A Vincentian, in the Royal Navy has won a top award.

Maule James who joined the British Royal Navy as Stores Accountant, has emerged top of his class in the first phase of the Royal Navy training at the HMS Raleigh in Torpoint, Cornwell, UK.

James was presented with the Owen Cup at his ‘Passing-In-Parade’. The cup is awarded to the recruit who achieves the best overall marks during training and was donated to he HMS Raleigh by Owen Uniforms as an incentive to all new recruits. {{more}}

The 28-year-old lad from South Rivers, joined HMS Raleigh, the Royal Navy’s premier training establishment in Cornwall, in January for eight weeks of intensive training to turn him from a civilian to a sailor. Over the eight weeks he has learnt the basic skills required by every sailor including seamanship, fire-fighting, weapons training and most importantly teamwork.

James was a police officer before joining the Royal Navy. He said, “I wanted the opportunity to become part of one of the best Naval Services in the world. Training was very challenging. I am extremely proud to have completed Phase One and I intend to continue to work hard by putting in maximum effort.”

James so impressed his instructors with his determination that his end of training report reads: “Maule’s ability to lead by example earned him the respect of his peers and superiors alike. He has settled well and is always willing to take on extra responsibility.”

The former North Union Secondary School student will now continue at HMS Raleigh to undergo his specialist training to prepare him for a challenging and varied career in the Royal Navy.

HMS Raleigh contributes to the operational capability of the fleet by providing first class training to all ratings joining the Service along with professional courses in a variety of specialist areas including military, seamanship, logistics and submarine operations. HMS Raleigh also offers on-going training for existing Service personnel to hone their skills making them ready for the challenges of modern operations.