Britain's only serving female naval commando among three killed in helicopter crash

Britain’s only serving female naval commando has been named as one of the three people who died in a helicopter crash during a military training exercise in Devon on Wednesday.

The victims have been named by the Ministry of Defence as Lt Lily-Mae Fisher, 31, Lt Cmdr Chris Gayson, 42, and Petty Officer Owen Green, 24.

John Healey, the defence secretary, described all three as “dedicated and highly valued members of their squadrons who embodied the best of our armed forces”.

Their families have been informed and an investigation is under way into the cause of the crash, which occurred when the MK4 helicopter went down in a field in Sourton Down, near Okehampton, around 4am on Wednesday.

Conditions at the time were said to be very poor, with strong winds, heavy rain and low visibility. The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash.

Col Will Penkman, the commanding officer of the commando helicopter force, said: “It is a tragedy that we lost three members of the CHF family yesterday. Cherished members of the force with bright futures ahead of them, they were all highly committed professionals infused with the Junglie spirit of the force.”

Merlin helicopters, such as the Merlin Mk4 involved in the incident, are primarily used for anti-submarine warfare. They can also be used for search and rescue, cargo transfers and maritime patrol, according to the Royal Navy’s website.

Fisher, 31, who was based in Yeovil, Somerset, had joined the Royal Navy in May 2019. She successfully completed the 16-week all arms commando course – something very few women have completed to date – and represented Great Britain at the European Age Group Triathlon Championships in 2021. She also took part as a contestant on the ITV shows Take Me Out and Ninja Warrior UK.

She described it as a “massive privilege and a huge honour to serve my country”. Her achievement as the only British female Royal Navy commando was also praised by Nato.

Speaking last year, Fisher said: “The body achieves what the mind believes. I love to test myself and challenge myself constantly.”

She added: “If the call was to ever come to go to war, it is my responsibility and my duty to serve in the armed forces, be it in peacetime or at wartime.”

Asked whether she believed a woman could one day pass the Royal Marines course, Fisher told the BBC last year: “Absolutely. Absolutely, I do think it is possible to pass it.”

Keir Starmer said on Wednesday the deaths of the three personnel were “utterly tragic”, adding: “My thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones of the three members of the Royal Navy who sadly lost their lives … Thank you to the emergency services responding to this horrific incident.”

The Princess of Wales, who is commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm, one of the navy’s five fighting arms, said she was saddened to hear of the deaths, adding: “[Prince] William and I hold their families and friends in our hearts at this very difficult time.”

A witness told ITV News he had heard engines cut out before seeing an “almighty flash of red” when the helicopter crashed. Eddie Amhof told the broadcaster: “I heard this horrendous noise from a helicopter, it sounded like he was going to pitch on the roof. It was a terrible noise.

“By the time I got out of bed, and got to the window, he’d moved away about half a mile. And all of a sudden, no noise at all. The engines were gone.”

He added: “At the same time as the engines went, there was an almighty flash of red which lit up the sky. About five to six minutes after that there was a big bang, an explosion.”