A rare Second World War bomb disposal B.E.M. group of three awarded to Lance-Sergeant H. Elliott, Royal Engineers, who served in No. 9 Bomb Disposal Company in the Birmingham-Coventry area throughout the Blitz

British Empire Medal, (Military) G.VI.R., 1st issue (No. 2036910 L./Sgt. Horace Elliott, R.E.); Defence and War Medals, good very fine (3) £600-800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection.

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B.E.M. London Gazette 30 September 1941:

‘In recognition of gallant conduct in carrying out hazardous work in a very brave manner.’

The original recommendation states:

‘Lance-Sergeant Elliott has worked continuously on bombs since August 1940 and has displayed great courage and initiative in his work. He was engaged on one bomb which exploded, causing fatal casualties; although badly shaken himself, he refused, owing to pressure of work at the time, to remain off duty.

Incident ‘A’ - 12 December 1940 - Birmingham:

This Sergeant, then a junior N.C.O., played a very prominent part in the work on the bomb which fell at B.S.A. (Guns) at 0130 hours. He worked continuously with very brief intervals for rest from 0300 hours on the 12th to 1400 hours on the 14th.

Incident ‘B’ - 27 November 1940 - Birmingham:

A 250 kilo bomb fell in the Singer Motor Works and was placed in Category ‘A’. This N.C.O. was given charge of the working party which commenced operations two and a half hours after the bomb fell, and whilst the raid was still in progress. Chiefly owing to his initiative and energy the bomb was uncovered within five hours and successfully removed.’

Horace Elliott, who was born in September 1907, enlisted in the Royal Engineers (Territorials) in June 1938 and was mobilised on the renewal of hostilities in September 1939. Posted to newly formed No. 9 Bomb Disposal Company (B.D.C.), in Birmingham in the summer of 1940, he was advanced to Lance-Sergeant in December 1940 and remained actively employed through the period of the Blitz.

An indication of just how hazardous the work undertaken by No. 9 B.D.C. in the Coventry-Birmingham area in 1940-41 may be gleaned from the fact that 37 of the unit’s men lost their lives in that period - a period in which nearly 2300 “incidents” were allocated to the unit and two of the Company’s men were awarded G.Cs, ten of them G.Ms and five of them B.E.Ms.

Elliott was released from the Service in November 1945; sold with brief service details and a copy of Michael Minton’s Heroes of the Birmingham Air Raids.