TWO Weymouth men are among five Territorial Army soldiers from Dorset who have been awarded a campaign medal for service in Afghanistan last winter.

Former mortgage consultant Lance Corporal Del Alexander, 34, is now administrative clerk at Dorchester TA Centre for C (Devonshire and Dorset Regiment) Company of The Rifle Volunteers.

Del, from Broadwey, said he had no experience as a regular soldier when he was called up for the five-month tour of peacekeeping duties on Operation Fingal, which finished in March.

He added: "About two-and-a-half years ago I became rather disenchanted with the mortgage business so I joined the TA and I went from there.

"We had a pretty good rapport with the Afghans, who were glad we were there and told us, 'We can finally start to build our homes and our businesses. We weren't able to do that before'."

He added that the low point of the tour was the death of Private Jonathan Kitulagoda from Plymouth in a suicide bombing attack.

Del said: "Obviously I'd rather have Kit still with us, rather than a medal on my chest."

Private Andrew Price, 26, from Littlemoor, who works with adults who have learning difficulties, was awarded the same campaign medal. He said: "I remember the beauty of the countryside. We were based in the Hindu Kush mountains at about 6,000ft.

"The people themselves were unbelievably friendly, despite what they had been through. We really felt we had achieved something."