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Auction: 19001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 570

(x) A fine 1940 'London Blitz' George Medal awarded to Skilled Member G. Cox, Air Raid Precautions (Rescue Party), for his gallant part in five rescues in Finsbury Park in the space of the first eight weeks of the Blitz

George Medal, G.VI.R. (George Cox), contact marks, very fine

G.M. London Gazette 25 April 1941:

'On many occasions Cox has been responsible for the rescue of casualties trapped in demolished buildings. He has risked his life repeatedly when tunnelling beneath debris and on one occasion, after effecting the release of four people buried in a basement, was himself trapped and injured. Cox, whether on or off duty, has shown initiative, skill, courage and perseverance.'

The original recomendation by the L.C.C. states:

'Rescue work on five occasions in Finsbury on 8, 27 September and 9, 15, 25 October 1940.

1. Incident on 8.9.40 at Spa Green, Rosebery Avenue. E.C.
A high explosive bomb struck an air raid shelter. Cox, who was off duty and passing the shelter, was knocked down by the force of the explosion. On recovering he immediately went to the shelter and succeeded in rescuing five casualties, afterwards assisting in the extrication of several more.

2. Incident on 27.9.40 at Barnstaple Mansions, Rosebery Avenue, E.C.
An H.E. bomb wrecked the roof and top storey of this building. Cox, who was off duty and in the vicinity of the incident, made towards it and obtaining access searched for casualties. He found the caretaker in a state of collapse on the top storey and succeeded in carrying him down to the street.

3. Incident on 9.10.40 at "The Jolly Weavers" Public House, Lever Street.
This building was hit and demolished by a high explosive bomb. Cox was in the first Rescue Party to arrive on the scene. A small "pocket" had formed between the basement and the ground floor level by the titling of floors against the rear wall of the saloon bar. Cox reached this pocked through premises at the rear; slid into it feet foremost and sawed through table-legs and other timbers that were pinning some casualties. By doing so, he effected the rescue of the proprietor, his wife and three others, but was himself trapped in turn. On being released he was sent to hospital suffering from minor injuries to one of his legs.

4. Incident on 15.10.40 at Dame Owen's School, Owen's Row.
An H.E. bomb struck and demolished this building, causing heavy casualties in a basement shelter, against which had titled a concrete slab from the ground floor. Cox enlarged a small hole in the bottom edge of this slab and by crawling through was able to rescue four people. He was temporarily driven out by rising water from a broken 24" main in the roadway. Although there was imminent danger of a further collapse of debris he took a leading part in effecting the rescue of other live casualties.

5. Incident on 25.10.40 at Northampton Buildings, Rosoman Street.
One end of this residential block was completely demolished by a high explosive bomb. After approximately four hours of continued effort in which Cox took a leading part, the rescue of a live casualty was successfully accomplished.

In all these incidents, Cox, whether on or off duty, showed initiative, skill, courage, perseverance and a complete disregard for his own safety.'

Geroge Cox was born in 1901, lived at 50 Coldbath Buildings, E.C.1 and by trade was a demolition worker. Particular note should be made of Cox's participation of the rescue at Dame Alice Owen's Girls School, when on the night of 15 October 1940, 143 people were sheltering from one of the heaviest nights of enemy attack. Over 300 aircraft were overhead in full moonlight and tragically at 2007hrs a large parachute high explosive bomb scored a direct hit upon the school. The school itself was all but destroyed, which also shattered the major water main which ran in front of the school - as a result those fortunate enough to survive found themselves in a shelter which soon began to fill with water. Due to the brave rescue work of Cox and his fellow A.R.P. comrades, 34 lives were saved. In total 109 people lost their lives in the shelter, including 2-month-old Iris Grinham, one of the youngest casualties of the London Blitz. A memorial to them was officially unveiled on 18 October 2005; sold together with Cox's A.R.P. cap Badge (silver, with hallmarks for London 1938) and copied research.

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Sold for
£4,800