Royal Engineers
In Memory of those brave men of The Royal Engineers,
9th Bomb Disposal Company who
lost their lives trying to save others in Coventry during the Second
World War
Second Lieutenant Alexander Fraser Campbell GC of the 9th Bomb Disposal Company
Alexander was leader of the first bomb disposal squad to be stationed
in Coventry. He endeared himself to the locals with his friendly
nature spending a great deal of his time seeing to the comfort of
his men and interesting the general public in their welfare. He
was born 02/05/1898 the son of Archibald and Mary Cambell of Dalmellington
in Ayreshire, and was husband to Agnes Sharp Campbell also of Dalmellington.
He was awarded the George Cross for conspicuous gallantry in carrying out hazardous work in a very brave manner. When Alexander was called in to deal with an unexploded bomb at the Triumph Engineering Company's works he found the device was fitted with an irremovable delayed action fuse
The decision was made to remove the bomb from the factory where it landed to a less populated area. Whilst it was being transported Alexander lay alongside the bomb to listen for any sound that it had become active so he could alert the driver and give him the chance to escape. Alexander later defused the bomb safely.
He was awarded the George Cross for conspicuous gallantry in carrying out hazardous work in a very brave manner. When Alexander was called in to deal with an unexploded bomb at the Triumph Engineering Company's works he found the device was fitted with an irremovable delayed action fuse
The decision was made to remove the bomb from the factory where it landed to a less populated area. Whilst it was being transported Alexander lay alongside the bomb to listen for any sound that it had become active so he could alert the driver and give him the chance to escape. Alexander later defused the bomb safely.
Photo of Alexander Fraser Campbell GC
Alexander received his George Cross posthumously because he was
killed the following day 18/10/1941 aged 42. Having removed another
bomb, which he thought to be inert, from Chapel Street, which was
a residential area. The bomb later exploded but only after Alexander
and his squad had transported it out of the city centre to a safe
area. They only just managed to unload the bomb before it went off,
tragically killing Sergeant Michael Gibson and Sapper’s William
Gibson, Richard Gilchrest, Jack Plumb, Ronald William Skelton, Ernest
Arthur Stote and their driver Ernest Frederick George Taylor.
Michael was killed on the 18/10/1941 aged 34 by another delayed action bomb it weighed 250kg and exploded after it was removed from their lorry having been transported from a residential area. Also killed were Second Lieutenant Alexander Fraser Campbell and Sapper’s William Gibson, Richard Gilchrest, Jack Plumb, Ronald William Skelton and Ernest Arthur Stote.
Sergeant Michael Gibson of the 9th Bomb Disposal Company
Born in 1906, Michael formerly served with the Durham Light Infantry. He was awarded the George Cross posthumously for conspicuous gallantry in carrying out hazardous work in a very brave manner. He oversaw the digging out of a very large unexploded bomb and even when another bomb exploded close by he continued working. Then suddenly it began to omit a hissing sound after which Michael sent the others away to protect them and continued to defuse the bomb alone.Michael was killed on the 18/10/1941 aged 34 by another delayed action bomb it weighed 250kg and exploded after it was removed from their lorry having been transported from a residential area. Also killed were Second Lieutenant Alexander Fraser Campbell and Sapper’s William Gibson, Richard Gilchrest, Jack Plumb, Ronald William Skelton and Ernest Arthur Stote.
