A CHELMSLEY Wood man, who helped recover chemical weapons from more than 100 years ago, recently received a bravery award.
Royal Navy diver Matt O'Brien (pictured above) waded into a lake after mustard gas canisters, dating from the First World War, were discovered by members of the public.
The surprising find had been made in the depths of Stixwould Lake, in Lincolnshire.
The operation to recover the dangerous items was described as one of the most unusual of its kind to have taken place in Britain in recent years.
Thirty-four-year-old Mr O'Brien received the Queen's Commendation for Bravery, after taking the plunge - despite fears that the water might be contaminated.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: "He donned a special suit, had zero visibility and had to feel his way around the lake to locate possibly-damaged toxic shells, safely bag them and return to the surface to hand them over to his colleagues for disposal.
"In all the team from Portsmouth’s Southern Diving Unit 2 recovered ten 6lb chemical bombs during a week-long operation.
"But it was Leading Diver O’Brien’s bravery and leadership which particularly stood out drawing praise from the military and civilian authorities involved in the operation and setting an example 'of a selfless individual and model leader.'."
Mr O'Brien, who has a three-year-old daughter, is specially trained to deal with dangerous artefacts underwater and on land.
Mustard gas was a deadly weapon deployed in the trenches during the First World War. A century on from the end of the conflict, the items are still occasionally found on British shore.
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