WW II Awards for RN Bomb and Mine Disposal

Under Development. Contributions and corrections welcome.

^NOTES

^{AWARD
ABBREVIATIONS}

^{OTHER
ABBREVIATIONS}

¹Killed on duty

² Award not for RMS or BD

³ Reason for award unknown

VC: Victoria Cross
GC: George Cross
CBE: Commander of the Order of the British Empire
DSO: Distinguished Service Order
OBE: Officer of the Order of the British Empire
MBE: Member of the Oder of the British Empire

DSC: Distinguished Service Cross

MC: Military Cross

CGM: Conspicuous Gallantry Medal

GM: George Medal
DSM: Distinguished Service Medal

BEM: British Empire Medal (now superseded by MBE)

MID: Mention in Despatches
Commend'n: King's Commendation for Brave Conduct

B&MD: Bomb & Mine Disposal
BD: Bomb Disposal
BSO: Bomb Safety Officer
LCOCU: Landing Craft Obstruction Clearance Unit
RMS: Rendering Mines Safe

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

NAME	RANK/RATE	UNIT	DATE GAZETTED	AWARD	REMARKS
B
BABINGTON John Herbert	Sub Lt (Sp) RNVR (Later Lt Cdr)	HMS President (London) HMS Volcano (Ravenglass)	27 Dec 40 8 Jun 43	GC OBE	BD and RMS - See below.
BABINGTON John Herbert	GC awarded for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Sub-Lieutenant Babington had experimented with the dismantling of all types of bombs and had worked on the first suspended parachute magnetic mines. He volunteered to deal with a very dangerous bomb in Chatham dockyard in the autumn of 1940 where an anti-withdrawal device was suspected - an RAF officer had shortly before lost his life in trying to deal with a bomb of this description. Sub-Lieutenant Babington was lowered into a 16 ft. pit where he tied a line to the head of the fuse but the line broke and he again went into the pit. He had to make three attempts to remove the fuse before he finally directed the lifting of the bomb which was then taken away. At that time the Bomb Disposal Authorities had very little knowledge of the mechanism of these mines and much was learnt from this incident. Appointed OBE for coolness and courage in operations involving great risk to himself.
BAILEY William (Bill)	Electrical Lt RNVR	HMS Cormorant (Gibraltar) NP 1502C (Courseulles) ‘P’ Party 1574	29 Dec 42 13 Mar 45 15 May 45	GM DSC Bar to GM	Port Clearance - GM awarded for underwater work in Med. With Crabb during Italian Chariot raids on Gibraltar. DSC awarded for Normandy assault Jun-Sep 1944. Bar to GM awarded for exceptional gallantry, skill and great devotion to duty, often in close proximity to the enemy, during mine-searching and clearance operations in the ports of Normandy and the Low Countries.
BAKER Sidney	Sub Lt RNVR	HMS Vernon	14 Jan 41	GM	RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Helped Cummins and Chapple recover first German acoustic mine from Ogmore, Porthcawl.
BALDWIN¹Charles E.	CPO	HMS Vernon	23 Dec 39	DSM	RMS - DSM awarded for great courage and skill in securing and stripping live enemy mines without regard for own safety. Presentation made by King George VI at HMS Vernon 19 Dec 1939 for rendering safe first German influence mine at Shoeburyness 23 Nov 1939. Helped Ouvry, Lewis and Vearncombe render safe first Type A magnetic mine and Glenny and Vearncombe render safe second Type A magnetic mine at Shoeburyness 25 Nov 39. Killed along with course of 14 RNVR Sub Lieutenants on board drifter while recovering loose British moored mines in Forth early 1940.
BALSDON James	Lt RN (Rtd)	HMS Defiance (Plymouth)	8 Jul 41	GM	RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine disposal Western Channel to Mar 41.
BALSON Albert	CPO	HMS Lynx (Dover)	31 Jan 41 20 Jan 42	BEM Bar to BEM	Diving - BEM awarded for gallantry in diving work under enemy air attacks. Dived on depot ship HMS Sandhurst at Dover. Bar to BEM awarded for gallantry in diving work under enemy air attacks.
BARBER Alfred Joseph	AB	‘P’ Party 1575	30 Apr 46	MID	Port Clearance - MID awarded for good services in Mine Clearance and Mine Disposal Operations in NW Europe immediately before the close of the war with Germany and in the months which followed.
BARKER Wesley	PO	?	14 Dec 43	GM	B&MD - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Disposed of parachute mine on land in a minefield at Mersa Matruh, Egypt in Sep 43.
BASKERVILLE Thomas Leonard	CPO (TGM)	HMS Vernon	11 Jul 40	BEM	B&MD - BEM awarded in 1940 King's Birthday Honours in recognition of services during the War. On 23 Jan 1941, Baskerville was in the Bridlington Bay area between Flamborough Head and Spurn Head dealing with yet another washed-up mine. After successfully defuzing the mine, he put the fuze and detonator in his jacket pocket to take back to HMS Vernon. He made his way through a local town, where his escorting Police Officer stopped to question someone, at which point Baskerville slipped on the icy ground and fell upon the fuze and detonator in his pocket. There was an explosion and the tragically brave Thomas Baskerville was killed aged 44.
BARNES Charles	Ord Seaman	HMS President (London)?	20 Dec 40	MID	RMS - MID awarded for courage, coolness and devotion to duty.
BEADLE John Edmund Townsend	CPO	HMS Vernon	20 Dec 40	GM	RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Assisted Sub Lt Danckwerts in dealing with many mines in London during 1940.
BEAVIS Arthur Bernard	AB	‘P’ Party 1574	30 Apr 46	BEM	Port Clearance - BEM awarded for valuable services in connection with mine clearance and mine disposal in NW Europe immediately before the close of the war with Germany and in the months which followed.
BELL David Morrison	A/PO	HMS Cormorant (Gibraltar)	25 Jan 44	GM	RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine disposal Gibraltar Jul to Aug 43.
BELL Thomas	A/LS	HMS Ariguani (Gibraltar)	29 Jun 43	BEM	Diving - BEM awarded for courage and skill in dangerous diving operations. Minesweeping - Gibraltar 1942.
BENNETT Arthur Thomas	CPO	?	11 Mar 41	GM	B&MD - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Conducted mine disposal on land in 1940.
BENNETT William Norman	Lt RNVR	HMS Skirmisher (Milford Haven)	16 Jun 42	GM	BD - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine Disposal Wales Dec 41.
BEREY (Shown in London Gazette as BERREY) Conrad Leonard (Len)	PO Cook	HMS Fabius (Taranto)	19 Dec 44	DSM	Chariot Diver - DSM awarded for courage, perseverance and devotion to duty in an attack by human torpedo at Spezia harbour on the night of 21st June 1944.
BEVAN William Henry	AB	HMS Vernon	27 Jun 41 9 Jun 42	GM Bar to GM	BD and RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine Disposal Manchester Dec 40. Bar to GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Assisted Sub Lt Wright deal with mine suspended over stage of London Palladium Theatre 11 May 41.
BILLINGTON Robert Edward	A/Lt RNVR	Torpedoes and Mining Department, Admiralty [HMS President] (for duty outside Admiralty). Bomb and Mine Disposal Section, Department of the Director of Torpedoes and Mining, re-designated 01.02.1946: Bomb and Mine Disposal Section, Department of the Director of Underwater Weapons [HMS President] (for duty outside Admiralty)	29 Aug 44 27 Mar 45	DSC Bar to DSC	LCOCUs - DSC awarded for gallantry, skill, determination and undaunted devotion to duty during the initial landings on the coast of Normandy. Participated in beach clearance. Bar to DSC awarded for distinguished service and gallantry during the invasion of the South of France.
BILLMAN Harold Leon	Lt (Sp) RANVR	Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit No. 1	26 Jun 45 6 Nov 45	MID DSC	B&MD - MID awarded for Mine Clearance Aug to Sep 43 DSC - Lieutenant Billman landed on Panoan Island on 2Oth October, 1944, with the assault forces. He displayed bravery, devotion to duty and exceptional skill over a period of four months in dealing with Japanese mines and unexploded bombs in the clearance operations in the Philippines.
BINKS Rial Dennis	Cdr RNR	HMS Pyramus (Orkney)	29 Sep 42	OBE	RMS - Appointed OBE for rendering mines safe.
BIRKETT Kenneth Jack	Lt (Sp) RNVR	Torpedo & Mining Dept, HMS Vernon	18 Apr 44	MBE	B&MD -
BLOXSOME Robert Charles	CPO	Torpedo School, HMS Pembroke (Chatham)	24 Apr 40	DSM	RMS - DSM awarded for courage and skill in securing and stripping live enemy mines without regard for his own safety.
BLUNDON Ronald	LS	‘P’ Party 1574	30 Apr 46	MID	Port Clearance - MID awarded for good services in Mine Clearance and Mine Disposal Operations in NW Europe immediately before the close of the war with Germany and in the months which followed.
BOULTON Alfred Ernest	CPO	HMS President (London)?	20 Dec 40 1 Jul 41	MID BEM	RMS - MID awarded for courage, coolness and devotion to duty.
BOYCE Wilson	Ord Seaman	HMS Vernon?	23 Jan 41	GM	RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine disposal Birmingham Oct 40.
BRAMWELL Frederick William	Lt RNVR	HMT Northern Isles MTB 675	1 Jan 41 21 Dec 43	MID² DSC²	Chariot Diver - MID awarded New Years Honours 1941. DSC awarded for Askvoll attack.
BRATLEY¹ John Wesley	Gunner (T) RN	HMS Elissa (Messina)	4 May 43 8 Feb 44	MID MID	Port Clearance - First MID awarded for Mine Disposal. Second MID awarded posthumously for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty in clearing Messina harbour of enemy demolition charges Aug 43.
BREWSTER William Reid (Jock)	Sub Lt RNVR	FV Arthur	Not Gazetted. (Invested 6 Apr 43)	DSO	Chariot Diver - Participated in first Chariot attempt to sink the Tirpitz 50 miles up Trondheimsfjord in Oct 1942. During rough weather, both chariots were lost from underneath their carrying fishing boat 'Arthur' which subsequently sank. All personnel attempted to make their escape across Sweden.
BRICKEL Douglas Talbot Sydney	Lt (Sp) RNVR	Department of the Director of Unexploded Bombs [later: Bomb Disposal] [HMS President] (for duty outside Admiralty)	3 Oct 44	Commend'n	BD - Commendation awarded for bravery and devotion to duty in helping to salvage a cargo of bombs after an air attack. (SS Malakand at Huskisson Dock, Liverpool 2 May 41).
BRIDGE John	Sub Lt (Sp) RNVR	Bomb Safety Officer, Plymouth [Unexploded Bombs Department, Admiralty [HMS President] (for duty outside Admiralty)] HMS President (London) HMS Elissa (Messina) Bomb and Mine Disposal Section, Torpedoes and Mining Department, Admiralty [HMS President] (for duty outside Admiralty)	27 Dec 40 28 Oct 41 27 Jun 41 16 Jun 44	GM Bar to GM Commend'n GC	B&MD and Port Clearance - See below.
BRIDGE John	GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Participated in bomb disposal work at Devonport (Devon) on 7 Sep 40 when he was a Prob Temporary Sub-Lt RNVR, assigned as a Bomb Safety Officer at Plymouth. Commendation awarded for brave conduct and devotion to duty as BSO Plymouth. Bar to GM (first recipient of a Bar to the GM in the armed services) awarded for great gallantry and devotion to duty. Conducted bomb disposal work at Graving Docks, Falmouth, Cornwall on 17 May 41. Presented at same time as GC while he was a Temporary Lt RNVR assigned as Bomb Safety Officer at Plymouth. GC awarded for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. In Aug 43, Messina Harbour, Italy, needed to be cleared of depth charges. All the members of a bomb disposal party (Sub Lt Firminger and four of his team) had been killed or wounded on 23 Aug 43 by six of these charges when Lieutenant Bridge took over the operation with the greatest enthusiasm, combined with skill and ingenuity. After a total of 28 dives they were all cleared, including two which were recovered with their previously unknown mechanisms intact. In addition, Lieutenant Bridge rendered safe or discredited a further 207 depth charges, above or below water, with all types of firing mechanisms. As a result of the efforts of this officer and his party 31 Aug to 2 Sep 43, Messina Harbour was declared open the day before the Allied assault on the Italian mainland, which proved to be of the utmost value during follow-up operations.
BRIGGS Keith May	Sgt RM	LCOCU No.12	29 Aug 44	DSM	LCOCUs - Rendered safe a hundred charges single handed at Normandy.
BRITNELL Paul Roland Frank	Lt RNVR	Department of Unexploded Bomb Disposal, Admiralty [HMS President] (for duty outside Admiralty) HMS Vernon (for duty at HMS Vernon (D) (base for Port Parties, Brixham)) CO ‘P’ Party 1574	30 Apr 46	GM	Port Clearance – See below.
BRITNELL Paul Roland Frank	GM awarded for exceptional courage, skill and- zeal in rendering safe a mine found in Europa Hafen at Bremen. On 5 Aug 45, he dived on a mine which appeared to be a GC type. When it was eventually raised, the description was confirmed and it contained an acoustic unit. The water was approximately 30 feet at the time of the dive and visibility was nil. The mine was buried nose first in the mud at an angle of about 45 degrees to the horizontal and unfortunately the primer pocket was on the underside which made it necessary for Lt Britnell to dig a hole about 2 feet square and 18 inches deep in order to get at the primer pocket with his rendering-safe tools. The primer proved very difficult to remove but on the sixth attempt using acoustic procedure Lt Britnell finally extracted it. In addition to this operation Lt Britnell also rendered safe three other mines during the operation, one GC type with acoustic unit, and two GD mines fitted with pressure and magnetic units.

BROOKE-SMITH Francis Haffey	Sub Lt RNR (Later Lt Cdr)	HMS Drake	27 Jun 41	GC	BD - See below.
BROOKE-SMITH Francis Haffey	GC awarded for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. In Dec 40 an unexploded bomb fell inside the deck locker alongside the engine-room on the fire-float Firefly in the Manchester Ship Canal. When Sub-Lt Brooke-Smith arrived to deal with the weapon, he found it was firmly wedged, but by using a rope he was able to pull the mine slightly clear of the engine-room casing and then, lying on the sloping engine casing, head downwards, he managed to place a safety gag in the bomb-fuse. The clock of the fuse then started to tick, but he stayed where he was and finally managed to stop it before the inevitable explosion occurred. He had dealt successfully with many unexploded bombs, but this was the first time that he had used a safety gag on a bomb-fuse and he had to do so in most difficult circumstances as he was compelled to work by touch, without being able to see the bomb fuse at all, and his chances of succeeding and of escaping with his life were regarded as very small. Also dealt with mine in allotments 50 yds from Short & Masons aircraft factory in Macdonald Rd, London E17. Later participated in training divers for Suez Canal clearance.
BROOM Albert Leslie	Lt RNVR	Torpedo & Mining Dept, HMS Vernon	13 Mar 44	GM	Bomb and Mine Disposal. Disarmed 36 mines at captured airfield Melsbrook, Belgium.
BROWN Albert Frank	Ord Mechanic	HM Chariot Smasher	6 Mar 45	DSM	Chariot Diver - Phuket attack. Petty Officer Smith and Ord Mech Brown found that they were unable to attach their charge to the hull of the Volpi, due to the deep draught and lack of space underneath the hull and then the barnacle-encrusted hull itself. Brown, therefore, had to place the charge inside the ship's engine-room, a job which took twenty extra minutes. Both crews returned to the Trenchant and were able to watch as their targets exploded.
BROWN David Humes (Jock)	AB	FV Arthur	Not Gazetted	MID	Chariot Diver - Participated in first Chariot attempt to sink the Tirpitz 50 miles up Trondheim Fjord in Oct 1942. During rough weather, both chariots were lost from underneath their carrying fishing boat 'Arthur' which subsequently sank. All personnel attempted to make their escape across Sweden.
BROWN Ernest	AB	‘P’ Party 1571	15 May 45	MID	Port Clearance - MID awarded for bravery and skill in mine-clearing operations in enemy-held ports during the invasion of Normandy and the Low Countries.
BRUCE-JONES Douglas Walter	Ord Seaman	‘P’ Party 1574	15 May 45	BEM	Port Clearance - BEM awarded for gallantry and skill in mine-searching and clearing operations in the ports of Normandy and of the Low Countries following the invasion of France.
BRYDEN Gilbert Stewart	A/Lt RNVR	NP 1503	15 May 45	MBE	BD, B&MD and Port Clearance - Appointed MBE for gallant and distinguished service in mine-clearing operations in enemy-held ports during the invasion of Normandy and the Low Countries.
BUCKLEY Robin Cecil Burton	Lt RN	HMS York	27 Jan 42	GM	B&MD - GM awarded for coolness and courage. Disposed of explosive motor boat Suda Bay, Crete on 27th May 1941.
BULL William Robert	Cdr RN	? HMS Badger (Harwich)	? 4 Oct 40	DSM DSC	RMS - DSC awarded for initiative, resource and total disregard for danger in dealing with a live enemy mine.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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