A TEENAGE army cadet rescued the life of a fellow Bay youngster after he was stuck in an upturned boat with limited oxygen.

Corporal Josh Langdon, 14, from Chelston, has now been honoured by senior officers for saving the life of fellow cadet Nathan Robinson after they capsized on a reservoir in South Wales.

Nathan was tangled up in ropes and gasping for breath in a tiny pocket of air under the upturned boat.

Josh, who received a special commendation for his heroics, said from his home in Highland Close yesterday: "We were turning the boat around when a spool of wind flipped it right over. I was flung quite a way into the water while Nathan got dragged under with his foot tangled in ropes.

"I managed to get to Nathan who was struggling for air inside. There wasn't much oxygen left in the air pocket because he'd used it all up.

"I managed to shake him and get him out. It took some effort because I was fighting against my buoyancy aids."

The youngster, a pupil at Westlands School, added: "Nathan had swallowed a lot of water and reckoned he had just a minute of air left. He told me his life had flashed before him."

One of two rescue speedboats arrived just as the drama came to an end last Thursday during a summer camp for the Torquay detachment of the Devon Army Cadet Force (DAFC), based at Torquay Boys' Grammar School.

The incident happened just 50 metres from the shore of Ponticillis Reservoir near Merthyr Tydfil.

Nathan, also 14 and a pupil at Torquay Community College, did not need hospital treatment, although he was treated at the scene for shock.

Devon Army Cadet Force spokesman Major David Waterworth said: "Josh was very quick-thinking and extremely courageous. This was a life-saving act. For this he rightly received a bravery certificate from Colonel David Howells, the Commandant of the DAFC."

He added: "Our staff would have got there in time, but Josh just beat them to it."

Josh's godmother Mary Fielding said: "We are incredibly proud of him. He deserves this recognition."

Nathan was not available for comment.