A CWMBRAN man, who has dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to the Territorial Army (TA), is to retire from the service.

Stewart Stannard, 57, has served in the TA alongside the regular army in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan in a spell of 36 years of service.

Injured while serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded beneath the Mastiff armoured vehicle he was travelling in, Mr Stannard was told his touring days were over, so he decided he was "past my sell-by date" and made the decision to hang up his camouflage this September.

The former Croesyceiliog school pupil, says: "I suffered a fracture in my neck and a fracture in my lower back in the explosion.

"I was serving alongside the Royal Welsh and we were part of the 4th combined logisitc patrol which was quite a big convoy, when the explosion went off.

It was right underneath the Mastiff so the force was like being ejected from a plane. "Our commanding officer was thrown out of the vehicle and three of the lads were medically discharged as a result of their injuries."

As a result of the recent cuts to the regular army, the TA will have increased numbers and importance in future operations and Mr Stannard is unsure of how easy that transition will be.

"There is probably 15-20% of the TA now who would be willing to do more tours and able to get time off.

"I think what they might have to do is make members of the regular army work a certain time in the TA as part of when they leave, but whether these people would want to keep going back to Afghanistan again and again I don’t know. It’s not a place you want to go back to too many times. "

Sixteen months on from his injuries in 2009 he was able to return to the TA but after being told he could no longer tour due to his medical situation, the father of two, decided to wind down his TA career.

"I loved it when I joined and I still love it now, but I guess I will have to find another part-time job now," he said.