Ivor John Gillett

Ivor John Gillett

Aircraftman 1st Class Ivor John Gillett of the Far East Flying Boat Wing of the Royal Air Force was posthumously awarded the George Cross for the gallantry he displayed on 26 March 1950. He was on board a Sunderland flying boat which exploded at its moorings in Seletar. The plane sank quickly and Gillett was thrown a life belt by rescuers on a launch. He selflessly threw the belt to an injured corporal, whom the rescue team hadn't spotted, and the belt kept the man afloat until he was rescued. The corporal had by then lost consciousness and would otherwise have drowned. Gillett disappeared in the confusion and his body was discovered two days later. His citation, published in the "London Gazette" on 3 October 1950, noted that he had "displayed magnificent courage. His extreme unselfishness in his last living moments, which resulted in the sacrifice of his life to save another, was seen in this act of great heroism which was in accordance with the highest traditions of the Royal Air Force."

Gillett was born on 16 September 1928 and was 21 when he died.

References

* [http://www.rafweb.org/GC_holders.htm GC Holders ] at www.rafweb.org


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • List of New Zealand Kiwis representatives — There have been over 750 rugby league footballers who have played for the New Zealand Kiwis since the national side started competing internationally in 1907. Players are listed according to the date of their first international test match. The… …   Wikipedia

  • New Year Honours 2008 — The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 29 December 2007, [cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7163660.stm| title= Parkinson and Minogue top honours] to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of… …   Wikipedia

  • 2008 New Year Honours — The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 29 December 2007,[1] to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour,… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Labour Party (UK) MPs — This is a list of Labour Party MPs. It includes all Members of Parliament elected to the British House of Commons representing the Labour Party from 1900 to 1923 and since 1997. Members of the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly or the… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Protestant missionaries in China — Beginning in 1807, with the arrival of Robert Morrison of the London Missionary Society and ending in 1953 with the departure of Arthur and Wilda Mathews of the China Inland Mission, foreign Protestant missionaries lived and worked in China. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Folk music of England — Pentangle performing in 2007 Folk music of England refers to various types of traditionally based music, often contrasted with courtly, classical and later commercial music, for which evidence exists from the later medieval period. It has been… …   Wikipedia

  • Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport — was a junior position at the British Ministry of Transport. The office was renamed Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport in 1941, but resumed its former name at the end of the Second World War.Parliamentary Secretaries to the… …   Wikipedia

  • Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller — Jerome Jerry Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)[1] and Mike Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include Hound Dog …   Wikipedia

  • Andy Kershaw — Infobox Radio Presenter name = Andy Kershaw imagesize = 300px caption = At the unveiling of a Blue Plaque for The Who at the University of Leeds on 17 June 2006 birthname = Andrew Kershaw birthdate = Birth date and age|1959|11|9|df=yes birthplace …   Wikipedia

  • Dean Saunders — For other uses of Dean Saunders , see Dean Saunders (disambiguation). Dean Saunders Personal information Full name …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”