2nd June, 2025 in Local & Family History, Military

Silent heroes of the Second World War

By Simon Fowler

Tens of thousands of men and women performed heroic acts on the Home Front during the Second World War. Most were not recognised by the authorities, nor would the heroines and heroes have wished to be so commemorated – the real reward was successfully saving a person’s life.. They were just ‘doing their bit’ as the saying went. The Blitz in London and other towns and cities across Britain saw many actions of heroism by the rescue services as they sought to rescue people buried in the rubble. It was dangerous and painstaking work. This almost forgotten bravery is something I have become interested in recently, so it is no surprise that there is a section in my book How to Research your Second World War Ancestors on those who were recognised for their bravery.

For the main they were a cross-section of ordinary people – our fathers and grand-mothers – who took risks when it mattered. Fortunately, for family and local historians, the records are now largely online. The book will show you where the records are and how to use them. Relatively few civilians received a gallantry medal. When it was decided to recognise their bravery most received an official Letter of Commendation. The paperwork largely survives. As well the men and women directly involved in rescuing the injured, these Letters also recognised the vital work carried out by the gas workers, electricians, train drivers and dockyard workers to keep Britain going during the wider war in general.

One such recipient was 95-year-old Lillian Halles of North Kensington who was commended for extinguishing fires caused by incendiary devices in her house. She carried water and sand from her room on the first floor to put out fires which had started in the attic, before calling for help. She was probably the oldest person on either side to be officially recognised for bravery during the war.

Most men of our civilian heroes just received a letter of commendation, but a few exceptionally brave individuals were awarded a gallantry medal. The George Cross (GC) and George Medal (GM) were established in September 1940 to recognise exception bravery by civilians. The GC is awarded for acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger and is the civilian equivalent of the Victoria Cross. The George Medal was awarded for conspicuous gallantry not in the presence of the enemy. Civilians could also receive the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) or British Empire Medal (BEM) for heroism. The youngest recipient of the George Medal was 14-year old Charity Blick, from West Bromwich, who received it for carrying messages between ARP stations during a very heavy air raid.

Three members of Twickenham’s Fire Brigade were awarded several gallantry medals for bravery during an air raid on Hampton. Chief Fire Officer William Woods received a George Medal, while Section Officer Ernest Stevens and Fireman Ernest Weller were each awarded a BEM. The citation, which was printed in the London Gazette, read:

‘On the occasion of a serious bombing incident when a number of houses and shops were wrecked [these men] were occupied for nearly three hours in rescue work, obtaining access to trapped inmates through a small hole in the debris. All the time there was the greatest likelihood that tons of masonry would collapse on them. Much of this was only supported by a few bricks.’

We know more about the gallantry performed by William Woods and his colleagues from files now at The National Archives. During the raid Mr and Mrs Tuffin (as well as their dog), became trapped by debris after a high-explosive bomb had dropped nearby, killing four people. Mr Tuffin was found ‘pinned down by a large dining table on its side across his legs and a huge slab of concrete on his back and his chest wedged between the back of the chair’.

His wife, meanwhile, was buried in debris up to the waist under the table, where the couple had been sheltering. Mr Woods and his colleagues, working in the pitch black, ‘had first to cut an aperture in the tabletop to make contact. This was very difficult, owing to the close proximity of Mr Tuffin and the small space to work in, then to relieve the pressure from his legs, the major portion of the debris had to be lifted with a 5-ton jack.’ To release Mrs Tuffin, ‘it was necessary to remove with the hand, and lying on the stomach, about a yard of debris’. Eventually, the Tuffins were pulled free and taken to hospital, where they recovered from their traumatic experience.