^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BEM: British Empire Medal (now superseded by MBE)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

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

G

GC awarded for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty.  On 17 Apr 41 an unexploded mine dropped on Hungerford Bridge, London. Some trains and many sleepers were on fire and the Charing Cross Hotel was burning in the background. The underground trains had to be stopped and many buildings evacuated, including the War Office. Lt Gidden arrived at the bridge shortly after dawn and found the mine lying across a live electric wire, with the bomb fuse primer release mechanism face downwards. The bomb had first to be turned over before the fuse, which was of the highly sensitive clockwork variety and likely to be detonated by any movement, could be tackled. At last Lt Gidden managed to turn it over, prised a lump of molten metal from the surface of the fuse and tried to insert a gag to stop the mechanism. The gag would not fit properly owing to the molten metal and the state of the mine's outer casing, and Lt Gidden had to work at it with a hammer and chisel. This operation was eventually completed after 6 hours.

Appointed OBE for great bravery and steadfast devotion to duty in mine disposal.

First Lieutenant (Number One) of HMS Vernon's Enemy Mining Section in early part of war.  Rendered safe second Type A magnetic mine with CPO Baldwin and AB Vearncombe at Shoeburyness 25 Nov 39, first to render safe Type B magnetic mine with Lt Armitage in Thames Estuary 7 Dec 39, first to render safe conical explosive sweep obstructor with Lt Hodges at Dover 6 Apr 40, first to recover Type S magnetic mine on board captured enemy U-boat supply trawler Julius Pickenpack at Scapa Flow 29 Apr 40 and first to render safe new variant Type D magnetic mine in Liverpool Bay 21 Jul 40.

MID awarded for courage and undaunted devotion to duty.  Participated in mine disposal at sea in Channel Apr 44.

GC awarded for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Achieved series of underwater mine recoveries 12 Jun 43 to 10 Apr 44 including four German ground mines, three magnetic mines and one acoustic mine. On one of these occasions (13th Aug 43) he made safe a German ground mine off Sheerness. It was only the second time that such a weapon had been rendered safe under water, and it was regarded as a particularly hazardous assignment for the diver, who had no means of escape should the fuse operate. Again, on 10 Apr 44, he dealt with an especially dangerous acoustic mine near Milford Haven, successfully extracting the fuse and primer and later removing the whole mine intact.

DSC awarded for gallantry and distinguished services in the work of mine-clearance in the face of the enemy.  Conducted mine disposal Seine Bay and approaches to Cherbourg.

Transferred to the Pacific theatre in late 44, along with another mine disposal specialist, for a tour of duty with the US Navy's Mobile Explosive Investigation Unit, which involved an entirely new standard of training and identification as the Japanese weapons bore no resemblance to those of the Germans. His work involved neutralising Japanese mines and booby traps following American Invasion of Philippines and similar tasks in support of the various Australian landings in the Borneo area.

GC awarded  for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. De-fuzed an Italian circling torpedo on beach 11 miles east of Alexandria on 15 Jan 42 after one had killed the Torpedo Officer of HMS Medway (Lt Cdr J G S Cunningham RN - uncle of MCDOA member Tim Trounson) on 23 Sep 1940. GMs awarded simultaneously to assistants PO W. B. Filer and Painter A. J. Russell.

Killed in explosion at German mine depot in Holland on 31 May 1945.

LCOCU No.1

GC awarded for 8 May 1945, when divers searching Ubersee Hafen reported the presence of a mine which from their description appeared to be an entirely new type. Lieutenant Gosse immediately dived and verified the fact that it was a GD pressure type which was commonly known as ‘Oyster.’  As it was very necessary that this type of mine should be recovered intact it was decided to attempt to render safe the mine underwater and on the following day May 8th Lieutenant Gosse dived on it again. Using improvised tools he eventually succeeded in removing the primer which was followed by a loud metallic crash. The mine was eventually lifted on the quayside when it was found that the detonator had fired immediately the primer had been removed.  During the subsequent ten days Lieutenant Gosse rendered safe two similar types of mines which were lying in close proximity to shipping and in each instance the detonator fired before the mine reached the surface. This form of operation called for an exceptionally high standard of personal courage and also a high degree of skill. The conditions were always arduous and were combined with the presence of known mines in the docks and with all forms of underwater obstruction - human corpses - which together with lack of visibility produced a set of conditions which would deter the boldest.  This officer displayed courage and zeal far in excess of the usual course of duty and contributed greatly to the success of a most difficult and important operation.

HMS Royal Edward (Dieppe)

GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine disposal Sep 42 to Sep 43.

Commend'n awarded for rendering safe 99 German mines on board sunken barge in channel at Veree on North Walcheren May 45.

HMS Talbot

‘P’ Party 1572
HMS Tyne (Korea)

MID awarded in recognition of Operational Minesweeping and Bomb and Mine Disposal services New Year Honours 1952.