FORMER ROYAL MARINE COMMANDO PRESENTED WITH NEW BERET

Lynton Hall Bupa Care Home organised for resident Herbert (Bert) Preece, a former Royal Marine Commando, to be presented with a new beret from two commanding officers from Royal Marines Reserve London.

Bert served in the Royal Marine Commando, where he received his original beret that he earned after completing commando training. Fiona Larkin, clinical nursing manager and Lorraine Carter, housekeeping assistant, at Lynton Hall, knew how important the beret is to Bert, and what it signifies for all Royal Marines so they contacted the organisation to see if they could arrange a brand new one to replace his own which had been accidentally damaged.

Two commanding officers of Royal Marines Reserve London, Colonel Sam Fearn, and Unit Sergeant Major Warrant Officer 2, Jon Grasham, visited Lynton Hall and presented Bert with his new beret, sharing stories of their training and deployments.

Bert commented: “My time in the Marines was a major highlight of my life. It was fantastic to be reminded of those days, meet two of the current Royal Marines and receive a new beret, it made my day.

“I joined the Marines because everyone else was joining the Army, and I wanted to be different and have some real action in my life.”

Bert joined the Marines in Deal, Kent, and trained in Portsmouth. He then went to Plymouth for sea training and was deployed to Gibraltar.

Sergeant Jon Grasham commented: “It was a real pleasure to be able to meet a fellow boot-neck and do something that meant a great deal to him. Fiona and the team are doing an amazing job, and we feel honoured to have met Bert and given him his green lid.”

Fiona Larkin added: “We were incredibly grateful that two Marines were able to organise this for Bert, he felt really special, and we can’t thank them enough! The green beret is something to be proud of, and we are happy Bert can have a brand-new one to take care of.”

Bert was thrilled to also be gifted the latest copy of the Globe & Laurel journal, which chronicles the Royal Marine’s global deployments, and a bottle of Royal Marines Corp Cellars Port.

click here for more details or to contact Lynton Hall Care Home