### Clue: Suggest abandoning hospital after soldiers defect (5)
### Answer: TAINT 
 ### Explanation: Definition: defect
 [ "hint"(to suggest;to allude to) **minus**(abandoning) "h"(abbrev. for "hospital") ] **placed below**(after, in a down clue) TA(abbrev. for the Territorial Army).
Answer: …;a flaw, as in "a taint on his reputation".