On Wednesday the 26th of June, the Parachute Regiment presented one of our esteemed residents LCpl Dennis Devey, with his long-awaited Veteran medal for his service in the Royal Corps Signals at Catterick from the 3rd of April 1952. This heart-warming day was made even more special by the attendance of so many veterans who came to show their support and share memories and stories about Dennis.
Pictured: Dennis Devey after receiving his medal
Dennis joined the Royal Corps Signals in Catterick aged 19 and travelled to places such as Brunei, Cyprus and Singapore. During his service, Dennis completed his P Coy and was awarded his para wings. Dennis was also the founder of the Cove Joggers, an athletics club in Farnborough where he ran a total of 260 park runs. Dennis certainly had a passion for running because he also completed two London marathons in 2011 and 2014 in under 7 hours whilst in his 80s.
The ceremony was meticulously organised by Warrant Officer Class One Sharon Smith, Major Carl Smith and Tilford Registered Manager, Lisa Kirtland. The highlight of the day saw Dennis receive his medal from Captain Robert Smith.
Residents and families came together for this special occasion showing their support for Dennis and his family. We had an afternoon of drinks, food, and a fantastic performance by Natasha from Get Happy Productions who got many of our residents up and dancing.
Pictured: Dennis Devey, Warrant Officer Class One Sharon Smith, Major Carl Smith, Captain Robert Smith, Veterans who came to show their support for Dennis and family and friends of Dennis
Registered Manager at Tilford Care and Nursing Home Lisa Kirtland said
‘’We are so proud to support the award of the Veterans badge to one of our residents. It was a very special day and even through his dementia, the beret and the regiment colours reached him. He came alive and he smiled all day.
Such an emotional day and one that we will not forget for some time to come. Thank you to all our Veterans for what they did for us. It was a privilege to be allowed to celebrate this with him.”
The medal Dennis was awarded
A special thank you to all three of these esteemed individuals for helping make this day special for Dennis — Warrant Officer Class One Sharon Smith, Major Carl Smith, and Captain Robert Smith—who are based at Regional Command, Montgomery House in Aldershot.
Since the publication of this article, Dennis has sadly passed away. We would like to thank the Parachute Regiment, his family and friends and the team at Tilford Care and Nursing Home for honouring him and his service in his final days.