Army medic James Lister spends his days healing wounded soldiers as British troops prepare for a possible full-scale land invasion of Kosovo.

The 25-year-old lance corporal is based in neighbouring Macedonia.

He cares for fellow recruits who have been injured during the three-and-a-half week bombing campaign against Serb forces. His unit is attached to the 2nd Armed Field Hospital Ambulance which is part of the Royal Army's Medical Corps.

James' mum Kathleen, an administrative assistant for the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, fears for her son's safety as the campaign reaches crisis point and the possibility of a long-term ground war escalates.

"I try not to watch the news too much," she says. "But it's his job and what he's doing at the moment is part of his duties. When I spoke to him on the phone last week, he sounded fine. I regularly send him parcels full of letters, crisps, biscuits and the Keighley News.

"All I know is that he's working in a hospital somewhere treating injured troops and working 12-hour shifts. I do worry about him a lot and I hope he can come home in September. We all can't wait to see him.

"But what I do know is that the weather's very changeable out there. He's had barbecues in the snow and then put on his T-shirts and shorts in the blazing sun."

James' sister Joanne, 20, works in Leeds. Dad James is a warehouse worker at Keighley's Peter Black Holdings. The family live in Staveley Way, Ingrow.

James, who recently got engaged to a German girl - Anji - has been based in Herford, Germany, for the last 12 months.

When back home, the former Holy Family School pupil enjoys nothing more than doing civil maintenance work on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. "He's always loved the railway and has worked on it since the age of 14," says Kathleen.

This week, it was indicated by defence sources that 8,000 British troops in the area could be used to secure vital gateways for a larger force to enter Kosovo through Albania. In the meantime, Nato has increased its air firepower in an effort to destroy the military machine of Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.