Royal Navy officer honoured for services to Germany
A Royal Navy officer has the relatively rare distinction of being a non-German recipient of the Ehrenkreuz – Cross of Honour – in bronze.
The medal was presented to Lieutenant Edmund Read for serving with distinction during a four-year spell in the Bundeswehr, the German version of the Royal Navy's Britannia Royal Naval College.
Lt Read said: "In many ways, I feel like I should be the one giving the Germans a medal of honour, and not receiving one instead.
"The interaction with the future of the German navy and their officer cadets was the most rewarding part of the entire four years.
"Having parents of your cadets thank you for your training and support after they pass out at the end of a year, having both watched their children's development closely, was truly an honour," he added.
Lt Read was congratulated for his service as the Royal Navy exchange officer at the Marineschule Mürwik, which trains hundreds of young men and women annually in the art of naval leadership.
The naval officer exploited the presence of Royal Navy P2000 patrol boats when they venture into the Baltic, integrating them into a revamped leadership exercise for cadets, including land, sea, and amphibious phases.
He also had to deliver lessons and lectures to numerous other cadets, spanning issues as varied as leadership, navigation, and warfare in his host's native tongue.
Lt Read added: "In terms of job fulfilment, I'm not sure the Navy has anything better to offer.
"As a representative of the Royal Navy and the UK, you are a liaison between the two navies in which ties are extremely deep, and are called upon to represent the Royal Navy across northern Germany."
In 2010, during his first exchange at the school, Lt Read met his future wife, Dana, now a former German naval officer.
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