Michael Joseph Munnelly

Michael Joseph Munnelly

Michael Joseph Munnelly (1941 – 24 December 1964) was posthumously awarded the George Cross for his gallantry on 24 December 1964 in Regents Park, London.

George Cross

Born in 1941, Munnelly was a journalist for The People newspaper.[1] He was at home in the third floor flat he shared with his brother and a friend when more than a dozen youths arrived in the street to attend a party in one of the second floor flats. They had already been drinking heavily and so were not admitted to the party. There was a dairy across the road, and the youths broke into this and started throwing empty milk bottles at the flats. The owner of the dairy attempted to stop the youths, but was kicked and stabbed. Munnelly and his brother Kevin Munnelly and friend had heard the noise of breaking glass, and seeing what had happened to the dairy owner, decided they had to intervene. They went out into the street and managed to detain two of the youths, but were attacked by some of the other youths and had to release one of the detained delinquents. At this point, the van which had originally brought the youths reappeared, driving round the corner into another street. Munnelly's friend followed the van, and banged on the side of it to get it to stop. Once it had done so, he managed to reach in through a window, and grab one of the occupants. He was then set upon by some of the others in the van.

"Munnelly immediately went to his rescue. Bottles were thrown at him, he was kicked and received a fatal stab wound in his lower left abdomen. The youths then fled. Munnelly and the others were mere onlookers who could have stayed in the safety of the flat but without thought for themselves they went to the assistance of the dairyman. Munnelly saw his friend being attacked with knives and immediately went to his rescue. Munnelly went to rescue him, but was himself attacked, first being kicked, and then knifed. The friend managed to escape, but Munnelly's wound proved fatal. Within a few minutes he was dead. He had given his life to save that of his friend." (quote from the award notice which appeared in the 29 June 1965 supplement to the London Gazette.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Michael Joseph Munnelly, GC". George Cross database. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20071116141446/http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/MunnellyMJ.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-18. 
  2. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43698. p. 6203. 25 June 1965. Retrieved 2007-11-22.

See also


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