A rare award has been presented to a warrant officer from RNAS Culdrose.

Warrant Officer Jeffrey Chope was awarded a clasp to mark his long service and wear with his good conduct medal by the commanding officer of the Helston air station, Captain Graeme Mackay.

Warrant Officer “Chopper” Chope, originally from Sennen, is the deputy logistics officer (supply chain) at Culdrose, responsible for supporting frontline units and deputy to a sub department of 65 personnel.

The rarely awarded clasp marks over 30 years of unblemished service in the Royal Navy.

He joined the Navy in 1978 and after initial training as a stores accountant he served on a number of ships. By 1993, and now a petty officer, he served as an instructor at HMS Raleigh, the Royal Navy’s logistics school from where he was promoted to chief petty officer, before going back to sea.,/p>

In 2004 he was promoted to warrant officer and was subsequently drafted to HMS Bulwark where was involved in the rescue of over 2,000 refugees from Beirut.

He joined RNAS Culdrose in 2007. Whilst at Culdrose he has been deployed to Kandahar in Afghanistan and will shortly leave Helston to return to the Logistics School at HMS Raleigh.

“Chopper” Chope lives in Plymouth with his wife Jill, and children Stacey and Thomas.