A hospital Consultant and TA officer from the Midlands who pioneered neurosurgery on the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan has been awarded an OBE in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Stanworth, TD, Royal Army Medical Corps Volunteers(RAMC(V)), a Consultant Neurosurgeon at University Hospital, Coventry for almost 25 years, has been honoured by the Queen after more than 49 and a half years' continuous service to the Territorial Army.

On learning of his award, Lt Col Stanworth, 68, of Burton Green, Kenilworth, said: "I was a bit taken aback when I heard because I didn't think it was justified - but I know it was for the development of neurosurgery in the Armed Forces.

"After speaking to the Surgeon General about changing our approach to the head injury service, particularly in Afghanistan, I was the first neurosurgeon to be sent to Helmand Province.

"Currently we now have a regular rotation of neurosurgeons whose primary role is to treat brain injuries in theatre.

"It is very gratifying that we are seeing a very low mortality rate in the outcome of penetrating head and brain injuries in operational theatre, although in part this is due to the excellent resuscitation they receive at the Field Hospital."

Defence Consultant Advisor

Although retired from his post as Consultant Neurosurgeon at the University Hospital Coventry, Lt Col Stanworth still works there under an honorary contract, and continues to see private patients at his private consulting rooms in Kenilworth.

Three years ago Lt Col Stanworth was appointed as Defence Consultant Advisor to the Surgeon General.

His citations says: "Lt Col Stanworth has been an unfailing source of mature and practical advice, leading and inspiring a tiny cadre of Reservist neurosurgeons. He has continually identified and recommended suitable ways of meeting the needs of British Service patients. 

"Volunteering to be the first neurosurgeon to work in Camp Bastion, he then motivated and inspired his surgical peers to follow his example. Then, working in concert with allies, he arranged for neurosurgery to be enabled at Kandahar, allowing pooling of this resource for the common good.

Lt col Stanworth's years of selfless unbroken service to his country and to his patients merits national recognition."

Full-time career in medicine

Lt Col Stanworth initially joined the Army as an Officer Cadet in September 1959 and has served in the TA without a break since 1961 and mobilised on operations and exercises across the world including Gulf War One, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Cyprus and Germany as well as lecturing in the United States.

He was also instrumental in introducing practical surgical head injury workshops using pigs' heads as models and has now led 40 such workshops, including NATO and Army exercises.

Lt Col Stanworth commanded 374 Head and Neck Surgical Team (Volunteers) from 1984 to 1996 - and also served for periods with Birmingham based 202 Field Hospital, 212 Field Hospital in Sheffield and finally 306 Hospital Support Medical Regiment (V) in York.

He added: "My employers have been very supportive when I have been deployed. At times this meant my colleagues had to take on an increased workload but the burden was eased with the appointment of a locum."

On the international stage he was UK Vice-President of the Interallied Confederation of Medical Reservist Officers, helping to ensure that the high standards of British military surgical training were brought to the forefront of NATO training and education.

Lt Col Stanworth is married to Janet and has three children, James, 37, Alice, 35, and Emily, 30. While none of his children followed him into the TA - youngest daughter Emily swapped a career as a qualified glass blower to go to medical school.

In his spare time Lt Col Stanworth enjoys bee-keeping and is currently renovating a rickshaw (tuk-tuk) which he brought back from Delhi.