A British destroyer, possibly HMS Bramham, standing by Deucalion after the latter had been bombed
Gregson served aboard Deucalion as part of Operation Pedestal, a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942. On the morning of 12 August, Deucalion and other members of the convoy came under attack off the Tunisian coast.[1][2]
An account of the Deucalion attack, and notice of Gregson's Albert Medal award was published in The London Gazette on 2 February 1943.
The KING has been graciously pleased to make the following award:-
The Albert Medal.
John Sedgwick Gregson, Apprentice.
The ship was set on fire by the explosion of a torpedo during an attack by enemy aircraft. The flames spread rapidly and almost immediately orders were given to abandon ship. One of the ship's gunners, however, was pinned under a raft. Apprentice Gregson immediately went to his assistance and, with help freed him. The gunner had sustained severe injuries and, as it was impossible to get him into a boat or on to a raft, he was dropped overboard. Gregson dived into the sea after him, and, in the darkness, towed his helpless shipmate to a ship which picked them up, a distance of about 600 yards.
But for Apprentice Gregson's gallant and determined action, undertaken with complete disregard of his personal safety, the injured man would have had little chance of survival.[3]
Later lifeedit
Gregson moved to New Zealand in 1952, where he worked on the coastal tanker fleet, and later became a harbour pilot with the Port of Tauranga. He died on Christmas Day 2016 aged 92.[1]
Referencesedit
^ abc"Obituary: Wartime hero dies after short illness in Tauranga". Bay of Plenty Times. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
^"How a seaman saved a gunner`s life on a burning ship". Times of Malta. 22 April 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
^"No. 35886". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 February 1943. pp. 604–605.
January 01, 1970
john, gregson, sailor, john, sedgwick, gregson, january, 1924, december, 2016, apprentice, british, merchant, navy, awarded, albert, medal, during, world, this, later, replaced, with, george, cross, john, sedgwick, gregsongcborn, 1924, january, 1924bombay, bri. John Sedgwick Gregson GC 4 January 1924 25 December 2016 was an apprentice in the British Merchant Navy who was awarded the Albert Medal during World War II This was later replaced with the George Cross 1 John Sedgwick GregsonGCBorn 1924 01 04 4 January 1924Bombay British India now Mumbai India Died25 December 2016 2016 12 25 aged 92 Tauranga New ZealandKnown foractions during World War IIAwardsGeorge Cross A British destroyer possibly HMS Bramham standing by Deucalion after the latter had been bombed Gregson served aboard Deucalion as part of Operation Pedestal a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942 On the morning of 12 August Deucalion and other members of the convoy came under attack off the Tunisian coast 1 2 An account of the Deucalion attack and notice of Gregson s Albert Medal award was published in The London Gazette on 2 February 1943 The KING has been graciously pleased to make the following award The Albert Medal John Sedgwick Gregson Apprentice The ship was set on fire by the explosion of a torpedo during an attack by enemy aircraft The flames spread rapidly and almost immediately orders were given to abandon ship One of the ship s gunners however was pinned under a raft Apprentice Gregson immediately went to his assistance and with help freed him The gunner had sustained severe injuries and as it was impossible to get him into a boat or on to a raft he was dropped overboard Gregson dived into the sea after him and in the darkness towed his helpless shipmate to a ship which picked them up a distance of about 600 yards But for Apprentice Gregson s gallant and determined action undertaken with complete disregard of his personal safety the injured man would have had little chance of survival 3 Later life editGregson moved to New Zealand in 1952 where he worked on the coastal tanker fleet and later became a harbour pilot with the Port of Tauranga He died on Christmas Day 2016 aged 92 1 References edit a b c Obituary Wartime hero dies after short illness in Tauranga Bay of Plenty Times 1 January 2017 Retrieved 2 January 2017 How a seaman saved a gunner s life on a burning ship Times of Malta 22 April 2002 Retrieved 1 January 2017 No 35886 The London Gazette Supplement 2 February 1943 pp 604 605 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Gregson sailor amp oldid 1153186320, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
