Julien Tanguy EGM (Honorary Award)

b. ?  d. ?

DATE OF EM ACTION: 18-19/02/1936 off Le Havre, France.

EGM

Little is known about one of the four honorary recipients of the Empire Gallantry Medals who didnt qualify to become automatic recipients of the George Cross on its creation in 1940.

EGM CITATION: (not gazetted)

A Heyford night bomber of 97 Squadron, RAF, engaged in an exercise on the night of 18/19 February 1936, became lost in the bad weather which caused the exercise to be aborted at 1.30am The aircraft was unable to raise the controller and, with all the airfields obscured, it ran out of fuel and, at 4am, crashed into the sea one hundred and fifty yards from the shore at Le Havre, where it sank. Two of the crew were met in a small canoe by Julien Tanguy and Paul Grieu who had put out from shore. Before the canoe, which had become waterlogged. sank a lifebelt was passed to the pilot whom the Frenchmen, in spite of the strong currents, helped ashore but the other three crew members were drowned.

BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.