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Gallantry | ||
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Awards for Gallantry
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Archbold Hawthorn |
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Edward Medal | |||
| Date: | 12 May 1930 | ||
| Colliery: | North Biddick Colliery | ||
| Occupation: | Fore-overman | ||
Award of Edward Medal
Whitehall, October 2, 1930.
His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to award the Edward Medal to Archbold Hawthorn in recognition of his gallantry in the following circumstances :—
On the 12th May, 1930, a fall of roof estimated at about 20 tons occurred at the North Biddick Colliery, Washington, Co. Durham, and entombed Lawrence Taylor, a hewer, and Stewart Collins, a putter, who were working at a seam. The Deputy and several other men hurried to the scene and an attempt was made by the Deputy to make a way over or through the fall by pulling away loose timber and stones. In jumping back to avoid a large falling stone the Deputy fell and struck his head against a rail which rendered him semi-conscious.
Meanwhile Archbold Hawthorn, the Fore-Overman, who had been summoned, arrived on the scene. Having first satisfied himself that the entombed men were unhurt, he began to scrape a hole through the top of the fall, and in a short time he succeeded in making a hole through the fall about 18 inches square and about 4 yards long. Hawthorn then crawled halfway through the tunnel and pulled both Collins and Taylor through the opening. Immediately after Taylor had been extricated, another extensive fall occurred and closed the tunnel completely.
Hawthorn displayed conspicuous gallantry in effecting single handed the rescue of these two men. He incurred great personal risk as he was working in an open cavity from which stones were falling the whole time and there was always the danger that another large fall might occur before the rescue operations were completed.
Source: London Gazette (24 Oct 1930)
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| Researchers | |
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| Researcher | Date | Interest | |
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| david hawthorne | 21 Jun 2011 |
Archbold Hawthorn is my great great grandad, like to no any information and family tree,thanks. |
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| Daniel Hawthorne | 26 Jun 2011 |
info and family tree |
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