My Grandfather, My Hero: Brave Action at the South Metropolitan Gas Company, Old Kent Road

Arthur Percy Barber
Chief Carbonizinf Foreman, Old Kent Road Works.

Awarded the Medal of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for meritorious service (London Gazette 14th February 1941.)

On the night of Friday, December 27th 1940, when the Works and neighbouring premises were being showered with incendiary bombs, a large fire was soon raging in a rubber tyre yard on the side of the Surrey Canal opposite the Gas Works in which A.P.Barber was employed as Chief Carbonising Foreman. Alongside the bank of the tyre yard was a number of fully laden timber barges, and the flames had reached the leading barge, which had begun to burn. Immediately opposite the fire in the tyre yard was a Works purification plant, through which a large volume of coal gas was passing. Barber had extinguished several bombs on his own side of the Canal, and he immediately realised the potential danger from the burning timber barges.

He succeeded in reaching the leading barges but found the heat too intense for him to reach the Canal bank. He also found the barge moored to the bank by a stout chain. To release the mooring chain he immediately found a hammer and chisel and, with flames playing around him, he cut through the chain whilst members of the Gas Works Fire Squad sprayed water on him to keep the flames back.

By his action and outstanding devotion to duty Barber prevented extensive damage from being done.

How very proud of him I am.
John Reeves his eldest Grandson.

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