Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The outstanding and well-documented ‘Battle of the Imjin River’ M.M. group of eight awarded to Trooper H. L. Bomber, 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars, late Royal Tank Regiment and No. 5 Commando, for his coolness and courage in continuing to fight his Centurion tank single-handedly, after the rest of the crew had baled out; whilst under ferocious assault from swarms of attackers armed with anti-tank bombs, he managed to get the vehicle moving again, charged it through buildings to dislodge assailants who had climbed onto the outside of it, inflicted numerous casualties on the enemy, and saved his Centurion, which was fitted with a top-secret gunsight and automatic main gun stabiliser, from falling into their hands

Military Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue (82323 Tpr. H. L. Bomber. 8th H.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star, 1 clasp, 1st Army; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45; Korea 1950-53, 1st issue (82323 Tpr. H. L. Bomber. 8th. H.); U.N. Korea 1950-54, unnamed as issued, mounted thus; together with a Defence Medal, this loose, the entitlement to which is confirmed in the recipient’s service record, nearly extremely fine (8) £8,000-£10,000

M.M. London Gazette 10 July 1951:
‘In recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Korea.’

The original Recommendation states: ‘Trooper Bomber was the driver of Captain Murray’s tank during the action of 23rd to 25th April 1951. On 25th April as the track of his tank was hit by enemy fire and the tank did not answer to the controls the order was given to abandon the tank. Trooper Bomber did not hear the order, and continued to manipulate the controls and by putting the tank in reverse he succeeded in jumping the track back on again. Opening his driver’s hatch to see what had happened to the crew, he saw a Chinaman on top trying to put a grenade inside. Quickly closing his hatch he advanced at full speed and charged a house where he had seen more enemy in an endeavour to throw this Chinaman off. Then continuing down the road at full speed, he attempted to run down other enemy who obstructed his progress until he caught up with a party of our own infantry and came out of action with them on his tank. Trooper Bomber’s determination was undoubtedly responsible for saving the tank and his coolness and courage in the face of the enemy has been an example to everybody.’

Harry Lionel Bomber was born in Smethwick, Staffordshire on 23 October 1921. In April 1939 he joined his local Territorial Army unit, 34 A.A. Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps. In June 1939 he enlisted in the Armoured Corps of the Regular Army for six years, followed by six years in the Reserve. Initially posted to 52nd Heavy Tank Regiment, in May 1940 Bomber was transferred to 51st Royal Tank Regiment. Due to a severe shortage of tanks following the Dunkirk evacuation, 51 R.T.R. was organised as a Motor Machine Gun battalion, equipped with fifty-four Humber or Hillman two-seater cars which carried Vickers or Bren machine guns and Boys ‘elephant gun’ anti-tank rifles.

In July 1940 Bomber was among the men who volunteered for action ‘of a hazardous nature’ with the newly formed Commando raiding forces. He joined No. 5 Troop of No. 5 Commando at Bridlington. Shortly after its formation, No. 5 Commando moved to Dover and then to Helensburgh in Scotland, for intensive training in raiding tactics and techniques. Army Commandos were paid and administered by their parent unit and continued to wear its badge. Following the Lofoten islands raid, the Commando forces were restructured and No. 5 Commando was re-mustered. Parent Corps still had a claim on their personnel who had been seconded (loaned) to the Commandos, but who now were needed by the parent. Bomber was reclaimed by the Armoured Corps and posted to 12th Royal Tank Regiment on 21 March 1941.

Winston Churchill: “This is the tank they named after me when they found out it was no damn good!”
At 12th R.T.R. Bomber trained as a Driver/Mechanic, to prepare for re-equipment with the new Churchill Heavy Tank, which began to be mass-produced from June 1941. The Churchill was designed to support infantry rather than to fight enemy tanks. It was heavily armoured and could cross ground and tackle slopes that few other tanks could attempt. It was wide enough to accommodate a driver and a co-driver/machine gun operator, but its engine was under-powered, unreliable and difficult to access. It was very slow, and struggled to do more than 12 miles per hour.

Bomber spent eighteen months learning how to get the best out of a Churchill before 12 R.T.R. was sent to North Africa as part of 21st Tank Brigade, joining the Tunisian campaign in March 1943. Massed formations of Churchills were used to support infantry attacks made by 4th Division during its bid to break open the approaches to Tunis. Actions at Cactus Farm and Sidi Abdallah against Tiger tanks, supporting dug-in German paratroopers of the elite Hermann Goering Division who were armed with sticky anti-tank mines, cost 12 R.T.R. thirty-six of its Churchills. 12 R.T.R. fought its last battle in Africa on 6 May 1943.
21st Tank Brigade remained in North Africa for another year. Soon after it was transferred to Italy, it joined the attacks on the Adriatic flank of the heavily fortified Gothic Line from August 1944. Bomber was wounded in action on 19 October 1944. 12 R.T.R.’s final major actions of the war were the river Lamone Crossing in December 1944 and the Battle of the Argenta Gap in April 1945.

Bomber’s Regular Army engagement ended in October 1945. He was discharged in May 1946. His Military Conduct was rated Exemplary and his testimonial reads: ‘This man is a regular soldier who has served since June 1939 during which time he has given loyal service. He is a reliable hard worker, conscientious and efficient, a Trade Tested Vehicle Mechanic and a good Driver. Is honest, sober and trustworthy. Highly recommended for employment in civilian life.’ Bomber spent most of the next four years working as a publican.

Korea: “Strongly Recommended. A First Class Display.”
When the Korean War broke out, Bomber was still in the Army Reserve. He re-joined the colours on 12 August 1950 and was posted to 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars, the armoured unit intended for service in Korea. The 8th Hussars were re-equipping with the brand-new Centurion Mk III battle tank, but still operated some ‘D-Day era’ Cromwell tanks. The Centurion incorporated lessons learned from highly effective German weapons, including Tiger and Panther heavy tanks and the famous 88mm gun. The crown jewel of the Centurion Mk III was a fully automatic stabilisation system for its main gun, combined with a new gunsight, which enabled it to consistently fire accurately while moving at speed. Experts consider the Centurion to be among the best tank designs of the early/mid-Cold War era. It was ‘On the Secret List’ in 1950/51; Royal Armoured Corps orders stressed that a Centurion must never be allowed to be captured intact.

The 8th Hussars trained intensively for eight weeks before embarking on 11 October 1950. It is noteworthy that Bomber, who had not sat in a tank for over four years, was assigned to drive a state-of-the-art Centurion rather than an older Cromwell. The regiment arrived in Pusan harbour on 14 November 1950, made its way to the front line north of Pyongyang, but was soon swept up in the retreat of the UN forces in the face of vast numbers of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (P.L.A.) soldiers pushing down from the north.

Bomber was injured in the fighting at Suwon, just south of Seoul, on 25 January 1951, in an incident classified as ‘Battle Accident phosphorous burns – not to blame’. White phosphorous munitions were used as incendiaries or to create instant smokescreens, and each Centurion carried WP grenades and WP smoke discharger cannisters. Accidents can easily happen, as white phosphorous ignites spontaneously on contact with air, cannot be extinguished easily, and burns through flesh and bone unless prompt action is taken with a bayonet to remove all burning fragments and the wound is then smothered with mud.
In February 1951 the UN forces went onto the offensive, recapturing Seoul and pushing up towards the old border between the North and the South. The Centurions helped the Glosters to capture Hill 327. The terrain in this part of Korea was too rugged for tanks to operate effectively, and the Army felt that the 8th Hussars, having gained combat experience, could be better used in Europe. By the end of April 1951, Regimental Headquarters and two Squadrons had been pulled out of the Korea order of battle and were on their way home. Only ‘C’ Squadron was still deployed on the front line along the Imjin River when the Chinese Spring Offensive opened on the evening of 22 April 1951. The entire Chinese 63rd Army was tasked to wipe out one puny British Infantry Brigade and its handful of tanks. Swarms of Chinese troops crossed the Imjin and began to infiltrate along the gaps between the British units.

The 29th Independent British Brigade was allocated 12 miles of front, comprising steep hills intersected by deep valleys. It was impossible to form a continuous defensive line, so Brigadier Brodie decided to deploy each infantry battalions on a separate key area of high ground, relying on his artillery and tanks to cover the wide gaps between them, including the dominating 675m high feature called Kamak San. In particular, there was a wide gap between the Glosters to the west of the Brigade area and the other three battalions who were safeguarding the main north-south highway (Route 11) to the east.

Bomber was the driver of Captain G.S. Murray’s Centurion. Murray was one of the 8th Hussars’ most senior commanders, and he spent most of the Battle leading, from the front, a Half-Squadron (three Troops). He was awarded an M.C. for his actions during the first and the last days of the battle, and Bomber was present with him throughout. On the first full day (23 April) Murray was ordered to push up Route 11 towards the Imjin river and extricate ‘Y’ Company, Northumberland Fusiliers, who had been surrounded. A perilous mission which Murray and Bomber pulled off successfully, returning with the Fusiliers riding on the backs of the tanks. The other 8th Hussars Half Squadron headed west to try to reach the Glosters, who were also surrounded, but these tanks did not succeed in breaking through the enemy hordes that were well-established on each side of Kamak San.

On 24 April, crowds of enemy soldiers poured off the flanks of Kamak San. ‘Throughout that day and the next, tanks were in perpetual demand, invoked like guardian angels, at every point of threat and crisis.’ (History of the VIII King’s Royal Irish Hussars refers). It was not a good day for the 8th Hussars: two Centurions came under heavy, accurate mortar fire and drove off Route 11 into the paddy fields, where one stopped and the other, tilted at an angle as the driver attempted frantically to turn, built up mud around its drive wheels and threw off both of its tracks.

On the third day (25 April), thousands of Chinese infantrymen were still ferociously attacking. The exhausted men of 29th Brigade were ordered to withdraw, with the bulk moving south along Route 11, covered by the Centurions. The Glosters, who could still not be reached and helped in any way, were told to pull out across country in small groups. Once the order to retreat was received, Captain Murray resolved to recover the two immobilised Centurions, despite intense enemy activity in the vicinity. He deployed a small infantry force to provide local protection for the Armoured Recovery Vehicle. One Centurion was saved, but the enemy was pushing hard, time was passing and Murray was ordered to destroy the gun stabilisation system and gunsight of the second tank before the Chinese could overrun his position. Murray reluctantly complied, planting the demolition charges himself. He was wounded in the head and shoulder before climbing back into the turret of his Centurion and resuming command of the vehicle. It was time to leave in a hurry, as the Chinese infantry and anti-tank teams were capturing stretches of Route 11 right down the valley and ‘there was a very real danger of all the tanks being cut off irrecoverably.’ (ibid)

The Centurions covering the British withdrawal down Route 11 were forced off the road in many places. As a veteran 8th Hussar recalled years later, ‘It was more or less a death or glory sort of stunt,’ running a gauntlet of treacherous paddy fields and PLA soldiers with sticky anti-tank mines. British infantrymen, jam-packed on the backs of the tanks, were raked by small arms fire at close range; only a few survived the death ride. Two Centurions were knocked out by the sticky anti-tank mines, which Chinese soldiers had to attach to the moving tanks by hand, a close to suicidal task, as each vehicle tried to protect itself and its neighbours. One of the rear-guard Centurions was lost when it drove into a deep dyke and stuck its gun into the ground like a spike.

As Bomber and Murray made their way through the paddy fields, an explosion (probably a sticky anti-tank mine) threw off a track and Bomber’s controls went dead. Captain Murray ordered the crew to bale out and abandon the tank. According to the Regimental History, the Centurion belonging to the overall commander of the 8th Hussars on Route 11 (Captain Ormrod) was close by: ‘Ormrod went round the wet paddy-field where Murray was stuck, paused to pick up Murray and his turret crew, and hurried on through a small village…’

His M.M. citation states that Bomber did not hear Captain Murray’s order to abandon the tank. By careful manipulation of the gears and controls, Bomber succeeded in jumping the steel track back onto its driving wheel and bogies. ‘Jumping’ (American tankers call it ‘walking’) a track back into place is an amazingly difficult operation, which only an incredibly skilful and lucky tank driver can manage successfully on flat ground under peacetime conditions. To do so in a paddy field while under the stress of constant hostile attack is little short of a miracle.

Normally the thrown track would have to be dismantled and refitted, an operation which can take hours, so Captain Murray was fully justified in ordering his tank to be abandoned. He did not issue the order lightly - when he himself had been ordered, earlier in the day, to blow up the trackless Centurion that he was trying to save, Murray’s reply had been ‘Much against the grain, I obey your order’. Bomber either deliberately ignored the order to bale out, or he switched off the intercom to better listen to the sounds of the gearbox and engine as he began the delicate ‘jumping’ process. All the official sources are silent regarding why Murray did not ensure that every member of his crew was accounted for before he climbed into Captain Ormrod’s tank and it drove off.

Having checked that the Centurion now answered to his controls, Bomber opened the front driver’s hatch to look for Captain Murray. What he saw caused him to close it rapidly, drive off at full speed and charge into enemy-occupied houses in the village just ahead. He had to drive fully ‘closed down’, relying on his periscope alone to see where he was going. Normally the tank commander, whose elevated turret gives him much wider visibility, helps the driver by giving directions, so Bomber was lucky not to drive into one of the ubiquitous dykes and get trapped. Alone in the tank, he was also vulnerable to hand grenades being thrown inside, because the escape hatches for the three-man turret crew were probably left unlocked. Despite these challenges, he set off at full speed, mowing down Chinese anti-tank and machine-gun squads and rescuing exhausted British soldiers. A Royal Ulster Rifleman who rode to safety on the back of one of the Centurions described how ‘the tanks were going straight through [the Chinese attackers]. And that’s all I could hear, those people screaming, being crushed by the tanks as they went through them. Quite a horrible experience. It was a mess, just a mess. The sides of the tanks were covered in blood. All the tracks were full of limbs…’

The final day of fighting during the Imjin River battle cost ‘C’ Squadron six of its Centurions and five other vehicles. Bomber had single-handedly prevented the loss of a seventh Centurion, and Murray had saved an eighth. The Chinese were not able to recover any of the Centurions that they had captured. Their Spring Offensive was irreparably damaged by the casualties that they had suffered at the hands of 29th British Brigade. The 63rd Army lost over a third of its strength and was pulled out of the Chinese Offensive. The P.L.A. failed in their bid to capture Seoul and were soon retreating again. All the United Nations troops had resisted fiercely, but the British had fought the most ferociously, held out the most tenaciously, inflicted the highest casualties and won the greatest fame.

Less than five weeks after their pullback from the Imjin River, all three Squadrons of the 8th Hussars were back on the Imjin battlefield (their rotation back to Europe had been countermanded). All the lost Centurions were recovered and repaired, except for one, a total wreck, which was cannibalised for its parts until it was only useful as scrap metal. On 19 May 1951, Brigadier Brodie of 29th Independent British Brigade approved proposals for gallantry awards to four officers and two other ranks of the 8th Hussars for the Imjin River fighting. He wrote on Captain Murray’s sheet “Strongly Recommended”. He endorsed the papers for Trooper Bomber’s M.M. as “Strongly Recommended. A First-class Display.”

Harry Bomber left the army, time expired, on 4 December 1951. He died in Birmingham in autumn 1980.