brilliant because we are helping people that can’t help themselves.

“Without the military, civilians would not be getting these services.”

There were around 400 people who worked alongside Craig in the operation of building the hospital which involved personnel from the army, navy and air force.

Craig was tasked with carrying out ground and road work involved along with other duties.

As well as the Middle East, Craig has served in Kenya, Canada, Germany, Canada among other countries.

He added: “Seeing different parts of the world is fantastic.

“There are not many other jobs that you would get the chance to go to places like South Sudan.”

At the march last week, which was accompanied by a band, MP James Gray said there are currently 3,000 army personnel working across the world.

The servicemen also spoke to parliamentarians, who thanked them for their efforts.