^NOTES

^{AWARD ABBREVIATIONS}

^{OTHER ABBREVIATIONS}

¹ Killed on duty

² Award not for RMS or BD

³ Reason for award unknown

VC: Victoria Cross
GC: George Cross
CBE: Commander of the Order of the British Empire
DSO: Distinguished Service Order
OBE: Officer of the Order of the British Empire
MBE: Member of the Order of the British Empire

DSC: Distinguished Service Cross

MC: Military Cross

CGM: Conspicuous Gallantry Medal

GM: George Medal
DSM: Distinguished Service Medal

BEM: British Empire Medal (now superseded by MBE)

MID: Mention in Despatches
Commend'n: King's Commendation for Brave Conduct
VM: Virtuti Miltari (Polish VC)

B&MD: Bomb & Mine Disposal
BD: Bomb Disposal
BSO: Bomb Safety Officer
LCOCU: Landing Craft Obstacle Clearance Unit
RMS: Rendering Mines Safe

E

EAGLES
Sydney Chadwick

R/JX180766

PO

LCOCU No.1

14 Nov 44

DSM

LCOCUs - DSM awarded for gallantry, skill, determination and undaunted devotion to duty during the landing of Allied Forces on the coast of Normandy.

EASTON
Jack Maynard Cholmondeley

Sub Lt RNVR (Later Lt)

HMS Vernon Land Incident Section then
MMS 6 (M/S)
MMS 62 (M/S)
CO MMS 22 (M/S)

23 Jan 41

GC

BD - See below. 

GC awarded for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. On 17 Oct 40 Sub-Lt Easton and Ord Sea Bennett Southwell were called to deal with an unexploded bomb in Hoxton in the East End of London. The whole area had been evacuated and he and Ord Sea Southwell set off down the empty street with its slate-littered pavement to the house where the mine had crashed through the roof and was hanging suspended through a hole in the ceiling, its nose within six inches of the floor. Sub-Lt Easton told Ord Sea Southwell to stay in the passage outside the room and pass him whatever tools he needed, but they had only been working for about a minute when the bomb slipped, there was a sound of falling brickwork as the chimney pot overhead collapsed and twelve seconds later the bomb exploded. Sub-Lt Easton shouted to Ord Sea Southwell to run for safety and then ran himself, reaching a surface air-raid shelter just as the explosion occurred. When he recovered consciousness he was buried deep beneath bricks and mortar and his back was broken. He was dug out eventually and spent a year in plaster before continuing his service in command of a minesweeper. Ord Sea Southwell was killed by the blast of the mine which destroyed six complete streets.

EDWARDS¹
Roy Berryman  

Lt Cdr RN

HMS Watchful (Great Yarmouth)

24 Apr 40
20 Oct 42

DSO
Commend'n

RMS - DSO awarded for courage and skill in securing and stripping live enemy mines without regard to his own safety.  He dealt with around 180 mines within two months.  

Commendation awarded for coolness and devotion to duty.

Assisted by CPO Spriggs, AB Keen and AB Wilson.  Killed with Ensign John Howard USN 11 Jun 42 at Corton Sands near Lowestoft while attempting to render safe a German GT moored mine.

ELDRIDGE
Anthony William Charles (Tony/Lofty)

Sub Lt RNVR

HM Chariot Tiny

6 Mar 45

DSC

Chariot Diver - Participated in attack on Italian liners Sumatra (4.859 tons) and Volpi (5,292 tons) at Phuket north of Penang 28 Oct 44. Sub-Lt 'Lofty' Eldridge with Petty Officer Woollcott successfully attacked and sunk the Sumatra in a text-book raid. Both crews returned to the Trenchant and were able to watch as their targets exploded.

ELLINGWORTH
Horace Sidney

D/J40396

CPO

HMS Vernon

5 Jan 43

BEM

RMS - BEM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty.

ELLINGWORTH¹
Reginald Vincent

P/J26011

CPO

HMS Vernon

20 Dec 40

GC

RMS - See below.

GC awarded posthumously for great courage and undaunted devotion to duty. Worked as assistant to Lt Cdr Ryan in rendering safe magnetic mines in London during 1940. They worked on many assignments together, sharing the dangers involved. The principal hazard of these mines was the fact that the clock of the bomb fuse was normally timed to explode the mine about 22 seconds after its fall. If it failed to do so, it could be restarted by the slightest movement, even a footfall. The amount of the clock already run off could not be known, and once it was restarted the time for escape could not be more than a few seconds. At Dagenham, Essex, the two men tackled such a mine hanging by a parachute in a warehouse, and were both killed by its explosion. CPO Ellingworth had previously been commended by HMS Vernon for his work on mines.  Killed with Lt Cdr Ryan at Oval Road North, Dagenham 21 Sep 40 when GC mine hanging from its parachute in roof beams exploded as they entered the building.

ELLIOT
William

C/JX320648

PO

‘P’ Party 1574

15 May 45

MID

Port Clearance - MID awarded for bravery and skill in mine-clearing operations in enemy-held ports during the invasion of Normandy and the Low Countries.

ELLIS
Christopher St. John

Sub Lt RNVR

HMS Vernon

27 Jun 41

GM

RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine Disposal Plymouth 25 Mar 41 and Malta.

ELMS
Kenneth Roy

P/JX651215

Ord Seaman

‘P’ Party 1574

15 May 45

MID

Port Clearance - MID awarded for bravery and skill in mine-clearing operations in enemy-held ports during the invasion of Normandy and the Low Countries.

EMM
Thomas James

P/JX415326

AB

‘P’ Party 1572

15 May 45

MID

Port Clearance - MID awarded for bravery and skill in mine-clearing operations in enemy-held ports during the invasion of Normandy and the Low Countries.

EMSLIE
Donald Thomas

P/J100715

AB

HMS Vernon

23 Jan 41

GM

RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine Disposal UK Aug to Oct 40.

ERRINGTON
William

P/JX141410

PO

Unknown

30 Apr 46

Commend'n

Commendation awarded for rendering safe a mine at Bellochantuy, Mull of Kintyre on 7 Oct 45

EVANS
Robert Paul (Bob)

Ord Seaman

FV Arthur

Not Gazetted

MID

Chariot Diver - Participated in first Chariot attempt to sink the Tirpitz 50 miles up Trondheim Fjord in Oct 1942.  During rough weather, both chariots were lost from their carrying fishing boat 'Arthur' which sank.  All personnel attempted to make their escape across Sweden but Evans was wounded and captured.  He was later shot 'as a spy' on the orders of Field Marshall Keitel.