Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An extremely rare Second World War ‘Home Front’ M.M. group of six awarded to Sergeant G. W. Lancaster, 266 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, 62nd Regiment, Royal Artillery, who was decorated for gallantry whilst serving with the Preston Battery during the Hull Blitz on the night of 7/8 May 1941- one of just 17 M.Ms awarded for gallantry in the United Kingdom in the last war

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (1443631 Bmbr. G. W. Lancaster, R.A.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., Territorial (1443631 Sjt. G. W. Lancaster, R.A.), generally very fine or better (6)
£2800-3200

M.M. London Gazette 4 July 1941:

‘In recognition of gallant conduct in action with the enemy.’

The following citation was published in The Times on 5 July 1941:

‘During a recent heavy air raid, when a fire had been started by high explosive and incendiary bombs, Lance-Bombardier Lancaster repeatedly entered burning buildings and rescued at least four men who had been trapped and were injured. He then administered first aid and saw the injured off to hospital. The guns were in action throughout this time. He displayed complete disregard for his own safety.’

George William Lancaster was born in Hull in January 1910 and enlisted in the Royal Artillery (Territorials) in February 1939. Posted as a Gunner to 266 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, 62nd Regiment, R.A., he was advanced to Lance-Bombardier in October 1940 and to Acting Bombardier in January 1941.

Of subsequent events at Hull on the night of 7-8 May 1941, the unit’s was diary reveals that the Battery’s base was all but destroyed by an enemy parachute mine - three Gunners were killed and 20 others wounded. The evening had started as usual with incoming reports of enemy aircraft but life at Battery H.Q. and camp continued as normal, off duty personnel enjoying a concert and dance in the Mess. Unbeknown to them, the Luftwaffe was about to unleash a major attack on the city.

One member of Lancaster’s Battery, Thomas Baker, entered the canteen building at about 10 p.m. He later wrote:

‘Roy, a friend of mine, who has come off duty with me at 10 p.m., came in for a lemonade. We were chatting about conditions being ideal for a raid when two ladies came to the counter and said “Your guns don’t make much noise, do they?” Roy explained that the guns were two fields away and that the wind was blowing away from the camp, but that two weeks ago a string of incendiaries dropped between the huts, and last week a 200lb. bomb fell near the football field, so any time now we were due for a [parachute] landmine. He had only just finished speaking when a terrific crash shook the whole building - the west wall was replaced by a sheet of flame and the whole world seemed to have collapsed. I ducked under the counter and listened to the crash of wood, beer and lemonade bottles. After a few moments I pushed my way out from under the counter, only to have a full bottle of beer fall on my head. I crawled and staggered to my feet to find men and women laid on the floor unconscious, and the flames were still blazing but people were helping each other to their feet. A Bombardier [Lancaster] was picking ladies up from the ground and dashing out with them - he was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery. I did a fireman’s lift on a lady and had just reached the door when this Bombardier took her off me. I stepped out into the cold air and realised that I was only wearing my shirt, trousers and sandshoes, so I went back to my hut for some warmer clothes but what a shock awaited me there. The huts were a mass of flames. My hut was just a heap of ash and burning timber - all my gear was gone and I would have been too had I not helped at the bar’ (see the B.B.C’s WW2 People’s War website).

Nearly 500 fires were started in Hull that night, the glow from the burning city being visible to R.A.F. aircrew operating off Denmark; the Luftwaffe returned on the 9th, bringing the total tonnage of bombs dropped on the city up to the 200 mark; as a consequence some 200 of those killed were buried in a communal grave, their remains too badly mutilated for proper identification.

Lancaster, who was promoted to Sergeant in November 1941, sustained serious injuries on 5 June 1942 (his service record refers), but was fit enough to be embarked for North Africa in January 1943, once again as a member of 266 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, 62nd Regiment, R.A. According to his service record he remained employed in that theatre of war until October 1945 and he was released to the Royal Army Reserve in January 1946. Returning to Hull, he found employment as a Landscape Gardener and he died there in April 1994.