George Phillips

Throughout his life George Phillps has voluntarily helped others both inside and outside his local town of Plymouth - he is a true local hero. Today George is 87 years old. He carried the olympic torch in 1948 on its relay journey through Devon to the Olympic Sailing venue in Torquay. At the time he was a 1,500 metre runner and a county age group champion. After leaving school he joined the Royal Navy and served in the North Atlantic convoys, surviving a U-Boat sinking. When the war ended he worked as a Plymouth ship broker and served as a volunteer in the Royal Naval Reserve reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He served as Honorary Consul in the South West for three countries - France, Belgium and Spain for over 30 years. These voluntary positions required him to represent, advocate and advise foreign nationals and their families after being involved in an accident, a serious incident, being a victim of crime, legal difficulties, etc. In these roles he was often called upon in the middle of the night and at weekends to deal with urgent situations. He was honoured by King Leopold of Belgium, King Juan Carlos of Spain and the President of France for this voluntary work. For over 40 years he was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and latterly Probus where he was involved in hundreds of fundraising activities for local good causes. Today this local hero resides in a Plymouth Residential Home, remains active and alert, and leagerly awaits the 2012 Games.