Hero army veteran dies of cancer

AN Army veteran suffering from PTSD who chased gun-toting drug dealers off a notorious estate in Bridgend has died.

Despite the mental scars left by tours of Northern Ireland and the first Gulf War the frontline paramedic confronted the thugs sent in to counter his clean-up campaign.

Family man Philip Loveday – who also suffered a broken vertebrae while playing rugby – even refused to back down when they threatened to set fire to his house.

Now people living in Wildmill, who are reaping the benefits of his bravery 20 years ago, are preparing to say goodbye after his death from pancreatic cancer aged 63.

Daughter Angharad Hillman, 33, said drugs and violence on their street, Glanffornwg, and across the estate stirred him into action in the mid 1990s.

She said: “My dad was battling with post-traumatic stress and he went toe to toe with a couple of the heavies they [the drug dealers] brought down. There was guns there and my dad said: ‘Come here and have a go. I’ll show you how to use it properly.’”

Phil – a battlefield class one paramedic and bandsman who served in the Army for 20 years and for 10 years in the reserves – and wife Sally Ann helped to found the Wildmill Area Tenants and Residents’ Association (WATRA). Member Pete Foley said: “Phil was the backbone of the community. He was not afraid to tackle problems head on and he used his military experience in a positive way,”

Phil leaves Sally Ann and their children Angharad, Elizabeth Grace and Aled. He was also dad to Aaron, who passed away, and he was father to Cathy and Gavin from previous relationships.

His funeral takes place at 2.45pm on July 28 at Coychurch Crematorium.