Private Ryan Houston receives Mention in Despatches for bravery A soldier who chased away the rogue Afghan gunman who killed Captain Walter Barrie during a football match at an army base has been honoured for his bravery. Private Ryan Houston 22, from Hamilton, Lanarkshire, received the oldest honour for bravery within the UK Armed Forces, a Mention in Despatches, for his actions on the day Cpt Barrie was shot dead. Pte Houston was on duty at the Forward Operating Base Shawqat in the Nad-e-Ali district of Helmand Province when the Afghan soldier opened fire on a group of Afghan and British troops who were playing football. As the players ran for cover, Pte Houston of 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 Scots), immediately raised his weapon and fired at the rogue shooter. The gunman fled from the pitch, continuing to fire along the length of the accommodation and welfare tents. Pte Houston followed the gunman, who was firing an AK-47 rifle, and a fellow soldier came from the tents to help. They managed to drive the gunman away from the tents between two buildings at the base. As the two soldiers moved across the ground the man fired more than 50 rounds at them. They wounded the gunman with a shot and managed to capture him. Pte Houston provided cover to his colleagues as they gave first aid to the rogue soldier, who moments earlier had been trying to kill them. He said: "I had to think of the bigger picture, it's what we are trained to do. This was the most difficult situation I have ever been involved in but the training takes over and you do what you have to do. I did feel in danger and when we checked our positions afterwards we could see from the bullet strikes that he had been firing at us. Cpt Barrie, 41, died of the injuries he sustained when he was shot at close range by the rogue shooter. Cpt Walter Barrie who died during the attack. His citation states: "Were it not for the prompt, controlled and accurate aggression, and sheer nerve of Houston, there is no question that the enemy would have claimed many more lives and been able to escape. In the face of intense weight of close quarter enemy fire, Houston's professional discipline and courageous action saved life. The soldier, who was serving in his first tour of Afghanistan, said: "I was providing cover of the advisors who were working with the Afghans. It's strange because you do build a good relationship with the Afghans but you have to keep in the back of your mind that something like this could happen. The announcement was made on Thursday with the release of the latest operational honours and awards list which includes 117 personnel. Pte Houston, who joined the Army in 2010 and has a three year-old son Billy, added: "I was really surprised to get the honour. I was called to see the Commanding Officer and thought "Oh what have I done?" My mum and dad are proud of me, and I'll explain it to Billy when he gets older. Four other soldiers from the same battalion who helped train their Afghan counterparts on a recent tour have been honoured for their work. Corporal Dennis Skinner was mentioned in dispatches when, during one mission with the Afghan Task Force 444 to search compounds in Aikozai, a soldier was badly injured after stepping on an explosive device.