Michael Thompson, who was a sailor, soldier and policeman before ending up as a senior officer in the Wiltshire Ambulance Service, has died at the age of 72 after a brief illness.

Mr Thompson was born in Finchley, north London, and joined the Merchant Navy after leaving school.

After four years at sea, he spent his National Service in the Household Cavalry where he developed a love of horses, which he never lost.

He then joined the police forces of Wiltshire and Berkshire and was based at Shrivenham and Wantage.

But in 1966 he joined the Wiltshire Ambulance Service, which became his home for the next 30 years.

He began as a member of an ambulance team but an horrendous crash in 1974 nearly ended his life, or at least his career. He suffered a broken back and shoulder as well as other injuries.

Because of that, he transferred to training and began his administrative career, which ended in his becoming a divisional commander, in charge of five ambulance stations in the north of the county.

In this capacity, he was instrumental in setting up the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, in partnership with Wiltshire Constabulary, in 1990. He retired in 1996.

He had four children - Lesley, Jackie (or Jacks), and twins Debbie and David. Sadly, his marriage ended in divorce in 1970 and he single-handedly brought up his four children.

Perhaps because of his early experience in the Merchant Navy, he adored sailing and was Commodore of the Macwester Sailing Association on the Isle of Wight.

Mr Thompson, who lived at St Edith's Marsh, Bromham, survived a triple heart bypass five years ago, followed six months later by an aneurysm repair.

He was diagnosed with liver and pancreatic cancer just three weeks before he died.

The funeral is to take place tomorrow at St Nicholas Church.