Malcolm Birkett, the senior officer for the Warminster-based 1 Yorks Regiment, has received an MBE in the New Year Honours' list.

Major Birkett is the commander of the Battalion’s rear operations group, which prepares reinforcements for deployment, and looks after the welfare of soldiers’ families back home.

And he played a particularly significant role in 2012 when the Battlesbury Barracks-based 3 Yorks Regiment - now the 1 Yorks - suffered numerous casualties during tours of Afghanistan.

Elsewhere in Wiltshire, Robin Clark in Calne was also recognised with an OBE for charitable services through The Underwood Trust, while John Fogg and Susan Eliot-Cohen (Marlborough) and Lesley Frazer (Chippenham) all received MBEs for services to the Marlborough Jazz Festival, the Ramsbury community and services to law and order and criminal justice respectively.

There were also British Empire Medals awarded to Nettleton postmistress Diane Bell, Clare Clilverd for services to the Seagry community, Florence Devine (Devizes) for pastoral services at Larkhill Garrison and Elspeth Gibb for charity work and services to the community of Great Bedwyn, near Marlborough.