News

February 25th 2025

The 15-year-old Cadet showed remarkable maturity and quick-thinking to call the emergency services and relay life-saving information to her dad and brother who performed CPR on Rebecca Hull during the incident last October.

Rapid response

The family had just arrived on holiday in Aberdaron, a remote part of North Wales two hours away from a hospital, when 53-year-old Rebecca suddenly collapsed whilst carrying her belongings from the car.

Unbeknown to her family, Rebecca had suffered a cardiac arrest and required immediate assistance.

Drawing on the regular first aid training practised at the Heanor Detachment of Derbyshire Army Cadets, Cdt LCpl Hull jumped into action, assessing her mum’s condition and contacting the emergency services.

Cdt LCpl Hull said: “I was very distressed, especially because a lot of time had gone by and there weren’t any signs of her waking up, so I became really scared. The operator on the phone was just telling me to breathe.

“Remaining calm and not going into panic mode are both examples of really important skills that I’ve learnt at the Cadets. A lot of the things we do, whether it’s shooting practice or when we’re out in the field, we’re taught to take deep breaths and remain calm, so I took a few of those lessons and utilised them in this situation.”

Life-saving actions

During the call, she was able to precisely pinpoint their location using the ‘what3words’ app, a technique she remembered learning at the Cadets during a rehearsal 999 call.

It took 25 minutes for two ambulance crews to arrive, followed by an additional 20 minutes for the air ambulance crew to reach the scene. During that time, Cdt LCpl Hull relayed and counted the critical number of chest compression and rescue breaths required to her dad and her brother, which massively helped to save her mum’s life.

After a total of 45 minutes of CPR and a shock delivered by the paramedics, Rebecca finally regained consciousness and was whisked away by air ambulance to hospital.

Rebecca was then put into a medically induced coma for four days and subsequently had surgery to fit an internal defibrillator. Miraculously, she has since gone on to make a full recovery.

Rebecca said: “Because of how long I was unconscious, it made the chances of me making a full recovery very slim.

“The fact they all reacted so quickly with CPR and contacting the ambulance service essentially saved my life.

“Despite the trauma and upset of it being her mum in distress, Nelly was amazing, and a huge reason I’m still here today.”

Honouring bravery

In recognition of Cdt LCpl Hull’s bravery, she was presented with the Praiseworthy Action Certificate from the Army Cadet Charitable Trust during a Heanor Detachment parade night in February.

Second Lieutenant Sam Heard, Heanor Detachment Commander, Derbyshire Army Cadets, said: “It’s amazing to recognise Cdt LCpl Hull with this award.

“As Adult Volunteers we come here every night to give back to the Cadet Force and try to teach the young Cadets how to be successful in life.

“This is a great example of what we can give them and how it can actually have a meaningful impact.”

Stuart Williams OBE is the Chief Executive of East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, a non-profit which champions, supports and enables exceptional characters such as Cdt LCpl Hull.

He added: “Cadet Lance Corporal Hull has shown incredible maturity in managing an extremely stressful and traumatic situation.

“She is a remarkable young person and a shining example of how our Cadets add real value to their communities.”

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