THE North Yorkshire crews of three Army Lynx helicopters are returning home after helping in the international disaster relief effort in the Philippines.
659 Squadron of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps (AAC), normally based at Dishforth, have been embarked in HMS Illustrious, the Royal Navy's amphibious helicopter carrier, delivering humanitarian relief in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.
The helicopters played a crucial role in assessing the damage to allow focused aid distribution, delivering supplies of food and reconstruction materials.
The aircraft also took teams of engineers and medics to remote island communities in dire need of assistance.
Sergeant Matt Jones, 32, from North Yorkshire. said: “The size of the Lynx helicopter allowed us to reach areas and communities that other aircraft could not access, and therefore may have otherwise been left without assistance.
“The relief and thanks on the faces of the locals when we arrived to help, was absolutely amazing to see and worth every effort of ours.”
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