b. 1916 Knaresborough, West Yorkshire. d. 09/05/1942 off Falmouth, Cornwall.
DATE OF AM ACTION: 09/05/1942 off Falmouth, Cornwall.
Edward was the son of Somerville P B and Eileen Russell, and following a short time in West Yorkshire, he grew up in Camberley, Surrey. Following the outbreak of WWII, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
AM CITATION:
When H.M.S. Eskimo was on passage in heavy weather on 9th May, 1942, a man was washed overboard. Lieutenant Russell, seeing that he could not grasp the bearing lines thrown to him, dived overboard and tried to secure him, but the man sank before he could do this. As Lieutenant Russell himself was being hauled on board he lost his hold of the bearing line, and drifted away. Another Officer tried to save him, but could not reach him, and by the time the ship could be stopped, he was dead. He was not a strong swimmer, and had made a gallant attempt to save his shipmate.
BURIAL LOCATION: FALMOUTH CEMETERY, FALMOUTH, CORNWALL.
SECTION K, ROW B, GRAVE 15.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
