Sailors Commendations for Service Off Libya

Petty Officers Craig Pilley and David White were both awarded commendations by Air Marshal Stuart Peach, Chief of Joint Operations. They were presented with their awards during a parade at HMS Raleigh, where they are both now serving.

HMS Cumberland sailed from Plymouth on her final deployment in September 2010 to carryout counter-piracy and maritime policing patrols in the Gulf and was then tasked at short notice to Libya.

Fast-moving events there demanded the Royal Navy be called upon to evacuate British and other nationals from the port city of Benghazi and to enforce UN sanctions against Libya.

PO Pilley was responsible for the registration of 450 people during three operations to evacuate entitled civilians. His efficient handling of the registration process and his compassion in dealing with the evacuees was key to the success of the operation and earned him his commendation. The 40-year-old said:

"I feel privileged to receive an award that reflects the superb efforts of not only my team in the Ship's Office on board, but those of the ship's company as a whole and the core values of the Royal Navy which they displayed in achieving everything that HMS Cumberland did while operating alongside in Libya.

"The team worked extremely hard to look after the evacuees, some of whom had been through some testing ordeals in Libya and it was a real feeling of achievement to evacuate them from the dangers of Benghazi and deliver them to the safety of Malta for connecting flights home."

PO White's commendation recognises his commitment and professional ability in managing the operations room, ensuring that the ship's war fighting capability was maintained during challenging situations in an ever changing threat environment. The 36-year-old said:

"I feel very privileged to receive this commendation and see it also as recognition for the rest of my team and the ship.

"We worked tirelessly round the clock to keep the ship safe and provide assistance to the evacuees, some of whom needed medical attention.

"My team responded well to the Libyan threat and showed compassion to the people that needed our help until they disembarked in Malta. I felt pride for the younger members who had never been in this type of situation before and performed admirably."

PO Pilley joined the Royal Navy in 1988. He has served on five Royal Navy warships and ashore in Plymouth, Portsmouth, Rosyth and London. Now serving at the Defence Maritime Logistics School, PO Pilley is passing on his experience to junior members of his branch as an instructor.

He has recently been selected for promotion to Chief Petty Officer and will take up a new appointment in the Defence Maritime Logistics School as the Deputy Logistics Training Officer for Writers next year.

PO White embarked on his Naval career in September 1991 and has also served on five Royal Navy warships. His career history includes two postings to HMS Chatham and four onboard HMS Cumberland. PO White is no stranger to being in the thick of the action.

While serving on HMS Sheffield he helped to provide disaster relief in Honduras in response to Hurricane Mitch in 1997 and in 2004 helped the victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka during a deployment with HMS Chatham. He is now serving as a power-boat instructor at HMS Raleigh.

Both men have made their home in the Plymouth area.

PO Pilley is originally from Edinburgh, but now lives in Torpoint with his wife, Angie and two children, Shaunii, aged 20 and 11-year-old Jordan.

PO White hails originally from the North East and lives in Plymouth with his wife, Kirsty.