RAF logistics supplier from Horndean will spend Christmas Day fighting against Daesh

Corporal Matthew Cotton, from Horndean, is working away this Christmas for the first time, running logistics for the RAF as part of Operation Shader.

The operation is the UK’s contribution to the fight against Daesh, an Islamist group that remains a threat to the stability of Iraq and Syria.

Cpl Cotton, who serves in the RAF as a logistics supplier, is tasked with fitting aircraft with the gear they need from a base in Cyprus.

The 29-year-old from Horndean said: ‘This is my first time away for Christmas. I’ve been away to the Falklands and on exercises before but this is my first operation – it’s certainly very busy.

‘It feels good to contribute to the goal of the armed forces against Daesh, and to know you're doing something positive in the world.

‘Anything that the aircraft need, we make sure they get it as quickly as possible. We also hold a lot of stock here so can issue the engineers with everything they need too.’

According to the government’s regional threat outlook, Daesh is currently destabilising security structures, undermining governance and polarising communities in the Middle East.

Working abroad to protect those at risk from Daesh’s clutches, Cpl Cotton has sacrificed spending Christmas with his fiancee Hannah and the rest of his family, in service of the greater good.

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He said: ‘It’s not too bad I suppose, although it is very different because of what’s going on back home.

‘But at the end of the day this is what I joined up for – to go away and serve.

‘We’ve got a Christmas meal in the mess but I’m going to be on shift, I’m scheduled to be on nights so it’ll be a different Christmas Day to what I’m used to.

‘I should still get time to call home and see how everyone’s getting on.’

The UK armed forces has 6,400 sailors, soldiers, airmen and Royal Marines working across the globe over the festive period, including in multinational efforts to control Covid-19. They join thousands of personnel based at home over the Christmas period who are also deployed on Covid-19 tasks.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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