A CHARITY fundraiser and former soldier has died after a battle with cancer.

Vernon Clifford James died on November 2 aged 53 after battling a rare type of cancer in his intestine.

Mr James was born in Newport and left at 16 to join the Junior Leaders Battalion at Norton Manor in Taunton.

He then went into the regular army and served with 50 Movement Control Squadron Royal Transport Corps for 15 years where he was responsible for moving troops and equipment all around the world.

His job took him to Germany in the 1980s where he was commended by the Commander of the British Army for his role in making the arrangements for injured personnel and accommodation for their families following a bomb blast.

Mr James served in Kenya, Norway, Canada and twice in the Falklands.

His father Cliff James said his son had “loved the army”, adding: “We’re so proud of what he achieved.”

Mr James retired from the army as a sergeant in the 1990s to spend more time with his children and moved back to Newport.

He lived in Pill and worked as a transport manager and helped organise the annual Pill Carnival.

Mr James did a lot of fundraising for the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research.

He left Newport six years ago and moved to Portsmouth with his family.

His father Cliff said a biopsy found a growth in his son’s intestine a few months ago and he underwent surgery.

But he said another scan 12 weeks later found the tumour had come back and was twice as big.

Mr James was told the devastating news he had only a fortnight left to live.

He died at Rowans Hospice in Portsmouth on November 2 and leaves behind his wife Claire, children Richard, Gareth and Holly and parents Cliff and Maureen.

The funeral will be held at Portchester Crematorium in Portsmouth at 12pm tomorrow. Donations to the British Heart Foundation.