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The manoeuvre was hailed as one of the biggest successes of modern military history and one of the most dangerous missions since the Second World War. In late August 2008, a 22-tonne turbine bound for the Kajaki hydroelectric dam in Afghanistan鈥檚 Helmand province was driven by Nato forces along a 100-mile secret route. It involved crossing the hostile Afghan desert in the heart of Taliban territory.

Before the convoy could advance, a small team of bomb disposal officers worked to secure the path. Among them was 28-year-old Captain Louise Greenhalgh, a soldier halfway through a six-month deployment abroad and 3,000 miles away from her other place of work, the second floor of consultant Cyril Sweett鈥檚 London office.

This construction risk manager is also a 10-year member of the Territorial Army, and the first female bomb disposal officer to serve in Helmand.

鈥淲e had just got back from R&R 鈥� our two-week break in the middle of our tour 鈥� and there was a request that they needed us up at Kajaki,鈥� she says, now safely back in the UK. 鈥淚t was a matter of 鈥榬ight, get your stuff together and get going鈥�. We spent 10 days preparing and patrolling the route.鈥�

It is hard to reconcile the image of a frontline soldier in body armour with the suited consultant at London鈥檚 Grays Inn Road. But Greenhalgh believes the two roles have more in common than people think. 鈥淏omb disposal is very like risk management. There鈥檚 problem solving, planning and organisation. You have to stay calm, try and limit the possibility of explosion and lower the impact if there is one.鈥�

She downplays the dangers she faced including rescue missions and gunfire. 鈥淣ormally it was a small amount of fire, then it would move off. You get used to it.鈥�

And any suggestion that, as the only woman in her regiment, she might have had a harder time than most is met with a puzzled expression.

Since choosing the TA over the 鈥渓ess exciting鈥� university sports clubs during freshers鈥� week at Kingston University, she has been an active reservist 鈥� training one night a week and one weekend a month and rising to the rank of captain.

She opted to join the TA engineers team because of its 鈥渨ork hard, play hard鈥� ethic, and bomb disposal struck her as an 鈥渋nteresting challenge鈥�. She proved to be a dab hand at it.

Greenhalgh always knew she could be deployed to a war zone. Receiving an official envelope on her doormat a year ago was a big moment. 鈥淭hey call it 鈥榯he brown envelope鈥�,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淭here was a mix of emotions: fear, excitement, pride in being selected. It took a while to sink in. I had three months to prepare and go through extra, intensive training.鈥�

But before she could leave, there was the small matter of sorting out her other job here in the UK. Greenhalgh was on secondment to London鈥檚 Southwark council and Cyril Sweett had to replace her quickly to keep the client happy. The firm received funding from the Ministry of Defence to help out with her sudden departure.

Her colleagues kept in touch throughout her tour. 鈥淭hey used to send me the best packages,鈥� she says. 鈥淔or my birthday, I got one that had pictures of everyone in the office holding up signs saying 鈥楬ello鈥� and 鈥楬ow鈥檚 the tan?鈥�,鈥� she says. 鈥淕etting post like that was such a morale boost. When you come in from patrol and see what you鈥檝e got lying on your bed, it鈥檚 great.鈥�

I often think about the colleagues we lost, but at the time you just have to pick yourself up and get on with things

Louise Greenhalgh

One such delivery sticks in Louise鈥檚 mind.

鈥淚 ordered a paddling pool on Amazon and it was the best 拢20 I have ever spent. By July, the temperature was 50潞C so if I didn鈥檛 have any work to do, I鈥檇 sit in the paddling pool with my friends.鈥�

It鈥檚 a strange life at Camp Bastion, located north-west of Helmand鈥檚 capital Lashkar Gah. It鈥檚 an eight square mile, 2,000-person base in the middle of the desert where people can watch DVDs, play volleyball or even grab a bite at Pizza Hut. They are also kept awake at night by Chinook helicopters on twilight missions to rescue colleagues with bullet wounds or severed limbs.

鈥淲e would accompany the medics out to the battlefield to pick up casualties,鈥� recalls Greenhalgh. 鈥淭here were some terrible sights.鈥�

Here she clams up, unwilling to give more detail. The camps often came under attack and Louise says on average there was a death a week during her time in Afghanistan.

鈥淚 often think about the colleagues we lost, but at the time you just have to pick yourself up and get on with things,鈥� she says.

鈥淚 had moments of intense fear, but the thing about being out there is you鈥檙e not on your own. When you come under fire, there is air support within seconds and then the fear goes. At night it can be hard to sleep because of the mortars, but you get used to it.鈥�

When they weren鈥檛 stationed at Bastion, Louise鈥檚 regiment 鈥� which also included a construction site manager and a heating engineer 鈥� was sent to smaller, more exposed outposts up to 180km (or 28 minutes鈥� flying time) away.

Facilities were basic. 鈥淲e had weight-lifting equipment made from scrap bits of metal and at night it was a matter of sleeping on a camp bed under the stars or playing cards by candlelight 鈥� I learned poker.鈥�

Asked whether army living has affected her attitude to life back home, Louise says: 鈥淚t just makes you worry less about the smaller things.鈥�

But perhaps it鈥檚 more than that. As she leaves, Louise scoops up the plate of uneaten biscuits from the table: 鈥淚鈥檒l take these for the team,鈥� she says.