[A] COLONEL who led his Battalion during the severe floods of 2015 has been awarded an OBE in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Lieutenant Colonel Hamish Cormack commanded the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment as the 500 soldiers responded to the severe flooding in Lancashire, Cumbria, and Yorkshire during the November and December 2015.
His citation commends the “incomparable strides” he made in developing the relationships between the military and regional communities. He is also said to have led by example while fielding numerous high profile visits during the flood relief operations.
“The floods were an incredibly tough time for all concerned,” said Lt Col Cormack.
“The emergency services and local authorities worked tirelessly in a challenging situation to help those people affected and we were pleased to be able to support them.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather when I was told I was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. I am humbled to be recognised but this incredible honour is not about me. It is a recognition of the soldiers of 2 LANCS.
“During the floods every man and woman thought nothing about themselves and only about supporting the people affected. The soldiers, and the families they left behind, were awesome. I am enormously proud to have had the honour of leading them on this operation and on everything else we did in the UK and overseas.”
Lt Col Cormack who was brought up in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire and lives in Somerset, has served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Bosnia and Northern Ireland. He is currently the Military Assistant to the Army’s Assistant Chief of the General Staff in London.
