Chorley Royal Navy veteran returns to HMS Raleigh to support Help for Heroes

A Royal Navy veteran and stroke survivor returned to where his career began half a century ago to help Service personnel battling severe illness and injury.

Peter Duncan, from Chorley, spent 41 years as a sailor, rising to become the senior warrant officer in the Medical Branch, finally retiring in 2017.

But four years ago he suffered a severe stroke which almost claimed his life. Since then, he has faced significant challenges with determination and resilience, supported every step of the way by the charity Help for Heroes.

To mark the 50th anniversary of joining the Royal Navy, he travelled to HMS Raleigh in Torpoint, Cornwall, just as he did in 1976… this time accompanied by his wife Anne.

She is raising money for H4H as a thank-you for the charity’s support with Peter’s recovery and rehabilitation by running 300 miles – roughly the distance from their home to Raleigh – over 50 days.

Supported by HMS Raleigh’s Physical Training Instructors, Anne continued her fundraising challenge by completing part of her run around the parade ground, with her husband joining her for the final few yards in a moving and memorable moment.

“Help for Heroes has given Peter another chance at living an independent life,” she said. “Supporting the charity through this challenge was simply too good an opportunity to miss.”

The time on the parade ground was followed by a meet-and-greet with personnel from the medical centre, where discussions focused on advances in medical science and the high standard of equipment and care now available to Service personnel.

For Peter, the return to HMS Raleigh was an emotional experience. He told his hosts that he was not truly prepared for life in civvy street when he left nearly a decade ago, making the opportunity to revisit the place where some of the best years of his life began especially poignant.