Tommy Brown (NAAFI assistant)
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Thomas William Brown GM (c. 1926 – 13 February 1945) was an English recipient of the George Medal, one of the youngest persons to have ever received that award. In October 1942, as a NAAFI canteen assistant, he was involved in the action between Petard and U-559, being one of three men to board the sinking submarine in an effort to retrieve vital documents, and was the only one of the three to survive. These documents greatly assisted Bletchley Park codebreakers in cracking the German Enigma code. After this heroic deed, it was revealed that he was underage to be at sea. He returned home to North Shields. In 1945 he died from injuries sustained while rescuing his sister Maureen from a house fire in North Shields Ridges Estate whilst on leave from HMS Belfast. His family were presented with his medal by King George VI in 1945, and later presented it to the NAAFI in 1985.
Tommy Brown GM | |
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Born | c. 1926 North Shields, Northumberland |
Died | 13 February 1945(1945-02-13) (aged 18–19) North Shields, Northumberland |
Buried | Tynemouth (Preston) Cemetery |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | NAAFI Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1941–1942 |
Rank | Senior Canteen Assistant Leading Seaman |
Unit | HMS Petard HMS Belfast |
Battles/wars | Second World War |
Awards | George Medal |