Bombardier Henry Herbert Reed GC (1911-1941)
George Cross awarded to H.H. Reed. NAM 1992-12-51
‘... It was murder. You’d get Jerry coming over and bombing you, you’d get the submarines coming up between the convoys and sinking, ‘em, you know? And, I don’t know how Jerry knew it, but he always seemed to know where the bloody ammo ship was.’ - Bill Horsley, Stoker
The grave of Bombardier Henry Reed GC at Bishopswearmouth Cemetery. NAM 1992-12- 76-9
Bombardier Reed of the Royal Artillery was on board the merchant ship SS Cormount on 20 June 1940, when it came under heavy attack from enemy E-Boats and aircraft. Like thousands of others, Henry enlisted in the Territorial Army in the run up to the Second World War (1939-1945).
During the attacks an air-launched torpedo hit the Cormount. Reed, although seriously wounded in the stomach while manning an anti-aircraft gun, carried the injured Chief Officer from the damaged bridge, down two ladders to the deck below to safety. Bombardier Reed died of his wounds and was awarded the George Cross (GC) for his ‘gallant and utterly selfless action’. In addition, Bombardier Reed was posthumously awarded Lloyd’s War Medal for Bravery at Sea, the 1939-1945 Star and the British War Medal 1939-1945.
