Grimsby nurse awarded Humanitarian Medal by the King for her work in Gaza

Supergran Chris Hunter says her family wish she’d take up knitting rather than go on dangerous deployments to war-torn Gaza.

The theatre nurse in her 70s travelled twice to Gaza to save lives with Manchester-based frontline medical charity UK-Med, as part of the UK Government’s humanitarian response to the crisis. Chris, from Grimsby, was able treat 13-year-old granddaughter Alexis to a day out at Buckingham Palace to meet the King – after being awarded a Humanitarian Medal for her life-saving work at a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funded emergency field hospital.

Chris said: “I know my family would prefer I just put my feet up and started knitting or something – but I’d far rather help stitch up patients who need our help in Gaza. Even if I was not ‘nan nan’ to my three grandchildren, it’s only natural my family would be concerned for my safety, but they know that once I’ve made up my mind, there’s no point trying to change it.

“I know I am elderly and aged, but I just feel as though I’ve got so much to offer. I have a lot of experience and skills which are best used supporting people who really need our help in Gaza.”

She added: “I’m awaiting news from UK-Med about another deployment to Gaza or Ukraine. I have no plans to put my feet up.

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“You are in that wooden box for a long time when you die, so I am trying to make the most of being fit and healthy.”

Chris served with the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps for 32 years and still works as a theatre nurse at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby. UK aid pays for medical volunteers such as Chris’s regular roles to be backfilled to ensure the NHS is not impacted.

King Charles has recognised Chris’s work helping establish two FCDO-funded emergency field hospitals – based in Al Mawasi and Deir El Balah – which have treated more than 300,000 patients.

Proud Chris said: “I don’t like the word ‘hero’, but meeting the King was a wonderful surprise and such an honour. It’s taken me a lifetime to get there.

“I actually thought the email telling me about the Humanitarian Medal was a hoax and someone was pulling my leg. The King asked my granddaughter what she wants to do with her life and she said ‘I want to be a nurse’ and the King said ‘Make sure she makes it’.

“My daughter’s just qualified as a nurse as well so maybe they’ll both follow in my footsteps. The King was very easy to talk to and interested to hear what the situation is like on the ground in Gaza.

“When I told him the infection rate is so bad that you can smell patients before you see them, he pulled a face at the thought.” The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains extremely challenging – with more than 50,000 killed and over 90 per cent of the population displaced from their homes, many repeatedly.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has been leading calls for more aid to enter Gaza. The UK Government announced £17m in humanitarian funding on January 28 to ensure healthcare, food and shelter reaches tens of thousands of civilians and to support vital infrastructure across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

In total, the UK has announced £129m this financial year, including £10m to support UK-Med's life-saving work in Gaza. Charity UK-Med has also launched a Middle East Crisis Appeal, which has so far raised £200,000, and is calling for donations from the British public to support its work in Gaza.

Chris previously served with the military in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan but insists the scale of human suffering on the ground in Gaza made it her toughest deployment. She said: “When I looked at my 13-year-old granddaughter at Buckingham Palace I couldn’t help contrast it with some of the horrendous things I’ve seen happen to children and little girls in Gaza.

“I remember we had an 18-month-old girl come in and her left hand had been blown off. Two or three fingers on her right hand were gone.

“She had a fractured leg and little bits of shrapnel embedded in her head. Her mother and father had been killed in the same incident so she was being looked after by her sister who was only about 14 or 15.

“The mass casualty incidents were relentless. No sooner had you got through one lot of patients, there was another load of ambulances. It was continuous. It was like a conveyor belt of carnage.

“The blockages to getting aid in means the shortage of basic kit was really striking. There was not much in the way of antibiotics, swabs or even clean water to irrigate wounds. I’ve no idea what Florence Nightingale would have made of it.”

To add to the challenges, Chris recalls working to the constant sound of nearby explosions in the background. “I remember my shock the first time I experienced explosions going off near me in Iraq, but over the years I think I’ve got used to it.

“There were a few window shakers in Gaza. Some of my fellow British medics could get a bit worried but I think if you can remain calm, it helps others do the same.

Mr Lammy said: “This new medal recognises the incredible dedication and selfless service of individuals on the frontline of the UK’s responses to some of the world’s most devastating crises. I am delighted the first tranche of awards will recognise members of the UK government’s emergency deployment teams, for their brave work in Libya, Morocco and Gaza.

“The International Search and Rescue team and Emergency Medical Team are made up of expert firefighters and medics from across the UK, who travel to the most challenging of environments to save lives.”