Airborne medics have been honoured for their “courage, humanity and professionalism in the face of danger”.

16 Medical Regiment (16 Med Regt) has been awarded the Firmin Sword of Peace in recognition of its humanitarian work in 2023. Key missions for the unit included providing medical care after the devastating earthquake in Turkey, supporting the evacuation of British personnel from Sudan, and taking healthcare to isolated communities in Kenya.

The prestigious award was presented to the regiment by His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Army Medical Service, at Colchester’s Merville Barracks today (Thu 26 June 2025).

The award citation praised 16 Med Regt’s personnel as “the very best of representatives for the United Kingdom” when treating “the most desperate and vulnerable under the harshest of circumstances”.

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Betts, Commanding Officer of 16 Med Regt, said: “It is a hugely proud occasion for the Regiment to receive this award, and a moment for us to reflect on the dedication, adaptability, and compassion shown by our soldiers during a particularly demanding period.

“As airborne medics, we are defined by our role - to be ready to deploy at short notice, anywhere in the world, to deliver lifesaving medical treatment to our soldiers and people in need - and have been recognised for delivering that to the highest standard.”

From care at the point of wounding to damage control surgery, 16 Med Regt provides medical support to 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s global response force. Its personnel - including consultant orthopaedic surgeons, dentists, nurses, and Combat Medical Technicians (CMTs) - are specially trained and equipped to deploy by parachute, helicopter, or airlanding.

In 2023, the regiment deployed troops on 18 operations and for training in 26 countries. After the Turkey earthquake, the unit worked with the Turkish health services and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to establish a medical facility at the heavily-damaged town of Turkoglu, treating 6,300 patients.

During the Sudan evacuation, troops provided the sole surgical facility supporting the international operation. Of 2,450 people evacuated by the British military, 350 were treated for conditions ranging from extreme heat injury to gunshot wounds.

Staff Sergeant Elaine Bell, a biomedical scientist, deployed on both operations.

“It’s a proud moment to receive this award,” she said. “It was a very high tempo period with lots of hard work, but it is very rewarding to be there with the skills to help people when they need it most. I work as part of a small surgical team and we all contribute our specialist skills, but it’s also important that we do what we can to help and look after each other.”

In Kenya, the medics joined forces with the Kenyan Armed Forces and NGOs to roam across the savannah and deliver outreach clinics in 11 remote villages, treating 7,500 patients.

The Firmin Sword of Peace was established as the Wilkinson Sword of Peace in 1966 and is awarded annually to a unit in each of the UK's armed services judged to have made the most valuable contribution towards establishing good and friendly relations with any community at home or overseas.

For 2023, it was also awarded to the Royal Navy’s HMS Lancaster and the RAF’s Global Enablement Medical Force, who served alongside 16 Med Regt in Sudan and Turkey respectively.

Supplied by Gareth Palmer, MOD Press Office