Navy
Navy Officer Honoured For Giving Vital Aid To Philippines
A Royal Navy officer who was one of the first people to arrive in a country devastated by a typhoon and repaired vital water wells and electricity hubs has been presented with an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle.
Lieutenant Wendy Frame was HMS Daring’s Deputy Marine Engineering Officer in 2013, and was on board when the ship was sent to the Philippines in November that year to assist with the crisis.
More than 6,300 people died when Typhoon Haiyan struck and communities had been flattened in many of the outlying islands. Over nine days Daring and her crew surveyed 42,200 square miles covering more than 70 islands. They treated 300 patients and delivered 21 tonnes of stores and 7,656 litres of fresh drinking water ashore.
Wendy, who is originally from Livingston and now lives in Bristol, visited some of the worst-hit islands with her team, assessing damage to water plants and electricity stations.
On one occasion she ensured a small island community of 200 young families had their first access to clean drinking water in nearly a fortnight after the typhoon forced salt water into the wells.
Following the presentation at Windsor Castle, Wendy said:
“It was an absolutely amazing experience to meet the Queen and go to Windsor Castle to collect my MBE – I still can’t quite believe it is real.
"It was a privilege to be able to help the people in the Philippines and for my team and everyone on HMS Daring to be able to put their skills to such good use.”
As well as damaging wells and destroying homes and schools across the Philippines, many boats were damaged which were the sole source of income and fresh food for the fishing communities
On the island of Tabgun Wendy organised the repair of fishing vessels to allow the fishermen to go back to work and support their families and also constructed a makeshift desalination mechanism to provide the community with fresh water.
Along with her team of engineers, Wendy also rebuilt two classrooms that had been completely destroyed on Guintacan, allowing children who had been off school since the disaster to return.
Her success impressed the locals who asked her to look at more buildings, and she effectively delegated her team to allow more of the island’s vital infrastructure to be rebuilt.
“We had ten hours on the island so I had to make sure what we wanted to do was achievable,” she said.
“The key things were getting the school back up and running to give the children focus and let the parents get on with rebuilding their houses and then on Tabgun we needed to get them fresh water – that was essential.
“For me the reactions of the people we met were something I will never forget.
They saw us working out there in the heat and were trying to give us food and water and anything they had to make it more comfortable – and yet they were the ones in need. It was humbling and an experience I will never forget. It was the best experience I have had in the navy so far.”
Lt Frame was one of 26 Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel recognised at the Tri-Service Operational Honours & Awards event held at Lancaster House in London in March.
Her citation read: "Frame took charge of both projects and showed superior leadership skills by overseeing, directing and motivating her teams to achieve the tasks on time, thus producing a sustainable source of fresh drinking water and food for the community. Frame has embodied the ship's remit to save life and ease suffering, both through her own actions and the leadership of her able team."
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