A former Marlow pupil will be commanding a 190-strong crew aboard a Royal Navy destroyer that departs for the Persian Gulf tomorrow – while his proud family cheer him on.

Commander Philip Dennis MBE RN, a former head boy at Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, assumed command of HMS Daring in May 2014 and will be leading the crew as the ship leaves the UK on Friday afternoon.

HMS Daring, a type 45 destroyer, and her crew will sail from Portsmouth with a mission to protect US aircraft carriers as they strike at terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

Commander Dennis' proud mother Ann, who has lived in Marlow for 47 years, said: “As any parents would be, we are worried but we are extremely proud of him and we hope that it all goes well.

“They have an amazing crew who have worked very hard to sort out various issues while the boat has been in the dock yard.  

“We have got our Union Jacks ready and will be waving him on from the Round Tower tomorrow as he leaves.”

Commander Dennis, 44, will be leaving behind his wife and four-week-old baby daughter for the nine month deployment.

The commander, who now lives in Hampshire, first joined the Royal Navy in April 1995 and was awarded an MBE in the September 2012 Operational Honours and Awards List.

The ship is expected to depart for its mission at 1.30pm and will be responsible for providing vital information to the coalition’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Al Udeid, Qatar, as well as patrolling some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Commander Dennis said the crew have been through “intense training” to make sure they are “fit to tackle the challenges of this important deployment.”