A Fleet Hargate man has expressed his pride at picking up one of the Navy’s top honours.
Roy Glencross (73) was at Trinity House near the Tower of London where he was officially presented with the Merchant
Naval Medal for Meritous Service to the Merchant Navy.
The award is the organisation’s equivalent of the British Empire Medal (BEM) with only 160 people having been awarded it since its inception.
It was announced in September that Roy was one of just 15 people this year to receive the award.
Roy was inspired to join the Navy in 1965 by his dad Cyril despite the fact his ship, The Dorset, had been torpedoed as part of Operation Pedestal in World War Two.
He spent six years with them before joining the London Fire Brigade.
He worked there until he was injured inhaling toxic fumes on a job before a spinal injury suffered in a car accident meant he had to take early retirement.
That didn’t stop him wanting to serve though and after moving to Lincolnshire with wife Kate, he answered an advert to help out with the Boston and South Lincolnshire branch of the Merchant Navy.
He soon became treasurer and then chairman of the branch and in 2012 he took on the national role of membership secretary for the whole of the Merchant Navy Association.
Normally Princess Anne awards the medal, though this time it was Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, Robert Courts MP.
Roy attended the event with Kate.
“It was a very proud moment,” Roy said. “It was a complete surprise and very humbling just to be nominated.
“There were five or six captains there adorned with medals there and I felt like I was out of their league, but then when they read out the achievements of everyone, I was the only one listed alone rather than being awarded group and that made me feel quite chuffed.
“It was definitely a day to remember.”
