AN Army officer who helped save countless lives in war-torn Afghanistan has been officially honoured for his humanitarian efforts.

Major Duane Fletcher, from Bedale, North Yorkshire, has been awarded the MBE after developing the first fully-functional Afghan-run trauma centre in Helmand province.

Second in command of nursing at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, he was deployed to Afghanistan to mentor a fledgling Afghan medical facility in Shorabak run by the Afghan National Security Force.

He took charge of the medical mentoring team and built on the foundations of previous ANSF work to deliver a critical component of the UK Medical Group Mission.

Starting with a basic tented operating theatre, he drew on advice and resources from the UK, US and Afghan partners to develop the medical facility.

And under his leadership, the trauma centre now has a coordinated patient focus and an evolving regime of equipment maintenance that is equipped to deal with severe battle casualties and medical emergencies.

His citation reads: "Maj Fletcher has personally driven the development of the Afghan Trauma Centre, contributing greatly to the maintenance of morale within the ANSF throughout Helmand Province.

“His work has established a capability that will undoubtedly continue to save more lives as part of the enduring legacy of the International Security Assistance Force.”

Major Fletcher however was keen to share his honour with others.

“Gaining the trust and respect of the Afghan Army was vital,” he said.

“And without key stakeholders, such as the surgical and nursing team, with support from both Regular and Reserve soldiers within the team, the mission would have failed.”

The MBE follows on from the Military Civilian Healthcare Partnership Award presented to him and his team late last year.

The citation for that read: “Trauma facilities established within the country have ensured the loss of life is significantly less than might have been.”

Yorkshire-born, Maj Fletcher joined the Army aged 16 and went into the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps to train as a registered nurse before specialising in trauma orthopedics in 1996. He was commissioned as an officer in 2001.

Married for 25 years, he and his wife Penny have two grown-up children and in his spare time Maj Fletcher is vice-chairman of the Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team.