ONE of Catterick Garrison's most well-known characters has finally called time on an Army career that has spanned more than 36 years.

Warrant Officer I Graham Prince recently handed over the reins of the Operations in Built Up Area complex at Whinny Hill to WOI John Dawson.

Since arriving at the Hill ten years ago WO1 Prince said he had seen it being transformed from a run-down and deserted village to a state-of-the-art urban operations complex. It is now heavily used by all three services as well as foreign armies and national civilian agencies such as the police.

He has seen remarkable transformations around the garrison over the years.

"The quality of life here is changing for the better all the time but one of the most marked changes I have seen is the number of military personnel in the garrison," he said.

"When I first came here I would probably see a soldier every now and then but today it is every other person. There are also jobs for the dependents which makes life a lot easier for families."

It's all a very different tale to when WO1 Prince followed in his father George's footsteps and joined the Prince of Wales Volunteers back in 1966.

"The soldiers have not changed that much, although they are not quite as disciplined, but today they have the finest clothing for all climates and state-of-the-art equipment," he said.

WO1 Prince has already settled into a job a with the police at Beach Head Lines.