Servicemen and women on tour of duty in a war zone often find themselves adopting one of the many stray dogs and cats struggling to survive there.

The soldiers are not only a salvation for the animals, but the animals can be a lifeline to the soldiers too, offering a brief respite from the stresses of frontline service and a welcome reminder of home.

When the tour of duty comes to an end, many service personnel can’t bear the prospect of leaving their four-legged comrades behind.

This is where the Nowzad Charity, founded by former Royal Marine Pen Farthing, steps in - to date re-uniting more than 1,200 dogs and cats with the soldiers who have rescued them. In many cases, those animals have played a key role in helping veterans suffering from PTSD.

In Afghanistan, Nowzad has also set up the country’s only animal shelter - the Conrad Lewis Clinic - treating street dogs and cats for injuries, providing a neutering programme and vaccination against rabies and helping to educate local people about animal care. Nowzad also offers a haven for former working horses and donkeys who have been discarded like rubbish on to the streets.

This Saturday (23rd November) sees the annual Nowzad Christmas fund-raising coffee morning at The Priory, Monmouth (10am to 1pm) with homemade cakes, a tombola and an array of hand-crafted items and affordable gifts.

Guest of honour was due to have been a Nowzad rescue dog called Gnasher who had been rehomed in Herefordshire and was known to hundreds of soldiers who served in Afghanistan.

Sadly Gnasher died a few months ago but Monmouth-based veteran Stuart Hale remembers him (as a puppy called Tangi) in 2006 during Operation Herrick 4 in the Kajaki dam area of Helmand Province

It was during that tour that L/Corporal Hale had set out to locate a nearby Taliban position and trod on the mine which blew off his foot. Two years later he was back in Kajaki - the first army amputee to return to frontline service - and he met up with Tangi again.

"The bonds that form between street dogs and soldiers are strong. The soliders tend to treat them well, making a fuss of them and giving them food - and the dogs respond with their loyalty.

"Dogs like Tangi will go from checkpoint to checkpoint for scraps and will often go out on patrol with the soldiers. They strike up a bond with each unit that comes to the area and they fulfil an important role. Tangi, for instance, would be hostile to anyone acting suspiciously.

"He was actually out on patrol when an IED went off near him and he suffered schrapnel wounds. The soldiers carried him back to their base where he was treated by the medics and recovered.

"After I came back I was really amazed to see on Facebook that Tangi was one of the dogs Nowzad had rescued.

"I believe animals suffer from PTSD too and it took him a long time to adjust (hence him getting the name Gnasher!). I used to visit him on the farm in Herefordshire where he was rehomed - and I also met him again at the annual fund-raising event in Monmouth.

"A friend of mine who died in Afghanistan also adopted a dog there which Nowzad rehomed. They do a brilliant job."

Local fundraiser Sian Lloyd said: "Gnasher is sorely missed. One soldier turned up in Monmouth first thing in the morning to visit him at our Christmas coffee morning last year, having come all the way from Andover!"