Royal Navy personnel thank NHS for their hard work

Royal Navy personnel took part in a short service to thank the work of frontline NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the Royal Naval Association for North East Lincolnshire attended the event hosted by the local county council.

Commodore Philip Waterhouse, naval regional commander for north England, went along to the ceremony held earlier this month (in line with coronavirus guidelines and restrictions) with musicians from the Royal Marines Band Service, while the naval regional engagement team helped orchestrate the service.

Other guests included Lord-Lieutenant for Lincolnshire Toby Dennis, Simon Tighe, who is a retired Lieutenant Commander Submariner and now NHS Deputy Director for Estates and Facilities at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, local veterans, NE Lincolnshire County Council members and deputy mayor Councillor David Hasthorpe.

The service saw flags raised as a thank you to the hard work of NHS staff. As well as the traditional naval flag signal, a “Thank You NHS” flag was also raised along with tri-service flags at the Cleethorpes Armed Forces memorial promenade.

Lieutenant Stewart Weir, Assistant Naval Regional Commander for Yorkshire, said: “The ceremony was a fantastic opportunity to support the Armed Forces Community in NE Lincolnshire and recognise the outstanding dedication of our frontline NHS staff during these unprecedented times.

“To say thank you in such a traditional naval way was befitting of the event and I was honoured to raise the flags on behalf of the Armed forces Community.”

Alex Baxter, event organiser and Armed Forces Champion for NE Lincolnshire, added: “We were delighted to see so many prominent members of our civic society and military communities gather to assist us mark a further milestone in this current pandemic.

“Throughout this crisis many well-deserved expressions of gratitude and thanks have been seen across the nation to thank our NHS and other front-line workers, but this event will also add our own message by hoisting the naval flag signal to say ‘well done NHS’.”