The outstanding response by sailors and Royal Marines to Covid – both medical teams and those whose front-line operations were affected by the pandemic – is recognised in the New Year’s Honours.
Of the 22 personnel singled out for decorations, ten are honoured for the way they have dealt with the coronavirus and its impact on everyday life inside and outside the Service.
Chief Petty Officer Naval Nurses Kelly Brechany and Carrie Smith are made Ordinary Associates (2nd Class) of the Royal Red Cross (ARRC) for their work at two of the largest hospitals in southern England.
At Portsmouth’s Queen Alexandra Hospital, Kelly worked tirelessly and selflessly to ensure all NHS staff were trained in the use of PPE – constantly updating the training and procedures as the virus evolved and reducing the risks facing patients and staff alike.
Carrie is described as a “lynchpin” in the emergency department at University Hospitals Plymouth, delivering “exemplary care and inspirational leadership at the height of the pandemic”.
Surgeon Commander Lisa Stevens receives the OBE for a double effort as the Principal Medical Officer of HMS Raleigh in Torpoint.
The base, which turns civilians into sailors and is vital to feeding the Navy with fresh blood, continued to deliver training almost uninterrupted during the crucial early stages of the pandemic thanks to “her courage, resilience and decisive actions”. She also stepped in to support doctors in the local community.
In addition, to help the Navy expand she overhauled the way the Torpoint base discharges injured recruits, leading to a significant reduction of the drop-out rate.
“An OBE is an amazing surprise and I feel truly honoured,” she said. “I was helped by two great commanding officers whose support really ensured success.
“And the 30 staff in the sick bay at Raleigh are a tight-knit team who work together superbly and who go above and beyond. So this award is for all of them – it truly was a team effort.”
And medical assistant Petty Officer Jessica Metcalfe – currently serving in the Health Physics Group at HM Naval Base Clyde – is made an MBE, not least for stepping in to serve at sea on three occasions to cover fellow medics who were supporting the Covid effort ashore.
Jessica said: “I was absolutely gobsmacked when I got told. I never saw it coming. It was such a heart-warming feeling to be recognised.
“What you think is just doing your job, for someone else to think it’s more than that – I have not really got to grips with that thought.”
While at sea she arranged for personnel to get mental health training, offered to give advice if they were struggling and ensured morale on board was kept high.
“Being away is very difficult and can be very challenging,” she said. “Especially during Covid people were struggling. We didn’t have that down time so for me it was very important to ensure the crew had the support they needed.”
Away from honours related to Covid, the Royal Navy’s inaugural Chief Technical Officer Brigadier Dan Cheesman RM is made a CBE for transforming the way the Service has embraced the white heat of technology and innovation in an age of exponential changes.
“Being the inaugural Royal Navy Chief Technical Officer has been one of the greatest privileges and challenges of my career,” the brigadier said.
“My fantastic team and I have helped drive tech change across our £8bn, global, no-fail, always-on organisation that delivers operational success for the nation, day after day, in the most extreme of environments.
“I am most proud of our efforts in bringing digital and uncrewed systems technologies into the hands of the warfighter at unprecedented pace, and in the Royal Navy’s transformation to becoming more modern, more agile – Defence really can be faster, cheaper and better.”
The full list of awards is
KNIGHT COMMANDER OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (KBE)
Vice Admiral Christopher Gardner
COMPANION OF THE MOST HONOURABLE ORDER OF THE BATH (CB)
Rear Admiral Hugh Beard
COMMANDER OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (CBE)
Captain Mark Anderson
Brigadier Dan Cheesman RM MBE
Surgeon Commodore Stuart Collett
OFFICER OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE)
Colonel Rich Morris RM MBE
Commander Kate Muir
Colonel Simon Rogers
Surgeon Commander Lisa Stevens
Commander Mark Walker
MEMBER OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (MBE)
Lance Corporal Alex Cassabois RM
Lieutenant Carlo Contaldi RMR
Chief Petty Officer Naval Nurse C N Green
Leading Logistician (Writer) R A Harrington
Warrant Officer 1 R M Henderson RM MVO
Lieutenant Commander Ed Higgins
Warrant Officer 1st Class J McWilliams RMR
Petty Officer Medical Assistant J Metcalfe
Lieutenant Commander Gordon Smith RNR
Chief Petty Officer Logistician (Catering Services) R Thompson
ORDINARY ASSOCIATE SECOND CLASS ROYAL RED CROSS (ARRC)
Chief Petty Officer Naval Nurse Kelly Brechany QARNNS
Chief Petty Officer Naval Nurse Carrie Stuart QARNNS
MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDALS
Warrant Officer 1 Air Engineering Technician D T Ashhurst
Warrant Officer 1 Engineering Technician (Weapons Engineering) A Brown
Warrant Officer 1 C R Brown
Warrant Officer 1 Engineering Technician (Weapons Engineering (Submarines)) A H Buckley
Warrant Officer 1 P G Cooney
Warrant Officer 1 Air Engineering Technician A Driver
Warrant Officer 1 Engineering Technician (Communications and Information Systems) J P Edgar
Chief Petty Officer (Aircrewman) D A Griffith
Band Colour Sergeant K Harvey
Warrant Officer 1 Engineering Technician (Weapons Engineering) S P Lynch
Lieutenant J Maaskant
Warrant Officer 1 Logistics (Supply Chain) C D Morait
Warrant Officer 1 Engineering Technician (Marine Engineering) S P Mugford
Warrant Officer 2 S J Nicholson
Chief Petty Officer Engineering Technician (Marine Engineering (Submarines)) D H P O’Neill
Warrant Officer 1Air Engineering Technician S C Proctor
Warrant Officer 2 M I Ramsey
Warrant Officer 1 Air Engineering Technician P W Ronaldson
Warrant Officer 1 Warfare Specialist (Above Water Warfare) J T Starkey
Warrant Officer 1 S C Tripp
Warrant Officer Air Engineering Technician S M Walling
CPO Air Engineering Technician R Webb
