A ROYAL Navy officer from Leigh has been rewarded for his exemplary service.

Lieutenant Commander Chris Roberts was presented with the prestigious clasp to his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

The medal is awarded after 15 years of unblemished reckonable service and on a recommendation from the individual’s commanding officer.

The even rarer honour of receiving a clasp comes to a very few and is awarded after a further 15 years’ service.

Chris grew up in Leigh and joined the Royal Navy as a junior air engineering mechanic in June 1985.

After initial and trade training he moved to RNAS Yeovilton, where he served as a radio trade mechanic and later as a senior supervisor on Sea King Mk4.

He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2006, promoted to warrant officer in 2007 and served as the RNAS Yeovilton compliance warrant officer.

During his tenure he was selected to be the executive warrant officer in HMS Kent in September 2007, the pinnacle of his ratings career.

He was further promoted to lieutenant in October 2008 and lieutenant commander in June 2014 as aircraft handler and crash fire rescue capability manager at Navy Command Headquarters.

In July he returned to RNAS Culdrose as commanding officer of the Maritime Aviation Support Force.

Chris, who now lives in Yeovil with his wife and son David, said: “I feel very proud and honoured to receive the bar to my LS&GC medal.

“I’ve had some fantastic adventures along the way and I still get excited about my job. I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”