Royal Engineers |
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In Memory
of those brave men of The Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Company
who lost their lives trying to save others in Coventry during the
Second World War |
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| 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 and endeared himself to the locals with his friendly nature spending a great deal of his time seeing to the comfort of his men by 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 husband of Agnes Sharp Campbell also of Dalmellington. |
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| 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 to listen for any sound that the bomb had become active so he could alert the driver and give him the chance to escape. He later defused it safely. | ||||||
| Alexander received his George Cross posthumously because he was killed the following day 18/10/1941 Aged 42 having removed another bomb he thought was inert from Chapel Street which was a residential area. It 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 unloaded the bomb before it went off 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. | ||||||
| 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. |
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| Sapper William Gibson of the 9th Bomb Disposal Company | ||||||
| William was killed on the 18/10/1941 Aged 22 by a 250kg delayed action bomb that exploded after it was removed from their lorry having been transported from a residential area. William was the son of William and Eleanor Gibson of Burnage Lancashire. | ||||||
| Richard was killed on the 18/10/1941 Aged 23 by a 250kg delayed action bomb that exploded after it was removed from their lorry having been transported from a residential area. Richard was the son of James and Annie Hilda Gilchrest of Gorton Manchester. | ||||||
| Sapper Jack Plumb of the 9th Bomb Disposal Company | ||||||
Jack was killed on the 18/10/1941 Aged 25 by a 250kg delayed action bomb that exploded after it was removed from their lorry having been transported from a residential area. |
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| Sapper Ronald William Skelton of the 9th Bomb Disposal Company | ||||||
| Ronald was killed on the 18/10/1941 Aged 20 by a 250kg delayed action bomb that exploded after it was removed from their lorry having been transported from a residential area. Ronald was the son of James and Edith Emma Skelton of Grange Town Cardiff. | ||||||
| Sapper Ernest Arthur Stote of the 9th Bomb Disposal Company | ||||||
| Ernest was killed on the 18/10/1941 Aged 21 by a 250kg delayed action bomb that exploded after it was removed from their lorry having been transported from a residential area. Ernest was the son of Alfred Harold and Nellie Stote of Coventry | ||||||
| Driver Ernest Frederick George Taylor of the Royal Army Service Corps | ||||||
| Ernest was born in 1909 and killed on the 18/10/1941 Aged 32 by a 250kg delayed action bomb that exploded after it was removed from his lorry having been transported from a residential area. | ||||||
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| © J Hewitt Family Researcher | ||||||