A MONMOUTH man who is one of Wales’ longest-serving ambulance officers is retiring after 46 years of service.

Bob Morgan, who is orginally from Pill, Newport, will hang up his uniform next week to spend his retirement with his wife, Patricia, 61, who has recently left the service after 25 years working as an ambulance technician.

Mr Morgan, 64, meant to retire three years ago but returned to full-time work because he couldn’t face the prospect of retirement.

But he admits now the time is right, he said: “Forty-six years is a long time and it won’t be easy letting go, but I think the time has now come for me to let others make their mark.”

The grandfather of 12 left school aged 15 and joined British Rail as an engine cleaner before becoming a footplate fireman with the firm.

Keen to follow his ambulance driver father’s footsteps, he worked delivering groceries for Jones Bros to gain driving experience.

In the years that followed he joined the council’s parks department before transferring to the then council-run ambulance service in 1965.

Starting out in Bridgend, he worked his way up to become divisional officer for north Gwent and assistant chief officer at Caerleon, before being made acting chief officer until the South and East Wales Ambulance Trust came into being in 1993.

From there he became a divisional officer for Gwent and has also worked in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Despite admitting to seeing some heartbreaking scenes in the line of duty, he has fond memories of his time with the service.

He said: “On those occasions the training kicks in and you just go into automatic mode.

“It’s only later that you think back and realise what you have been involved in and it hits home how fragile life is – and then the next call is to the birth of a baby, so life goes on.”