War Memorial Park.co.uk
In Memory of
Private ARTHUR HENRY WARNER BEM
Awarded the British Empire Medal
14410209, 8th Bn., Parachute Regiment, A.A.C.
killed in action age 19
on D-Day 6th June 1944, Normandy.
Son of John Edgar and Elsie Warner; husband of
Betty May Warner, of Coventry.
. Born 8th, July,1924 at
Birmingham; resided at 105 Poole Road; employed dispatch rider, N.F.S;
Enlisted 17th December 1942; Buried Ranville British War
Cemetery, France, Plot II, Row F, Grave No.10
Coventry's Boys Air Raid Courage
Defied bombs for 13.5hours: Awarded British Empire
Medal
Bombs
were raining down on Coventry during the raid on November 14th
when 16 year old Arthur Henry Warner, butchers boy, of
8 Jubilee Crescent, Coventry began a night of messenger duty which
for him became a night of thrills, excitement and danger. When eventually
he went off duty he had travelled 15 miles through areas of the city that
had borne the worst of the bombing and had been buried beneath a
demolished telephone box, had worked a fire pump he found unattended and
had been on duty for a total of 13.5 hours.
Warner
a volunteer messenger attached to the A.F.S has been awarded the British
Empire Medal for his courage. He
helped to put out a number of incendiary bombs on the way to the first
fire incident, which, becoming a target for the raiders, attracted many
more high explosives bombs.
As
a messenger Warner never had training as a fireman but when he found the
pump unattended he manned it and worked it on his own, getting water for
the men at the branch. Several times he was soaked to the skin but he
carried on cheerfully. When
relieved by a fireman., Warner was given a message to transmit to his
station. He had just left a telephone box when the blast of the bomb
demolished it on top of him. Fortunatley he was uninjured and after
extricating himself was detailed to order petrol from the A.F.S station
and to remain there and rest and change his clothes. The boy had to walk
most of the way owing to the roads being impassable fir his cycle, and
arriving at the station found the officer was out on another fire.
Message Delivered
Warner
set out again and eventually delivered his message and this time was
ordered by the officer to return to the station and get another messenger
to take over his duty. No other messenger was available so Warner went out
again to the Divisional Headquarters with the petrol request. From here
the boy travelled back to his crew at the incident and after more
fire-fighting was sent out on a message to Central Fire Station to report
that Station Officer Harper, who was in charge of the incident, had been seriously injured. Once again back at the
incident Warner propped his bicycle against a car and on the way to
finding his crew, cycle and car were destroyed by a bomb. And all the boy
would say when the award of the B.E.M was announced was "Coo! Fancy
me winning a medal. I don't deserve it anymore then the other fellows that
were there"
His London gazette Citation for the 19/8/41 reads " Arthur Henry Warner, Messenger, Coventry Auxliary Fire Service" During an air raid, Messenger Warner acting in the capacity of a fireman, worked a pump until it ran short of petrol. He then went to his station for supplies and with these he cycled back to the fire and once more carried on, helping the firemen. Warner performed his duties of messenger during heavy bombing and showed great courage and determination."
Remembered with honour
RANVILLE WAR CEMETERY
Commemorated in perpetuity
by
the Commonwealth War Graves Commission