JOHNSON BEHARRY, the 26-year-old private who won the Victoria Cross in Iraq for twice saving comrades under fire, has struck a £1m deal for his autobiography.

The figure dwarfs the sums paid to more senior soldiers such as Sir Peter de la Billière, the Gulf war commander in 1991, and Colonel Tim Collins, whose book on the Iraq conflict was published earlier this year.

Beharry’s account is viewed by Little, Brown, his publisher, as one of the few inspirational stories to emerge from a war that is seen by much of the public as morally dubious, with few opportunities for heroism.

Beharry displayed extraordinary bravery on May Day, 2004 when his Warrior armoured personnel carrier came under sustained fire from rocket-propelled grenades during battles with Iraqi insurgents in the southern town of Amarah.

He had to drive on through the ambush even though the vehicle’s armoured hatch was blown off and its periscope shattered. To save the lives of his crew he carried on for another mile with his head fully exposed to grenades and bullets, one of which penetrated his helmet. Still under fire, he dragged his wounded comrades to safety.

In another ambush a month later, his crew was injured again and he sustained a serious head injury when a grenade exploded on the front of his vehicle. He reversed it to safety as blood streamed down his face. He was left in a coma.

His was the first Victoria Cross awarded since Lieutenant-Colonel H Jones and Sergeant Ian John McKay were decorated posthumously after the Falklands war. Beharry is the first living British recipient of the medal since 1965.

The book deal was clinched at the end of last week after an auction involving six publishers. Mark Lucas, his agent, said the winner must offer £1m.

The deal will give financial security to Beharry, whose future in the army is uncertain because of his injuries. He is also estranged from his wife Lynthia, who was his childhood sweetheart.

Beharry, who was born on the Caribbean island of Grenada and came to Britain when he was 19, will tell how he was brought up in poverty as one of eight children before trying to make a new life for himself in Britain. He now lives in army quarters near Southampton.

The book, Bare Foot Soldier, whose title alludes to his daily three-mile walk to school as a youngster, will also tell how he flirted with petty crime and drugs before joining the army.

According to Lucas, his experiences made him determined “not to waste his life”. Lucas said: “He feels strongly about his roots and wants to help the island as well as his family.

Beharry joined the army against the advice of an older relative. On arrival in Britain he worked as a labourer before seeing a recruiting advertisement for the army. He is still with the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.

Lucas previously secured the book deal for Bravo Two Zero, Andy McNab’s bestselling account of a bungled SAS mission in the first Gulf war. However, publishers bidding for Beharry’s book were told that his life story had echoes of Simon Weston, who as a 20-year-old Welsh Guardsmen in the Falklands war was badly burnt on the troop ship Sir Galahad.

Weston, who has met Beharry, is doubtful about the appeal of his book. “The Falklands was a justified war where we went to defend people,” he said. “Iraq was not justified and the British people know this. I’m not so sure then if they will buy this book.”

Weston is also concerned for Beharry’s future: “I fear his world will come crashing down when he leaves the army.”

Weston maintains that the army could have used Beharry in a more productive way as a role model for other young disadvantaged blacks. However, Lucas said: “He does not want to be a black boys’ pin-up.”

The Ministry of Defence said that Beharry was allowed to write his memoirs but, like all other members of the armed services, he was bound by the Official Secrets Act. The ministry will read the book before its publication.

A number of showbiz figures have secured book deals worth £1m or more, but they have established fan bases and the fees were less of a gamble. They include the late John Peel and the actress Sheila Hancock, who received £1m for a biography of John Thaw, her late husband.

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