A Royal Marine who showed "outstanding courage" in disposing of a live mortar shell on the remote island of St Helena has been awarded a commendation from the Second Sea Lord.

WO Neville Weston, a former Royal Marines Regimental Sgt Major, was a recruiter on the mid-Atlantic island when the civil authorities put out a plea for help.

He organised a mission along with Army colleague Sgt Richard Sheridan to carry the potentially-unstable 70lb bomb down the 700 steps of a steep route from the mountain location in Jamestown.

Once they had negotiated the descent, the mortar was carried to the harbour and placed on a boat so that it could be dumped safely out to sea.

The Second Sea Lord's commendation recognises the "selfless initiative" of WO Weston, whose Commando training at Lympstone came to the fore during his impromptu bomb disposal heroics.

The commendation recognised that WO Weston acted "without regard to his own safety and thought only of the greater good."

WO Weston, who now works for the Naval Careers Service in Oxford, said: "My experiences as a Marine took over instinctively.

"I was aware that any sudden movement could make the mortar explode and we'd be injured, but public safety was paramount."

The commendation was presented to WO Weston by Flag Officer Training and Recruiting, Rear Admiral Peter Davies, at a ceremony in Portsmouth Naval Base.