Budleigh Salterton Author Hilary Mantel, an Exmouth-based Royal Navy Surgeon and the woman who led volunteer support to those affected by winter storms at Dawlish have all been recognised in this year's honest list.
Hilary Mantel, who has written two novels about the life of Thomas Cromwell, has been made a dame for services to literature
Another local woman to be honoured in the Queen's Birthday Honours list is Shirley Fewings, who led volunteer support to those affected by winter storms at Dawlish.
Fewings, who is appointed an MBE, managed the Dawlish and East Teignbridge Volunteer Service during the winter.
Surg Cdr Andrew "Andy" Brown, 41, has been awarded the MBE for providing medical support to operations and developing two new life-saving capabilities that "will have a significant and enduring impact on operational healthcare for the front line."
The two capabilities that he has helped develop include:
Maritime In Transit Care (MITC) – a Royal Navy advancement on the in-theatre four man Chinook CH47 medical evacuation procedure. The MITC uses a light and flexible "air ambulance" concept that can be adapted to the mode of transport while still providing specialist medical care in transit.
Maritime Air Drop Blood Re-supply – a means of re-supplying surgical teams far out to sea with blood. It allows refrigerated blood to be dropped in a waterproof rugged container, from an aircraft, into the sea where it can be recovered by a seaboat. It means ships are able to remain deployed for extended periods.
On hearing that he had been awarded an MBE, Andy said: "My family and I are absolutely thrilled with this award, which is a complete surprise and a real honour. I feel very privileged to be part of such a great team and to be able to get up each day and go to work to a job I love."
Andy now works at the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre, in Exmouth, Devon, where he is the senior GP in charge of the medical practice.
He added: "I've enjoyed every job I've done in the Navy. One of the things I love about the job is the opportunity to take part in adventurous training and remote expeditions. I've been fortunate to take part in expeditions around the world.
"My best trip so far was in 2006 when I was a member of a four man expedition which walked unsupported to the South Pole from the edge of Antarctica and skied back to our start point using kites, a total distance of 2,500 km in 71 days. We were the first members of the military to walk to the Pole since Captain Scott."
