A Tenby Ironman and former senior medical officer in the Parachute Regiment has jrecently been chosen as Plaid Cymru candidate to fight the Carmarthen West and South Pembs constituency at UK and Welsh level.

West Walian Lt. Colonel Dr Rhys Thomas, a senior medical officer in the Parachute Regiment, served seven tours of duty in Afghanistan, attending to seriously wounded personnel being brought into hospital by helicopter.

Wales now has the best Air Ambulance Service in the world thanks to lessons learnt on the front line in Afghanistan when the conflict there was at its height.

“Many were dying in the aircraft before we could get them to the intensive care unit at Camp Bastion,” said Dr Thomas, “so we decided to equip each helicopter with its own intensive care unit. That way, we saved an extra life a day, on average.”

After leaving the armed forces, Dr Rhys Thomas decided to put the lessons he had learnt on the front line to good use by creating with his colleague, Dr Dindi Gill, the new enhanced Wales Air Ambulance Service.

“It took about 400 meetings with Health Boards and Welsh Government, but I was determined that Wales should get the best,” said Dr Thomas.

It was ‘mission accomplished,’ with each of the four helicopters being fitted out with its own intensive care unit. The service is regarded as the most advanced pre-hospital critical care system in the world.

Dr Rhys Thomas trained in medicine in London before starting his 17-year career in the Army and the Parachute Regiment.

He gained a huge amount of experience in numerous deployments in conflict zones around the world including Sierra Leone and Iraq, as well as Afghanistan before retiring with the high rank of Lt. Colonel to run the family farm.

He also works as a Consultant Anaesthetist at Glangwili Hospital.

A dedicated sportsman, he’s competed at the Iron-man World Championships in Hawaii and three times at the Wales event in Tenby.

Dr Thomas is also passionate about Wales and its future, and there will be a chance to meet him and chat about his incredible story at a Coffee Morning at St Teilo’s Church Hall in Tenby on Saturday, November 9, between 2 and 4 pm. All welcome.