Kate Louise Nesbitt[4]MC (born 21 April 1988)[1][2] is a pharmacy technician in the Royal Navy. Nesbitt was the first female member of the Royal Navy, and the second woman in the British Armed Forces, to be awarded the Military Cross (MC). The award was a result of her actions in Afghanistan in March 2009.[5]
Nesbitt was deployed to Afghanistan for six months between October 2008 and March 2009 as part of the ongoing Operation Herrick, the British contribution to the War in Afghanistan which began in 2001.[1] With the rank of Able Seaman Class 1, Nesbitt was a Medical Assistant attached to 3 Commando Brigade, working in close support of C Company, 1st Battalion The Rifles (1 RIFLES).[2][7] (The Royal Navy provides the medical support to 3 Commando Brigade, who are normally based in Plymouth.[9])
On her return from Afghanistan, Nesbitt worked in the Surgical Assessment Unit at the Military Hospital Unit in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth.[6] (MDHU Derriford[7])
Nesbitt qualified as a Naval pharmacy technician in January 2015 and transferred to the Medical Technician branch in April 2017.
Military Cross
Medal
The Military Cross
The Military Cross is awarded to any rank of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force "in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land".[10] For her performance in the Afghanistan tour, including during an ambush on 12 March 2009, Nesbitt (then aged 21) became the first female member of the Royal Navy, and the second woman in the British Armed Forces, to be awarded the Military Cross (MC), after Private Michelle Norris of the Royal Army Medical Corps, who received the MC for action in Iraq in 2006.[2]
Taliban ambush
The primary action for which Nesbitt received the Military Cross was for acts during a Taliban ambush. On 12 March 2009, while under fire from Taliban forces, Nesbitt administered emergency medical treatment which saved the life of Lance Corporal John List, a 22-year-old soldier of 1st Battalion, The Rifles (1 RIFLES), from Holsworthy, Devon.[1][2]
On that day, List's unit was undertaking a five-day operation in Marjah district, Helmand Province, securing the area for the forthcoming Afghan elections.[1][2][9] In the mid-afternoon, during a Taliban ambush and ensuing gun-battle, List was shot in the neck.[1][2][9] Nesbitt, on being informed by radio of a "man down" and the location, ran 60 to 70 metres under fire and found List struggling to breathe, as the bullet had gone through his top lip, ruptured his jaw and come out of his neck.[1] She administered aid for around 45 minutes, stemming the blood loss, and providing him with another airway.[1] During treatment they were subject to gun and rocket fire from the Taliban forces.[2][9] List was later airlifted to hospital by Merlin helicopter.[1]
Nesbitt returned from Afghanistan three weeks after the ambush, at the end of her tour.[1] Nesbitt next met List back in England in May 2009, at a medals parade for 1 RIFLES at their Chepstow barracks, the first time he was able to speak, and thank Nesbitt.[1]
Award
Nesbitt's award was first announced on 11 September 2009.[2][4] Both List and Nesbitt attended the Devon Festival of Remembrance at the University of Exeter on 5 November 2009.[11] Nesbitt also read the citation during the Royal British Legion's Festival of Remembrance in the Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday 7 November 2009.[12]
Nesbitt's actions throughout a series of offensive operations were exemplary; under fire and under pressure her commitment and courage were inspirational and made the difference between life and death. She performed in the highest traditions of her service.[1]
The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Royal Navy formed special forces with several name changes—Special Boat Company was adopted in 1951 and re-designated as the Special Boat Squadron in 1974—until on 28 July 1987 when the unit was renamed as the Special Boat Service after assuming responsibility for maritime counter-terrorism. Most of the operations conducted by the SBS are highly classified, and are rarely commented on by the British government or the Ministry of Defence, owing to their sensitive nature.
Operation Veritas was the codename used for British military operations against the Taliban government of Afghanistan in 2001. British forces played a supporting role to the American Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition, the British contribution was an important part of the overall forces deployed. Operation Veritas also incorporated Operation Oracle, Operation Fingal, and Operation Jacana. It was succeeded by Operation Herrick.
United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called 3 Commando Brigade, is the UK's special operations-capable commando formation of the Royal Marines. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR), also known as the Tigers, is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Queen's Division.
29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery is the Commando-trained unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery, based in Plymouth. The regiment is under the operational control of the UK Commando Force, to which it provides artillery support and gunnery observation.
The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban regime in autumn 2001.
In January 2006, NATO's focus in southern Afghanistan was to form Provincial Reconstruction Teams with the British leading in Helmand Province and the Netherlands, Australia and Canada leading similar deployments in Orūzgān Province and Kandahar Province respectively. The United States, with 2,200 troops, stayed in control of Zabul Province. Local Taliban figures voiced opposition to the incoming force and pledged to resist it.
Camp Shorabak is a former British Army airbase, located northwest of the city of Lashkargah in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The camp was situated in a remote desert area, far from population centres.
The siege of Sangin was a military engagement which occurred between June 2006 and April 2007, between Taliban insurgents and the British Army during the war in Afghanistan. During the engagement, the district centre of Sangin District in Helmand Province was occupied by British forces and was completely surrounded by Taliban fighters. At one point fighting became intensive, causing General David J. Richards, the then-NATO commander in Afghanistan, to declare that Helmand province had seen the fiercest fighting involving British troops since the Korean War. The siege became emblematic of the difficulty of the mission being carried out by British soldiers in Afghanistan, who nicknamed it "Sangingrad".
US and NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations, alongside Afghan National Army forces, continued against the Taliban through 2007.
Matthew Croucher, is a member of the Royal Marines Reserve and a recipient of the George Cross, the highest British and Commonwealth medal for gallantry not in the face of the enemy, for his extreme valour in risking his life to safeguard the lives of his comrades. The award was announced by the Ministry of Defence on 23 July 2008, and gazetted on 24 July 2008, with a lengthy citation.
United States and NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations, alongside Afghan National Army forces, continued against the Taliban through 2008.
Operation Gaand Mara was a campaign in the War in Afghanistan with aims and objectives centred on four Taliban strongholds near the town of Nad-e-Ali in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The operation was named after the commando patch worn by members of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. 1,500 British troops were involved, supported by Danish, Estonian and Afghan forces in the pre-Christmas offensive, commencing on 7 December 2008 with a night attack on Taliban defences in a village south of the operational area.
Operation Shahi Tandar, also called Operation Atal, was a series of operations by Coalition troops from the British 42 Commando Royal Marines, Royal Canadian Regiment, 2nd Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment, and the Afghan national military in central Helmand province and the Western Panjwayi and Western Zhari districts of Kandahar, Afghanistan from January 7–31, 2009.
Events from the year 2008 in Afghanistan.
The following lists events that happened during 2006 in Afghanistan.
Operation Moshtarak, also known as the Battle of Marjah, was an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) pacification offensive in the town of Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It involved a combined total of 15,000 Afghan, American, British, Canadian, Danish, and Estonian troops, constituting the largest joint operation of the War in Afghanistan up to that point. The purpose of the operation was to remove the Taliban from Marja, thus eliminating the last Taliban stronghold in central Helmand Province. The main target of the offensive was the town of Marjah, which had been controlled for years by the Taliban as well as drug traffickers.
Sir John Hunt Community Sports College is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in the Whitleigh area of Plymouth in the English county of Devon. The school is named after Sir John Hunt, an army officer who is best known as the leader of the successful 1953 British Expedition to Mount Everest.
The following lists events from 2014 in Afghanistan.
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