A ROYAL Marine medic has proved to be a lifesaver twice over after treating a stricken woman following a jet-ski accident.

Corporal Wayne Tomlinson was on a beach in Bahrain when the woman was dragged from the water by family members.

She had stopped breathing and was motionless after coming off a jet-ski and hitting her head in the fall.

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Cpl Tomlinson, who was honoured last year for saving the lives of four Afghan boys injured by a Taliban bomb, jumped into action when he heard the woman, in her 20s, had got into difficulties at the Coral Bay Resort.

The 30-year-old commando and former Burnley College student, from Stacksteads, worked quickly to place her in the recovery position and begin resuscitation efforts.

The father-of-two was able to clear her lungs and ensure her heart started beating again - to the delight of her distraught relatives.

Cpl Tomlinson, who had been watching football in a nearby beach bar, said: "Saving her life was a bit surreal - it all happened so quickly.

"But as soon as I realised the situation was serious the adrenalin kicked in and I didn't have time to stop and think about anything else.

Cpl Tomlinson said the woman had turned a greyish blue and wasn’t breathing, but after a few minutes she started to come around.

He said: “I am just grateful that I was in the right place at the right time. The Royal Marines gave me the training to be able to save lives, and I can do that both on the battlefield and in everyday life."

Later that day the woman, who is from Bahrain, was able to get in touch with the ex-Fearns High trooper, a member of the Taunton-based B Company 40 Commandos, to offer further thanks for his quick-thinking approach, as did the resort's management.

His mother Gwyneth, of Osborn Terrace, Stacksteads said: "I'm just so proud of him - how could you not be?

"This is something he loves and he wanted to do it from leaving college. He passed out from basic training in 2004 and has been with the commandos ever since."

The drama was all in a day's work for the marine - married to Jade and dad to six-year-old Theo and two-year-old Charlie.

He was nominated for a military award last year after helping to save the lives of four Afghan boys while serving in Helmand Province in January 2013.

Four youngsters were seriously hurt when one stepped on a roadside explosive device while playing.

One lost a leg, another had stomach wounds and a third had a broken jaw - but Cpl Tomlinson stayed calm and was able to give emergency first aid and ensure all four pulled through.