Local man Major Ayres was in the island visiting family when he found out the news.
‘It is a great honour. I am very humbled to be recognised formally,’ said Major Ayres.
‘I definitely wasn’t expecting to be given one.
‘It was a complete shock, even though it is more common in the military to receive these kinds of award.’
The Member of the Order of the British Empire is awarded for service to the community which has significant long-term impact.
Major Ayres is currently based in Andover working in the Army Headquarters.
He works as a Major in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, having being commissioned from Sandhurst in 2002.
He has not seen the nomination citation yet, but has been told a large element is due to his role as the Army Headquarter’s lead logistics planner for the British Army’s involvement in Exercise Trident Juncture 18.
TRJE18 was a large Nato exercise in Norway in October 2018.
‘Before the exercise there was a lot of work required to ensure the Army personnel and equipment deploying were fully prepared to operate in the challenging Norwegian winter climate,’ Major Ayres said.
‘The exercise was used as an opportunity to test the Army’s ability to project a force from the UK into Europe.’
‘The deployment consisted of a 2,000km drive from the UK to Norway where the convoys were rested and refuelled at Convoy Support Centres that were established in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden,’ said Major Ayres, ‘there was also a rail deployment which saw equipment travel through the Channel Tunnel to Norway that was then unloaded by Army rail specialists.
‘The exercise was a great success, reinforcing the UK’s commitment to Nato and providing some valuable lessons to further improve the Army’s ability to project a force over long distances,’ Major Ayres said.
‘I’m very honoured and humbled to be awarded an MBE for my work, but also recognise that there were a lot of other people also involved, without their hard work and commitment we wouldn’t achieve such success.
‘I’m also supported by my wife Lisa and family, who have to put up with the long hours and time away from home.’
Major Ayres received the award for contributions to the military in the Ministry of Defence.
‘I think I got nominated because I went beyond what I had to do, but there was a whole team involved that I hope feel like they have been recognised for putting in the hard work too,’ said Major Ayres.
‘I am very proud of it, as it’s something you see other people being awarded in the military. It’s always something I would have liked to achieve, so it’s incredibly humbling.’
Other islanders recognised in The Queen’s New Year’s Honours list were Bryan Brehaut, BEM for his services to young people in Guernsey through The Boys’ Brigade; Alderney’s former President Stuart Trought, MBE for his services to the island; David Swiffen, MBE for services to wellbeing and to inter-faith dialogue in Guernsey; and Elizabeth Hutchinson, BEM for her services to libraries.
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