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	Gallantry		Gallantry

	Donald Adolphus Brown
	Edward Medal
	Date:	07 Jan 1919
	Colliery:	R.N.O. Depot, Woolwich
	Occupation:	Foreman

 

Whitehall, 28th February 1921.

His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to award the Edward Medal to Mr. Donald Adolphus Brown, Foreman, R.N.O. Depot, Woolwich, under the following circumstances :—

On January 7th, 1919, while a number of rockets and lights were being re-packed at the Royal Naval Ordnance Depot at Woolwich, one of the rockets ignited and exploded, thus causing other rockets in the same case to explode. Brown, a foreman in the Ordnance Depot, immediately threw water upon the flaming case, opened the doors of the storehouse and dragged the case into the open. This he did single-handed, but as a result of his example, other employees came to his assistance, and the fire was eventually extinguished by the use of fire buckets and a portable pump.

The storehouse was full of fireworks and flares of every description, and there was a large store of detonators immediately adjoining; several hundred men and women were at work in the immediate vicinity, and had it not been for the promptitude and determination shown by Brown, there is no doubt that a very serious explosion would have occurred. Brown was fully aware of the fact that the store was full of explosives, and of the danger which he was running, and by his courageous act he certainly saved many lives.

Source: London Gazette (08 Mar 1921)

Email	Researcher	Date	Interest
	Phil	24 Sep 2014	family tree purposes
	claire kennedy	12 Apr 2017	Donald Adolphus Brown Was a child of my great-grandmothers 2nd marrigeto william brown i am researching my family tree.

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