Kate Nesbitt

She treated a wounded soldier, as bullets struck around her.

Kate Louise Nesbitt was born in Plymouth in 1988 and joined the Royal Navy in 2005. Trained as a medical assistant, she served with the Royal Marines and at sea before deploying to Afghanistan with 3 Commando Brigade. There she supported the 1st Battalion, The Rifles, on patrols alongside Afghan soldiers.

On 12 March 2009, the patrols were withdrawing from an exposed area in Helmand when Taliban fire struck Lance Corporal John List. A bullet passed through his cheek and neck, threatening both his breathing and his life.

Nesbitt ran across open ground to reach him. While rounds struck nearby, she concentrated on maintaining his airway and controlling the bleeding. She remained with him for about forty-five minutes until he could be evacuated. List survived.

Awarded the Military Cross for her conduct, she became the first woman in the Royal Navy to receive it. The decoration recognised her work as an able medical assistant under fire, before her later promotions.

She continued serving and reached chief petty officer. In 2018 the Navy unveiled a painting of her action at HMS Raleigh. The following year she spoke to sailors at Culdrose about her experience, explaining how repeated medical training had helped her concentrate on the casualty during the attack. Plymouth also named Nesbitt House at the Oceansgate development in her honour, linking her career with the city's naval community.