George Gosse
Second World War
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Awards | George Cross |
In 1940, he joined the
Gosse continued to serve in the RANVR after the war, reaching the rank of lieutenant commander before retiring in 1958, and died of a heart condition in 1964. His medal set is displayed in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial.
Early life and career
George Gosse was born on 16 February 1912 at Harvey, Western Australia, the elder child of William Hay Gosse, a farmer, and his wife Muriel née Davidson. He was a grandson of the explorer William Gosse and a nephew of the businessman Sir James Hay Gosse. His father had served in the 2nd South Australian Mounted Rifles in the Second Boer War in South Africa, and joined the British Army as an artillery officer in World War I. He was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry and was killed in action in 1918. Muriel died in 1920; George and his younger sister were then cared for by their paternal grandmother.[1][2][3]
Gosse was schooled at
His first assignment was to the
World War II
On 1 September 1939, the day
Transferred back to the UK in November 1944,
Following the capture of Bremen, Germany, in April, Gosse led Naval Party 1571 to the port to clear mines laid by the retreating Germans in the Überseehafen.[1][9] Prior to being sent forward to Bremen, Gosse had interrogated a German prisoner of war (POW) who had been involved in the demolition of the Überseehafen and its facilities who described a mine known as an "Oyster", which was "impossible to sweep for and could never be rendered safe".[10] After arriving in Bremen, Gosse risked his life many times in defusing mines. When his divers reported a sighting of what appeared to be a new form of mine, on 8 May Gosse dived himself and verified that it was a "D-type mine with additional fittings", the "Oyster" mine described by the German POW. This mine was pressure-operated, and its detonation train included magnetic and acoustic elements. About 18:00 the next day, Gosse examined the mine by touch, as the visibility was so poor that his waterproof torch was of no use. In order to maintain his depth, he had to tether himself to the mine marker buoy rope. Using tools he had improvised, Gosse interrupted the detonation train by removing the primer release and the primer, which had to be extracted from about 18 inches (460 mm) down a 2-inch (51 mm) wide tube. Having made the mine safe, Gosse was releasing his tether when there was a small explosion. Later examination of the mine showed that water had entered the primer tube and actuated a water pressure trigger set to fire the detonator if the mine was raised. Gosse personally defused two more "Oyster" mines at Bremen between 9 and 19 May,[1][9] and in both cases, the detonator fired before the mine reached the surface.[4] Another officer from Naval Party 1571 said later that "if Gosse hadn't found an answer to the ["Oyster"], Bremen Harbour would have been unusable".[11]
He was promoted to acting lieutenant commander on 30 September 1945 and was demobilised on 20 March 1946.[1] For his service in World War II, Gosse was awarded the 1939–1945 Star, the Burma Star, the France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal 1939–1945, and the Australia Service Medal 1939–1945.[12]
On 26 April 1946, Gosse's award of the George Cross (GC) was promulgated in The London Gazette. The citation read:[13]
On the 8th May, 1945, divers searching Ubersee Hafen reported the presence of a mine which from their description appeared to be an entirely new type. Lieutenant Gosse immediately dived and verified the fact that it was a G.D. pressure type which was commonly known as "Oyster". As it was very necessary that this type of mine should be recovered intact, it was decided to attempt to render safe the mine underwater and on the following day, May 9th, Lieutenant Gosse dived on it again. Using improvised tools he eventually succeeded in removing the primer, which was followed by a loud metallic crash. The mine was eventually lifted on the quayside when it was found that the detonator had fired immediately [after] the primer had been removed. During the subsequent ten days Lieutenant Gosse rendered safe two similar types of mines which were lying in close proximity to shipping and in each instance the detonator fired before the mine reached the surface.
This form of operation called for an exceptionally high standard of personal courage and also a high degree of skill. The conditions were always arduous and were combined with the presence of known mines in the docks and with all forms of underwater obstruction—human corpses—which together with lack of visibility produced a set of conditions which would deter the boldest.
This officer displayed courage and zeal far in excess of the usual course of duty and contributed greatly to the success of a most difficult and important operation.
The George Cross was the highest award for extraordinary acts of gallantry away from the field of battle that could be awarded to a member of the Australian armed forces at the time.[14] Three days after his GC was promulgated, Gosse was visited at home by a journalist from The Advertiser daily newspaper and was surprised to learn he was to receive an award for doing something he enjoyed so much. He joked, "George Gosse, George Cross. Sounds like a test of sobriety".[15]
Later life
Gosse was invested with his George Cross in Adelaide on 3 June 1948 by the Governor of South Australia, Lieutenant General Sir Willoughby Norrie. He continued to serve in the RANVR and was substantively promoted to lieutenant commander on 30 June 1955 before retiring in 1958.[2] He remained an inventive designer, creating many useful domestic gadgets and fittings, but his interest waned once a challenge had been met. According to his entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, his work was mostly "unspectacular".[1] He was president of the Sporting Car Club of South Australia from 1946 to 1948.[1]
During 1950, Gosse was part of an
His medal set is displayed in the Hall of Valour at the
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Crawford 1996.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Staunton 2005, p. 313.
- ^ Australian War Memorial 2019a.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ashcroft 2010, pp. 116–118.
- ^ National Archives 2019, p. 2.
- ^ National Archives 2019, p. 4.
- ^ Grey 1998, p. 280.
- ^ Firkins 1983, p. 116.
- ^ a b Turner 2010, pp. 112–113.
- ^ Salmon 2011, p. 83.
- ^ Salmon 2011, pp. 84–85.
- ^ a b c Australian War Memorial 2019b.
- ^ The London Gazette 26 April 1946.
- ^ Blanch 2020, p. viii.
- ^ Salmon 2011, p. 85.
- ^ The Border Watch 7 December 1950.
- ^ Department of Veterans' Affairs 2019.
- ^ Hollywood Private Hospital 2019.
References
- "A History of Caring". Hollywood Private Hospital. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- Ashcroft, Michael (2010). George Cross Heroes. London, UK: Headline. ISBN 978-0-7553-6452-7.
- Blanch, Craig (2020). For Gallantry: Australians Awarded the George Cross & the Cross of Valour. Sydney: New South Publishing. ISBN 978-1-74223-682-7.
- Crawford, I. McL. (1996). "Gosse, George (1912–1964)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- Firkins, Peter C. (1983). Of Nautilus and Eagles: History of the Royal Australian Navy. Richmond, Victoria: Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-148290-9.
- "George Cross : Lieutenant G Gosse, Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- "Gosse, George Lieutenant Commander". Department of Veterans' Affairs. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ISBN 1-86448-290-7.
- "NAA: A6769, Gosse G". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- "No. 37549". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 26 April 1946. p. 2085.
- "Pre First World War Conflicts Nominal Rolls: William Hay Gosse". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- "Recruiting Speaker Collapses". The Border Watch. Vol. 90, no. 10241. South Australia. 7 December 1950. p. 13. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
- Salmon, Gregor (2011). Navy Divers. North Sydney, NSW: ReadHowYouWant.com (originally published by ISBN 978-1-4596-2373-6.
- Staunton, Anthony (2005). Victoria Cross: Australia's Finest and the Battles they Fought. Prahran, Victoria: Hardie Grant. ISBN 978-1-74273-486-6.
- Turner, John Frayn (2010). Awards of the George Cross 1940–2009. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-84884-200-7.