A VETERAN of the British Army has left Conwy, where he had lived his entire life, to join the Chelsea Pensioners.

Major David Williams, born December 11, 1944, joined residents at the Royal Hospital Chelsea retirement home, where roughly 300 former members of the British Army live, on February 6.

David gave a large portion of his life to serving his country.

Joining the army in 1962, he served as a warrant officer and a member of the Military Provost Staff, the army’s specialists in custody and detention.

North Wales Pioneer: David settling in at his new home in Chelsea. Photo: Lisa HughesDavid settling in at his new home in Chelsea. Photo: Lisa Hughes

While in the army, he met and married his wife Patricia, lovingly known by friends and family as “Pat”, who sadly passed away peacefully in her sleep in 2018.

The couple shared many years and two children together.

In 1985, after serving in many places such as Boer, Malaya, Bahrain and Cyprus, David decided it was time to move on and leave the army.

Though, this was not the end of his connection to the Armed Forces; in the mid-to-late-1990s, David joined the Conwy detachment of the Army Cadets.

It was here, in 1999, that Area Commander David was given the prestigious rank of Major.

David, who had also collected for the Poppy Appeal in Conwy on many occasions, went on to serve 17 years with the Army Cadet Force and retired in 2015.

North Wales Pioneer: David also did his fair share of charity work while in Conwy. Photo: Lisa HughesDavid also did his fair share of charity work while in Conwy. Photo: Lisa Hughes

Lisa Hughes, the new Tesco Community Champion in Llandudno Junction, got to know David when she worked in Morrisons years ago and regularly saw David shopping in there.

She said: “It is now that David decided it is the right time to begin a new chapter in his life.

“Although all that know him will sorely miss him, we all wish him the best of luck with the Chelsea Pensioners.

“He was telling me that he had been there once before to try it out and said it wasn’t the right time, but tried it again and felt now was the right time.

“He’s lovely, very friendly, and always has a smile on his face. He absolutely loved his wife.

“He had an allotment for years in Conwy, so he used to escape there, but he was always back with his wife for dinner.

“They were always together; they would go for days out at all different places.”