A soldier from Wymondham is gearing up for his first deployment to Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh.

Lt Thomas Elias, 25, joined the army in 2009 and completed his training at Sandhurst in 2010.

The former Wymondham College student revisited his former Combined Cadet Force at the college last week during some time off before his deployment to Afghanistan.

Lt Elias will serve as an infantry platoon commander during his six month tour providing reassurance to the local population and supporting the Afghan security forces.

He joined his battalion in December 2010, which is based in Chester.

Lt Elias said he was looking forward to his first deployment.

'It is a culmination of two years of training and when I joined it was likely that I would get deployed. I would like to make a career out of it, but who knows with defence cuts. I am fortunate that I am in a job that is protected and I would like to stay.'

Lt Elias, a former Wymondham Rugby Club player, spent the first 15 years of his life in Germany where his father was teaching service children.