Brazier - The Complete George Cross: A Full Chronological Record of All George Cross Holders

My initial thanks must go to Rupert Harding for commissioning this book even before my first book on the Victoria Cross was published. I must thank my friends who have helped and supported me throughout this project, especially David Brown, Joe Dever, Paul Murray and Gary Williams, also Lance Renetzke for his knowledge of Indian Army rankings, Andrew Cross for his knowledge of naval rankings and Jill Sugden for her many hours of research.

Tom Johnson BEM has given me a great deal of assistance; his help has, as always, been invaluable. I must also thank Didy Grahame OBE, MVO of the VC&GC Association for her help and for putting me in touch with all the living GC holders; Terry Hissey for his help and for proofreading the finished work; Marion Hebblethwaite who has helped throughout my research; and the London Gazette .

I am most grateful also to the Photographic Department of the Imperial War Museum, and to the staff at the many cemeteries I have visited, who have been very helpful in finding the exact location of a great many GC holders, and the staff at many of the museums I have been in contact with. In this context special thanks are due to Carolyn Anand of the RNLI Heritage Trust, Robert Steele of the Royal Highland Fusiliers Museum, Barbara Tomlinson of the National Maritime Museum, Eric Carpenter of the Australian War Memorial, Lynda Powell of the Green Howards Museum, Helen Jones of the Keep Military Museum, Edward Besly of the National Museum Wales, Anne Bradley of the National Coal Mining Museum of England, Anna Lebbell of the Royal Marines Museum, George Streatfeild of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, Jesper Ericsson of the Gordon Highlanders Museum, Ian Chatfield of the Queens Royal Surrey Regiment Museum, Mary White of the National Railway Museum, Lynne Lennard of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Stuart Allan of the National Museum of Scotland, Beverley Williams of the Royal Engineers Museum, Derek Marrison of the Army Medical Service Museum, Jane Rugg of the London Fire Brigade Museum, Andrew Cormack of the RAF Museum, Gary Gibbs of the Guards Museum, Clare Griffiths of the Borough Museum and Art Gallery (Newcastle-under-Lyne), Fergus Read of the Imperial War Museum, Gina Young of the Stranraer Museum, Peter Donnelly of the Kings Own Royal Regiment Museum, and Danu Reid of the National Army Museum.

I must thank my editor, Sarah Cook, for her many, many hours of hard work, and for putting up with my constant last-minute changes. My very special thanks go to Tony Gledhill GC, not only for writing the Foreword to this book, but for the photos he has kindly provided from his personal collection. Last, but by no means least, my thanks go to Teresa, my long-suffering wife.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abbott, P.E. and Tamplin, J.M.A., British Gallantry Awards (Guinness Superlatives & B.A. Seaby, 1981)

Ashcroft, Michael, George Cross Heroes (Headline Publishing, London, 2010)

Bisset, Lt Col. Ian, The George Cross (MacGiggon & Kee, 1961)

Gledhill GC, Tony, A Gun at My Head (Historic Military Press, 2006)

Hebblethwaite, Marion, One Step Further. Those Whose Gallantry was Rewarded with the George Cross, Vols 19 (Chameleon H.H. Publishing, 2007)

Hissey, Terry, GC on the Rock (Civil Defence Association, 2001)

Hissey, Terry, Come if ye Dare (Civil Defence Association, 2008)

Marshall, Bruce, The White Rabbit (Evans Brothers Ltd, 1952)

Oliver, R.L., Malta Besieged (Hutchinson & Co. Ltd, 1944)

OShea, Philip P., An Unknown Few (P.D. Hasselberg, Government Printer, 1981)

Smythe VC, MC, Brig. the Rt Hon. Sir John, The Story of the George Cross (Arthur Barker Ltd, 1968)

Stanistreet, Allan, Gainst All Disaster (Picton Publishing, 1986)

Swettenhall, J., Valiant Men; VC and GC Winners (Hakkert, 1973)

The Register of the George Cross (This England Books, 1990)

Tickell, Jerrard, Odette (Chapman & Hall, 1949)

Turner, John Frayn, Awards of the George Cross 19402005 (Pen & Sword, Barnsley, 2006)

Wilson, Sir Arnold and McEwen, Capt. J.H.F., Gallantry (Oxford University Press, 1939)

William Fleming (49) saved twenty-four men from drowning. (Imperial War Museum Q80531)

Philip Yates (116) rescued trapped miners. ( Tony Gledhill )

John Rowlands (183) defused over 150 bombs. ( Tony Gledhill )

Joan Pearson (204) pulled a pilot from his burning aircraft. ( Tony Gledhill )

Bertram Archer (219) worked on over 200 bombs. ( Tony Gledhill )

Richard Moore (226) took part in defusing seventeen parachute mines. ( Tony Gledhill )

Harry Errington (228) rescued two colleagues from a basement fire. ( Tony Gledhill )

Laurence Sinclair (239) pulled an injured man from a burning aircraft. ( Tony Gledhill )

Lionel Matthews (274) defied the Japanese, although he was a prisoner of war. ( Australian War Memorial, Out of Copyright )

John Gregson (278) saved an injured man from their sinking ship. ( Tony Gledhill )

( Right ) Charles Walker (279). The man in the middle is believed to be Stanley Gibbs (71). The man on the left is an as-yet-unidentified GC holder. ( Charles Walker )

Charles Walker (279) aged 97 in 2010. ( Authors collection )