Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second War ‘Cardiff Blitz’ B.E.M. awarded to J. N. Anderson, Dock Porter, Great Western Railway, for his gallant conduct in rescuing two dock workers trapped in the hold of the burning S.S. San Felipe after she had been hit by German Bombers in Cardiff Docks, 9 July 1940

British Empire Medal, (Civil) G.VI.R., 1st issue (John Nicholas Anderson) minor edge cut, very fine £240-£280

B.E.M. London Gazette 8 August 1941:
‘During an air raid a bomb fell in the hold of a vessel in which six dock labourers were working. Anderson obtained a rope and descended into the hold in which a quantity of timber was burning and smouldering. After the lead had been given by Anderson other helpers followed. In addition to the danger of suffocation from the smoke and fumes they were working under the water line. Two men were rescued alive and sent ashore. Anderson and his fellow rescuers then dug into the burning debris and recovered the bodies of four men who, apparently, had been killed outright by the explosion. Anderson showed initiative and leadership and by his courage set a fine example.’

John Nicholas Anderson was born in Cardiff in 1909 and worked as a merchant seaman for a short while from 1924, before becoming a Dock Porter for the Great Western Railway at Cardiff Docks. On 9 July 1940, the Roath Dock was raided for the first time by German Bombers. The S.S. San Felipe was badly hit and six dock workers were trapped in the hold of the ship. For his gallant conduct in rescuing two of them, and recovering the bodies of the other four, he was awarded the British Empire Medal. He died in Bridgend, Glamorgan, in 1962.

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