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BEM: British Empire Medal (now superseded by MBE)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

R

RANGER
Denys Hay

Lt SAUDF

41 (RM) Commando

3 Apr 45

MBE

B&MD - Appointed MBE for gallantry, leadership and determination during assault operations and great devotion to duty in disposing of a live mine from a blazing ammunition dump.

RAPLEY
Arthur Ralph

FAA/FX75101

Air Artificer Fourth Class

Air Artificer Fourth Class

HMS Furious
HMS Hunter

2 Jun 43
27 Apr 45

DSM
BEM

Diving - DSM awarded King's Birthday Honours 1943.

BEM awarded for outstanding service in diving operations and as tenders to the divers during the invasion of the South of France.

REID
Howard Dudley

Lt RANVR

HMS Vernon

27 Jun 41
9 Jun 42

GM
Bar to GM

RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine disposal UK Dec 40 to Jan 41.

Bar to GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine disposal Glasgow Aug 41.

RICHARDSON
Cyril Conyers

D/JX169462

AB

HMS St Angelo

29 Jun 43

BEM

Diving - BEM awarded for leadership, bravery and skill in the performance of diving operations of a hazardous nature. Involved in B&MD Malta.41-43.

RILEY
Brian Turner

Sub Lt RNVR
Lt RNVR

HMS Vernon
HMS Vernon

4 Mar 41
9 Jun 42

GM
Commend'n

RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Conducted mine disposal on land at Manor Farm, Aylesbury, Birmingham and Windsor Street, Liverpool Oct -Dec 40.

Commendation awarded for mine disposal.

ROBERTS
Vivian Samuel Charles

Senior Draughtsman

Admiralty Mine Design Department

8 Jun 45

BEM

Mine Design

ROGERS¹
Antony Gusterson

A/Electrical Sub Lt (Sp) RNVR

A/Electrical Sub Lt (Sp) RNVR

A/Electrical A/Lt (Sp) RNVR

HMS Calliope (Tyne)

HMS Vernon

HMS St Angelo (Malta)

20 Dec 40

23 Jan 41

19 Aug 41

MID

GM

MID

RMS - First MID awarded for courage, coolness and devotion to duty.

GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine disposal London Sep 40.

Second MID awarded posthumously for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine disposal Malta.

ROGERS
Harold James

D/J34594

CPO

HMS Drake (Plymouth)

27 Jun 41

GM

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

ROUSON
John Henry

Sub Lt RNVR
A/Lt Cdr
A/Lt Cdr

HMS Vernon
HMS Sultan (Singapore)
HMS Vernon

23 Jan 41
3 Oct 44
9 Oct 45

GM
MBE
OBE

B&MD - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Mine disposal Birmingham Oct 40.

Appointed MBE for disposal first Japanese mine Jan 42.

Appointed OBE for recovering torpedoes sunken U-boat Toulon.

ROWAN
Vincent Robert

Sub Lt (Sp) RNVR

HMS Vernon

20 Dec 40

(Corrected 23 Jan 41)

MID

RMS - MID awarded for courage, coolness and devotion to duty.

ROWELL
Edward

C/J41482

AB

AB

HMS Watchful (Great Yarmouth)

HMS Watchful (Great Yarmouth)

12 Aug 41
20 Oct 42

BEM
Commend'n

RMS - BEM awarded for BD following air attack Gt Yarmouth 8 Apr 41.

Commendation awarded for coolness and devotion to duty. Mine disposal Nore Dec 41 to Feb 42.

ROWLANDS
Cyril

Lt RNVR

HMS St Angelo (Malta)

2 Sep 41
17 Nov 42

GM
Bar to GM

RMS - GM awarded for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Bomb disposal Malta Jan to Apr 41.

Bar to GM awarded for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty. Bomb disposal Malta Apr 42.

RUNDLE
George Henry Olaf

Lt RCNR

HMCS Cornwallis (Halifax, N.S.)

9 Nov 43
14 Jun 45

GM
Bar to GM

RMS - GM awarded for mine recovery on beach at Ketch Harbour near Halifax, Nova Scotia 8-11 Jun 43.

Bar to GM awarded for mine disposal Jul 42.

RUSE
William Charles

D/J53104

CPO

HMS Raleigh (Torpoint)

20 Dec 40

BEM

RMS - BEM awarded for Meritorious Service in recognition of gallant conduct and devotion to duty.

RUSSELL
Achibald John

C/MX62997

Painter RN

HMS Nile (Alexandria)

15 Sep 42

GM

RMS - GM awarded  for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty.  Mine disposal Dec 40 to Jan 42.  Assisted Goodman de-fuze 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.

RUSSELL
Arthur Douglas

Sub Lt RNVR

‘P’ Party 1572

15 May 45

MBE

Port Clearance - Appointed MBE for gallant and distinguished service in mine-clearing operations in enemy-held ports during the invasion of Normandy and the Low Countries. Citation (2 Jan 1945) stated "Gallantry and devotion to duty during mine searching and clearance operations in the liberated ports of Normandy and Belgium. Continual diving under hazardous and dangerous circumstances examining an enemy mine in 38 feet of water placing a thermite pot for its destruction which was carried out successfully. During all these operations he displayed the utmost coolness and disregard to danger of sudden death, which was always present."

Also involved in diving on an unexploded ‘buzz bomb’ at the Royal Sluice, Antwerp Docks on 14 Mar 1945.

RUSSELL
Victor Douglas Coles

P/JX142313

Seaman

HMS Vernon

9 Aug 40

MID

B&MD - MID awarded for courage and skill in dealing with an unexploded bomb.

RUTTLE
Ernest Edward.

Lt RANVR

HMS Vernon

11 Dec 45

MBE

RMS - Appointed MBE for distinguished service during the war in Europe.

RYAN¹
Richard John Hammersley (Dick)

Lt RN (Later Lt Cdr)

HMS Vernon then
Torpedo School, Chatham

20 Dec 40

GC

RMS -  See below.

GC awarded posthumously for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty.  Lt Cdr Ryan was one of two officers who stripped the first magnetic mine of Type C found in a German aircraft which had crashed at Clacton. When magnetic mines were first dropped over London he came forward without hesitation for the perilous work of making them safe, although, with his unrivalled knowledge of this work, he was well aware of the dangers he so readily accepted. 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 might 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 time for escape could not be more than a few seconds. Lt Cdr Ryan tackled six of these mines with his own hands, one of them in a canal where he worked waist deep in mud and water which would have made escape impossible. Here he found and removed the bomb-fuse only by groping for it under water. At Hornchurch he made safe a very hazardous mine which threatened the aerodrome and an explosives factory, and then he and his assistant, Chief Petty Officer Ellingworth with whom he had shared many dangerous assignments, went on to Oval Road North, Dagenham Dagenham on 21 Sep 40. Here they tackled a mine hanging by a parachute in a warehouse and both were killed by its explosion as they entered the building.

RYND
Peter Fleetwood

Sub Lt (Sp) RNZNVR

HMS Royal James (Rouen/Boulogne)

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.