THE man in charge of the urban operations training complex at Catterick Garrison has retired after a 36-year army career.

WOI Graham Prince has handed over the reins of the operations in built up area complex at Whinny Hill, where he has served since 1993, to WOI John Dawson.

WO Prince said he had seen it transformed from a rundown 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 troops, national civilian agencies and the police.

He said: "The quality of life 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. 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."

He followed in his father's footsteps in 1966 when he joined the Prince of Wales' Volunteers and was posted to Aden.

He has served in Canada, America, Cyprus, Singapore, Germany, Malaya and Northern Ireland.

He said: "The army today is not recognisable to the one I joined all that time ago.

"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 will remain a familiar figure on the garrison, as he has already started a new job with North Yorkshire police at Beach Head Lines.