The James Coull Memorial Award is administered and presented by the Trustees of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association; it is awarded to the serving officer or rating who makes an outstanding contribution to the good name of the RFA Service.
The James Coull Memorial Award is administered and presented by the Trustees of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association; it is awarded to the serving officer or rating who makes an outstanding contribution to the good name of the RFA Service.
The James Coull Memorial Award was established in 2003 following the generosity of an RFAA member, who endowed funds to enable this prestigious trophy to be presented each year, in memory of the late Commodore James Coull, who served as Commodore RFA from March 1983 to September 1985.
The Winners:
2004 – Chief Petty Officer (D) Martin Joyce RFA was selected by the trustees of the RFAA after he received a Commander in Chief Commendation for outstanding leadership and pursuit of excellence, during the 2003 Iraq War.
2005 – 2nd Officer (X) Ian Johnson, MBE, RFA received this award after he had been commended for outstanding leadership and determination in carrying out civil relief operations in Grenada, following Hurricane Ivan.
2006 – Chief Officer (E) Brian Hayes RFA was presented with this award following a Commander in Chief’s Commendation, this followed a catastrophic main engine failure on RFA Fort Austin, when it became necessary to remove a piston and re-configure the engine. Chief Officer Hayes was commended for his outstanding leadership and engineering ability in managing this difficult work.
2014 – 1st Officer (LS) Ed J Read RFA was presented with his reward on 8 October 2014 at Semaphore Tower, Portsmouth Dockyard. 1st Officer Read joined the Strategy and Development Team in August 2012. Since that time his work has been fundemental to the development of policy and processes to ensure the RFA has a sustainable long term future
2015 – The Crew of RFA Argus were presented with this award following their outstanding work during Operation Herring – the provision of aid to the peoples of Sierra Leone over a period of six months when the Ebola Virus broke out in that country
2016 – 2nd Officer (E) Martin Peet RFA was presented with this award for meritorious and outstanding service to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service
2017 – Chief Petty Officer (E) Martin Crawford RFA was presented with this award for Outstanding and Meritorious work for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary during the setting up and designing Standard Operating Proceedures (SOPS) for NBCD on the new Tide Class tankers
2018 – 1st Officer (X) Jamie E Finlay RFA (since promoted to Chief Officer (X)) for his outstanding performance, in RFA Mounts Bay, during Humanitatian assistance and Disaster Relief Operations in the British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands. the Turks & Caicos Islands and Dominica (Operation Rumen) after they all suffered unprecedented damage during hurricanes Irma and Maria
2019 – no award was made this year
2020 – 1st Officer (E) Michael Hontoir RFA and 1st Officer (LS) Michael Tyndell RFA jointly for outstanding and meritorious service whilst serving in RFA Mounts Bay during Operation Barytone, the disaster relief operation following the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas