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Proud family of fallen Royal Marine presented with Elizabeth Cross at Tower of London
11 October 2024
Former Royal Marine and Constable of the Tower of London, General Sir Gordon Messenger has presented a proud mother from West Sussex with the Elizabeth Cross – a medal awarded to her in memory and recognition of her late son.
Yesterday, the Constable of the Tower of London, General Sir Gordon Messenger KCB, DSO* OBE, alongside representatives from the Royal Marines, presented Mrs Carol Summers with the Elizabeth Cross medal to honour Marine Scott Summers’ service and dedication to the Royal Marines and His Majesty’s Armed Forces.
The formal presentation was supported by the Royal Marines, with the medal personally awarded to Mrs Summers by General Messenger; a particularly poignant moment given his own connection to the Corps.
General Messenger served from 1983 to 2019, leaving the service as the second most senior military officer in the UK.
Marine Summers joined the Royal Marines in January 2005 and deployed with J Company, 42 Commando, to Helmand Province in Afghanistan in October 2006. He died aged just 23 after sustaining serious injuries in a road traffic accident whilst on tour.
The accident occurred during a routine convoy in February 2007. After initial treatment in Afghanistan, Marine Summers was transported back to a specialist unit in the UK where he sadly died.
The Crawley-born Commando was described as a ‘real character within his Company, with a sharp sense of humour’. He was regularly employed as a driver, where he was engaged in the most demanding circumstances in difficult weather, terrain and, not least, when under enemy fire.
He had fought courageously in over 20 firefights with the Taliban.
Alongside his parents, brother and wider family, close friends of Marine Summers also came to mark the occasion.
Mrs Summers said: “This award, although very belated, simply serves as a reminder of Scott, our continual love for him as a family and a reminder of the importance of him within all our lives.
“Scott was funny, mischievous, loyal, loving, and in short, an amazing young man who had found his second family within the Royal Marines. A family with whom we were and still are so very proud to share him with.
“Today serves as a continual reminder of his loyalty and sacrifice and we will remember him.”
The Elizabeth Cross award was introduced in 2009 and is granted to the families of Armed Forces personnel who have been killed on operations or as a result of terrorism. The medal is available to the families of those who died in conflicts dating back to 1948, including the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, the Falklands conflict and operations in Northern Ireland, as well as the more recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Families can make a request for an Elizabeth Cross and Memorial Scroll to honour loved ones at GOV.UK.