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P/J 26011
Chief Petty Officer
Reg Ellingworth
Royal Navy.
*
1913 - 1938
1939 - 1940
*
Medals:
George Cross
(Posthumous)
*
Born : 28th January 1898.
Entered Boys Service R.N. 18th July 1913.
Rose to the rank C.P.O. L.T.O. a mine and torpedo expert.
Reg had just retired from the Navy when WWII broke out and he was instantly recalled.
He was 41 years old, a Chief Petty Officer, and his expertise in mines and torpedoes made him a candidate to tackle enemy magnetic mines which were being washed ashore or dropped on land. He had the task of rendering them safe. It was unenviable work, fraught with danger, requiring great patience and a steady hand.
Both he and Lieutenant-Commander Ryan were called to a warehouse in Dagenham, Essex on the 21st September 1940, where a mine was hanging by its parachute. As they tried to make it safe, it exploded, both were were killed.
Reg’s wife Jessie and son attended the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace the following spring,.when Reg and Lieutenant-Commander Ryan were both awarded the George Cross for their bravery.
C.P.O. Ellingworth was the first Lower Deck Rating to be awarded the G.C.
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