A courageous winchman from Moray has been commended for his part in a daring search and rescue operation, nearly 100 miles off the North Sea coast.
Sergeant Sean Proctor was among the RAF crew, who responded to an emergency call from a fishing boat.
Yesterday, his “sheer strength and determination” were singled out for praise after he rescued a fisherman from his vessel while it rocked in stormy weather.
The Forres resident, who was serving at RAF Lossiemouth at the time, braved severe winds – reaching 50mph – and torrential rain to reach the stricken man.
He has now been awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in the Air, which is awarded for courage while not in the presence of an enemy.
Sgt Proctor, part of the civilian search and rescue service based at Inverness, was among the helicopter crew which was called to help a fisherman suffering severe stomach pain about 95 miles north-east of Aberdeen in February, 2015.
The strong winds, fierce sea and low cloud which restricted visibility to 220 yards made for a challenging rescue.
The swell of the sea caused the fishing boat to pull hard on the line that was guiding Sgt Proctor to the deck. However, the RAF man used his strength to haul himself onto the boat.
Following a quick assessment of the fisherman’s condition while the vessel lurched violently, Sgt Proctor, who is also a reservist paramedic with 612 Squadron at Leuchars Air Field, prepared him to be winched up to the safety of the helicopter for medical treatment.
After receiving the award in a ceremony at RAF Lossiemouth Sgt Proctor was eager to pay tribute to the rest of the team who were on the helicopter two years ago.
He said: “I’m honoured to have received this award, but I think it’s recognition of the work, effort and skill of the crew who responded to the call-out.
“We really worked together to safely recover the injured fisherman from his vessel.
“The weather did make it challenging for the crew, but our training prepared us for the toughest of situations.
“We drew on that training, as well as our experience, to successfully complete the task.”