A POETRY-writing soldier has given an insight into life on the front line and how the deaths of comrades made him question the war.

Captain Noel Swales from Lulworth gave a lecture at Bovington Tank Museum to mark the launch of its new exhibition, Battlegroup Afghanistan.

The 31-year-old told the audience he believes we are succeeding – but read out a poem written in frustration after the death of three men in two days.

“Another Dragoon buried in the mist, to our Government he won’t be missed”, read one line in White Beard, a reference to an Afghan elder watching the conflict.

Another line said: “Have I lost my faith and hope?

“I am a realist not a pessimist, so nope.”

However it concludes: “Was it worth it, Queen and Country? Something tells me I’m a numpty!”

Cpt Swales served with the Light Dragoons in 2007 and 2009 and the unit lost six men and saw 40 wounded during the second tour.

He told the audience of around 50 he wrote the poem during Operation Panchai Palang (Panther’s Claw), adding: “One of the boys was blown up very close to me.

“I am talking within a few metres.”

Cpt Swales urged the troops to talk and get their emotions out and write poetry themselves. The next morning they gave him their efforts.

He said: “It was astounding. Hopefully one day it will get published and the money will go to the regimental charity.”

He said the poem was written at a moment of stress and that he still believes in the mission.

“It’s rather dour,” he said, “but at the time it felt right.”

Cpt Swales is now a trainer at Bovington Camp and was asked to give the lecture after he was interviewed by the museum staff for the exhibition.

During his 2007 tour he commanded a company of Afghan soldiers and described them as ‘trustworthy, loyal and very, very brave’.

British troops serve six-month tours but the Afghans spend two to three years on the frontline, he said.

During the 2009 tour he commanded British armoured troops and described the challenges of leadership.

He played aerial video footage of an ambulance, which he sent forward, being blown up by an Improvised Explosive Device.

The driver suffered a ruptured spleen and another man suffered broken bones and internal injuries, admitting: “We were very fortunate.”

And he outlined the various emotions men feel: the excitement and fear of combat, and the boredom of life back home after that high octane environment.

He sounded both optimistic and pessimistic.

He said the media did not concentrate enough on the progress being made, adding: “We must have faith in what we are doing and trying to achieve because we are succeeding.”

But when one audience member asked what he thought of the Taliban, he said: “I personally think they will probably start negotiations and wait for us to go and bide their time.

“And once we have gone and we think we have defeated them, they will smash their way back in and do it pretty quickly.”

• Battlegroup Afghanistan opens at The Tank Museum on Saturday, April 9.