Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Unit:

ARP Rescue Party, ARP Bromley, Air Raid Precautions (ARP), Home Office, British Government

Awarded on:

February 21st, 1941

"Mr. Parsloe and Mr. Field accompanied a rescue party to a pair of semidetached houses which had completely collapsed following the explosion of a bomb. On arrival it was learnt that there were six people in the house, two adults and four children. The first floor joists, with the debris from the roof on top, had fallen on to the occupants leaving a space of only two feet between the joists and the ground floor. The only means of entering was by tunnelling under the wreckage.
Mr. Parsloe entered the tunnel, and both he and Mr. Field placed jacks in position in order to raise the debris. Little could be done, however, in this direction without throwing weight on to the head of a boy trapped on the bed. It did, however, assist in the rescue of a woman, whose legs were pinned under the bed. This was effected by cutting through the bedstead with a hacksaw. The release of the boy was much more difficult, and it was necessary for both Mr. Parsloe and Mr. Field to crawl in on their stomachs and release the springs of the mattress in order to effect a rescue from underneath. This, however, let loose other debris. Field managed to wriggle through to the head of the bed and clear away the heap of bricks and plaster. A great risk was taken in carrying out this work as the joists supporting the wreckage appeared to be held up by the rubble. Field had to carry out the work, assisted by Parsloe, lying full length. Ultimately the child's head was freed, and he was pulled out by the ankles without any injury.
The work took about three hours, and owing to the precarious support of the debris over the tunnel, and the shattered condition of the party wall, there was danger throughout the whole operation of the persons working therein being buried."