A SOLDIER from Colchester has been awarded the King’s Commendation for Valuable Service.

Established in 1994, the award recognises exemplary service in British military operations.

Private Harry Dear, 23, “consistently displayed compassion, courage and presence of mind well beyond that expected of his rank and experience".

His work has included helping Spanish troops during the evacuation of Afghanistan.

Pte Dear started his military career at Army Foundation College in Harrogate.

He was deployed to Kabul in August 2021 as a driver with 13 Air Assault Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps.

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While in Kabul, he was part of the force helping evacuate British and entitled Afghan people after the Taliban took control of the country.

Overall, Pte Dear helped process 200 Spanish evacuees, in addition to his work on the British operation which extracted more than 15,000 people.

He said: “When I was on a rest period, I got talking to some Spanish soldiers.

“They had a small team trying to cover four entry points, and I basically said I would cover the British gate and processing centre for them.

“They sent me their list of names and said that they were telling people to wave red handkerchiefs to mark themselves out.

“When I had finished my driving shifts, I would look for Spanish people coming through and then contact the Spanish troops to come and process them.

“At one point, I found what was a group of 12 people from the Spanish list, but it turned out to be 12 families and we got 72 people through to safety.”

Pte Dear moved to Spain with his family when he was two and returned to the UK in 2015.

He added: “When I was told about the award, I was just lost for words.

“It’s brought back memories – good and bad – about Kabul, but I’m proud to be recognised for playing my part.”

Known as Operation Pitting, the evacuations were carried out between August 13 to 28 in 2021.

Colchester troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade played a crucial role in the Kabul evacuations during 2021.

In total, 750 soldiers based at Colchester Garrison provided security and logistic support during the operation.