Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine “Black Saturday” London Blitz B.E.M. pair awarded to Air Raid Precautions Warden S. Donner, Civil Defence, who was originally recommended for a George Medal for his gallantry during bombing over Stepney, 7 September 1940 - ‘the greatest daylight raid of the war on London’

British Empire Medal, (Civil) G.VI.R., 1st issue (Samuel Donner.), in card box of issue; Defence Medal, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mr S. Donner, 254 North Circular Road, Palmers Green, N13’, last with campaign medal enclosure slip, generally very fine (2) £1200-1500

B.E.M. London Gazette 28 January 1941:

‘Bombs were dropped on a district causing damage and casualties. Warden Donner, who was officially off duty at the time lived only a few doors away from the incident and was on the spot immediately. He took control and instructed members of the public as to the best method of removing bodies from the wreckage, being instrumental in extricating eight people, three of whom were dead. He worked on the job for three hours and during the whole of this time he was in danger of being caught by the expected collapse of a nearby wall. Enemy planes were continually overhead, and within 100 yards a delayed action bomb had been dropped. This exploded whilst the work was in progress.’

The recommendation for the above award was provided by the Chief Warden of Stepney, and adds that the event occurred 7 September 1940.

Samuel Donner was born in Whitechapel, London, the son of an Austrian father and a Polish mother, in 1910. At the outbreak of the Second War he resided at 8 Watney Street, and was employed as a Cosmetics Salesman. He was subsequently employed as an ARP Warden for Stepney, and as recorded in The War Illustrated, dated 10 April 1941:

‘The British Empire Medal was awarded to Air Warden Samuel Donner for an act of gallantry at Stepney on 7 September 1940 when the greatest daylight raid of the war on London was made. Mr Donner was one of the earliest London ARP workers to be decorated...’

“Black Saturday”

Events of 7 September 1940 are well-recorded in print and by photographic coverage, heralding as they did the commencement of Goring’s great bomber offensive and the Blitz - as famously portrayed in the film Battle of Britain, the porcine Luftwaffe commander really did stand atop the cliffs in the Pas de Calais to wave on his young pilots. And throughout the day and night they delivered a devastating attack on the capital, a mass of H.E, and incendiaries falling on the East End and on London Docks. An excellent account of the appalling damage and loss appears in F. K. Mason’s Battle over Britain, but by way of summary Webb’s and Duncan’s Blitz over Britain states:

‘The day Goring described as ‘the historic hour when our air force for the first time delivered its stroke into the enemy’s heart’ was a fine Saturday afternoon. Suddenly, about 5 p.m., a ‘great black rash’, in the words of one Fire Officer, was seen against the clear, sunlit sky. What he saw was a V-formation of Heinkels and Dorniers sweeping up the Thames estuary from the east. Then came the crump of bombs dropping, the dull roar of distant explosions, and columns of black smoke spiralling over the docks area. Soon a strange orange glow, which had nothing to to do with the evening sun, was to be seen over the whole of London’s East End.

Offices and warehouses were ablaze in the docks at Limehouse, Milwall, Rotherhithe and by Tower Bridge, as well as in Surrey Docks. Woolwich Arsenal, West Ham Power Station and Beckton Gasworks were all hit, and countless little terraced houses and shops were reduced to rubble. As the waves of raiders moved westward on this, London’s biggest daytime attack, they dropped their bombs over a wide area, causing destruction in the City, Westminster and Kensington. By 6 p.m. they had gone - all 375 of them.

But two hours later the Luftwaffe’s night-raiders arrived. The still-blazing fires by the river guided some 250 bombers to their target. Until 4.30 a.m. next morning they fed the fires with high explosive bombs. Three of London’s main line stations were put out of action, many small factories were hit, and thousands of homes were destroyed by bomb or fire. In the docks and the Thames basin some 60 vessels were sunk and many more fire-damaged. The human cost was heavy: 430 people were killed and 1600 seriously injured.’

Donner was decorated by H.M. the King at Buckingham Palace, in March 1941

Sold with file of copied research, including photographic image of recipient wearing his medal.